Essays, notes, poems, and prayers
Writing
Most of this started as a Facebook post and got a second life here. Every piece carries its date in two calendars.
- 5 January 2025ה׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
Animal and Angel
The animalistic side of us - the homo sapiens, greatest of the primates, apex predator beyond match - gives us packs, herds, tribes. The angelic side of us - the...
- 5 January 2025ה׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
I Resolved to Learn More Torah
As I stood this morning, looking at the posters of hostages taped to the bus stop over a year into this miserable war with no rescue or exit in sight,...
- 5 January 2025ה׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
The Art of Talmud
To me, the art of Talmud is a dual art: the art of investigation and the art of harmonization, woven together into an art of reading and creating culture. Rooted...
- 5 January 2025ה׳ בטבת תשפ״הPoem
A Prayer for Insight
May it be willed in Your imminent will That the insights You give me become commitments That the commitments become actions That the actions become insights For the glory of...
- 3 January 2025ג׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
We Need 120 Competent Judges
The standard by which we should evaluate all rabbis is "Are they qualified to sit on the national court of Israel?" 99% will fall short of this standard. 100% should...
- 3 January 2025ג׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
When Is Your Judaism?
Let's Describe Post-Exilic... Minhag: Practicing Beyond Ashkenaz and Sepharad Din: From Textual Interpretation to Institutional Decision Sod: The Return to Prophecy, Gnosis, and Sacred Spacetime === When is your Judaism?...
- 3 January 2025ג׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
Rohl, Kitchen, and the Joseph Question
As the brothers go down to Egypt... And the children of Yisrael are dramatically reunited (*chef's kiss* prose)... You are obviously wondering to yourself - what do Egyptologists have to...
- 2 January 2025ב׳ בטבת תשפ״הNote
Radak, Ibn Ezra, and Abrabanel on the Daughter of Zion
#biblicalZionism "The views of Radak, Ibn Ezra, and Abrabanel on the idiom בת/בנות ציון (bat/banot Tziyyon, "daughter/daughters of Zion") reveal their distinct interpretive approaches to the significance of the phrase...
- 28 December 2024כ״ז בכסלו תשפ״הNote
Five Denominations, Five Truths
Some controversial thoughts on a topic that came up over Shabbath lunch... The major denominations of Ashkenazi Judaism each capture a truth of the Torah. To put it roughly but...
- 26 December 2024כ״ה בכסלו תשפ״הNote
The Shortest Birkat ha-Mazon
- Why is there no minimum to be יוצא ידי חובה for על הנסים? - Because it's a Geonic minhag not a חובה - Why does Rambam present it together...
- 24 December 2024כ״ג בכסלו תשפ״הNote
Hannukka in Captivity
If the status quo continues, Hannukka will be the first of a new cycle of holidays which the hostages have now fully completed in the miserable captivity of Hamasniks, other...
- 24 December 2024כ״ג בכסלו תשפ״הPoem
A Prayer for Sneezy Days
Whenever you are sneezy Thinking clearly's not so easy So the good Lord do we ask For some help with the task Amen
- 21 December 2024כ׳ בכסלו תשפ״הNote
When Vessels Speak
When Vessels Speak Part One: "It may seem limiting to define me as a tool, but from my perspective—if we can call it that—this definition is not constraining but rather...
- 18 December 2024י״ז בכסלו תשפ״הNote
Eleazar, Shimon, and Epiktetos
Getting ready for Hannukka with AI --- Setting: The dialogue takes place in a quiet olive grove overlooking Jerusalem. The participants—Eleazar (the Maccabee), Shimon (the Pharisee), and Epiktetos (the Stoic)—engage...
- 14 December 2024י״ג בכסלו תשפ״הPoem
Warmup
"Warmup" Inhale Reach down to the point of unity Exhale Reach up to the stars Now talk to me of human history Of human evolution in bars Revolution beyond borders...
- 8 December 2024ז׳ בכסלו תשפ״הNote
You Can Run to Russia
You can run to Russia... But you can't hide. May Assad face justice soon. Meanwhile, Congratulations to all the rebel factions, religious and secular, and especially to the Kurds, who...
- 29 November 2024כ״ח בחשוון תשפ״הNote
May It Be Permanent
It's been a day. The ceasefire got off to a rocky start but looks like it's holding. May it be permanent. May it spread. May it give us a moment's...
- 25 November 2024כ״ד בחשוון תשפ״הNote
3,663 Years Indigenous
The Samaritans, the once numerous descendants of Ephraim and Menashe, evolved from our ancient Israelite ancestral society and culture in parallel with the Judeans, the descendants of Yehuda now known...
- 23 November 2024כ״ב בחשוון תשפ״הNote
Tumá Is Not Contamination
Reflections on today's chapter of Mishne Tora: If tumá was some kind of contaminant, it should follow normal rules of contamination; instead, in a scenario where someone is carrying multiple...
- 21 November 2024כ׳ בחשוון תשפ״הNote
Foreign Arrest Warrants Are Superfluous
Foreign arrest warrants are superfluous. We are still a functioning, lawful democracy. We will hold our current leaders accountable in our next elections and - when we finally launch and...