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.
- 8 April 2026כ״א בניסן תשפ״וEssay
Proof of the Creator
Can you prove the Creator exists? Here's a modern update to Rambam's argument for the existence of God... Let's say, for the sake of discussion, we make the following eleven...
- 8 April 2026כ״א בניסן תשפ״וNote
A Mother’s Milk
A thought on Kashruth: "FWIW the judges on the national court extended the basic concept of not cooking a goat in its mother's milk, which inverts the view of the...
- 8 April 2026כ״א בניסן תשפ״וNote
God Gave Me a Brain
89 comments, mostly indignant at the suggestion that there aren't any good arguments for categorically prohibiting electricity on Shabbath, but this one tickled me: "Only thing gnarly here is your...
- 6 April 2026י״ט בניסן תשפ״וNote
Prepare for the Worst
(Thoughts on the immediate situation... If you live in this country... Please read to the end. Stay safe my friends.) POTUS is threatening to attack every power plant and bridge...
- 4 April 2026י״ז בניסן תשפ״וNote
Unfit Bomb Shelters
(Some thoughts on bomb shelters and missiles, with a request at the end:) For someone who's been itching for a war with Iran for decades, our prime minister didn't actually...
- 4 April 2026י״ז בניסן תשפ״וNote
The Arizal as Zionist
Really enjoying this preliminary research situating the Arizal within the emergence of modern #Zionism and reading Lurianic kabbala as a Zionist project. Immigration, political organization, autarky, ecology - just a...
- 1 April 2026י״ד בניסן תשפ״וEssay
Pesah and Trans Rights
As I wind down from preparing for #Passover, I want to share a politically incorrect musing on a recent development in the American culture war. Based on my understanding of...
- 31 March 2026י״ג בניסן תשפ״וEssay
Mental Slavery
"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds" The Creator intervened in biohistory and through the imposition of a higher order, brought the regional empire to...
- 30 March 2026י״ב בניסן תשפ״וNote
One Law for All
I have my thoughts about the death penalty and they're complicated and truthfully undecided, but just focusing on policy for a sec: I'm just saying... if the death penalty is...
- 30 March 2026י״ב בניסן תשפ״וNote
Five Bitter Herbs
What's on your seder plate? Five traditional options for the "bitters": Ḥazzereth – cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa) (all identifications follow Rambam's commentary on Mishnah Pesachim 2:6). An annual vegetable that...
- 29 March 2026י״א בניסן תשפ״וPoem
Peace Upon
Peace upon my enemies May their cups overflow May they lack for nothing Peace upon my friends May their journey in this life Be through paradise May they never enter...
- 22 March 2026ד׳ בניסן תשפ״וEssay
The Narrow Bridge
I don't want to be an alarmist or pretend that I can predict the future. I hope that my concerns will be proven to be unfounded. But I want my...
- 22 March 2026ד׳ בניסן תשפ״וNote
Racism in the Bomb Shelter
Racism reared its ugly head in the bomb shelter today. I didn't see the point of confronting it on the spot - I've learned that racists operating in maladaptive defense...
- 22 March 2026ד׳ בניסן תשפ״וNote
Coerced vs Choosing Societies
"A society that has to coerce its population into compliance does not outcompete one whose people are choosing, daily, under fire, to stay and build." Sometimes AI says something smart....
- 20 March 2026ב׳ בניסן תשפ״וPoem
A Shabbath of Peace
On Shabbath even the souls trapped in the hell they made get respite from their suffering. I pray for my soul, for my wife, for my daughters, for the other...
- 17 March 2026כ״ח באדר תשפ״וNote
When the Interceptors Run Out
Known: The number of interceptors the US coalition forces have left. Unknown: The number of ICBM launchers the Khameini regime is conserving underground. I don't mean to be a downer...
- 16 March 2026כ״ז באדר תשפ״וNote
Sanity in a Mad World
Life is crazy. The world has gone mad. Technology overwhelms, wars crush, society fractures, people are alienated from each other and themselves. What's truly nuts is that sentence could have...
- 11 March 2026כ״ב באדר תשפ״וNote
Miracles in War
Life is full of miracles. The improbable and fortuitous concatenation of events, despite conflicting agendas, beliefs, and environmental factors. Oftentimes, those miracles are easily mistaken for natural events or human...
- 8 March 2026י״ט באדר תשפ״וNote
Kosher Rules of Thumb
Biblical rules for living a kosher life: - Eat obligate herbivores - Shun predators, scavengers, and bottom feeders - Make death painless - Respect that which gives life 🐄🐑🐐🐓🐟
- 7 March 2026י״ח באדר תשפ״וNote
Q&A on the War
Hi! You may be a new friend of mine. While I really like sharing poems and pictures of my baby daughter, and while I also hope to work together to...