I Have a King
I don’t want another king. I want the revival of the court. The rebuilding of the sanctuary. The return of prophecy. The resumption of our national mission. But I don’t want another king. I have a King.
Gil
Morir Habemos
“Morir habemos” – we all have to die“Ya lo sabemos” – I know it And with that the Sabbath departs and 9 Ab begins. With the departure of our additional consciousness and with a step across the edge of madness. A return to our worst memories from which we can only hope will be birthed … Read more
Ahabath Yisrael
I spoke with someone yesterday and the conversation has stayed with me. He is a Rambamist, a learned student of a great scholar who passed on to his world, and someone who works tirelessly on behalf of the community, providing educational resources to audiences from underserved communities. Yet when I mentioned that an individual with … Read more
One National Law
There can be only one national law If every community splinters off into its own separate legal system, the nation is lost So there’s gotta be a baseline, a law set down by whatever court last represented the whole nation Beyond that baseline, communities can establish whatever customary practices and policies they want But the … Read more
Reinterpret the Torah
“If it could be proven, I would reinterpret the Torah to resolve any contradiction with it” Bold words. Bold commitment. Even if what we know is contingent and limited – it’s the best of what we’ve got. Reinterpret the Torah.
Welcome to the Party
I would argue that far more observant Jewish people are a small step away from Neomaimonidean thought and practice than they are aware. If you’re sure that there’s an organic, rational, coherent, meaningful approach to Judaism somewhere out there that embraces life and questions while respecting text and law, but are drowning in a mess … Read more
Two Men’s Words
On the one hand, there is this French politician who said some stuff about recognizing a state with no leadership, no funding, no borders, and probably no military. On the other hand, there is this guy called Rambam who had some really deep insights into human civilization and the marriage of reason and religion, that … Read more
Faur in the New Guide
Spent the afternoon with Rambam z”l…. Glad to see R Faur z”l getting his due in the new translation of the Guide.
Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian
The older I get and the deeper this country’s ethos seeps into my bones, the more convinced I become of two things:– Socialism has a lot more going for it than Capitalists would like to admit – To be truly pro-Israeli is to be pro-Palestinian, “and vice versa”And yet my libertarian preferences have not only … Read more
Living Under Unfair Conditions
Being Jewish in an unredeemed world means living under essentially unfair conditions stacked against you, where you are the least understood yet the most well-known in the international room. Where a magnifying glass is held to your every deed solely because you insist on your difference, and where your own perspective is neither acknowledged nor … Read more