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.
- 11 November 2025כ׳ בחשוון תשפ״וEssay
Rambam Was a Hasid
Rambam, Maimonides, Abu Imran, or the Ra"m ba"r Maza"l, as he was variously known, was not just a legal scholar and judge, not just a doctor and a philosopher, but...
- 8 November 2025י״ז בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Both Made-Up Peoples
I see your "Palestinians/Israelis are a made-up people" and raise you "Palestinians and Israelis are both made-up peoples descended from second commonwealth Israelites"
- 6 November 2025ט״ו בחשוון תשפ״וNote
New Deal for Israel
Time for a New Deal for this country? - annexation (better sixty years late than never) - citizenship for all (regardless of ethnicity or religion) - education for all (no...
- 6 November 2025ט״ו בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Loyal to the Nazis
As MAGA slowly embraces its antisemitic roots, will they lose the Jewish Republican vote? (Relatedly, is "Latinos for Trump" still a thing?) "Although the fortunes of many have been wiped...
- 4 November 2025י״ג בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Sedé Teiman and False Equivalence
Whatever crimes were committed at Sedé Teiman and other bases/prisons need to be investigated and the perpetrators need to be tried and fully punished, not just for immediate justice but...
- 3 November 2025י״ב בחשוון תשפ״וEssay
Zionism for Palestinians
Zionism for Palestinians? I've been having great discussions with listeners to The Z Word 's first episode, my conversation with Palestinian author Mo Husseini . A central point of not...
- 1 November 2025י׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Grok on Mamdani and Antisemitism
After I called out Grok for relying on "X sentiment" of Mamdani critics and anti-Mamdani propaganda, and asked for a "facts and figures" based approach to answering the question "Based...
- 1 November 2025י׳ בחשוון תשפ״וPoem
Go to Yourself
Go to yourself From what you were Told you are From your father's Hopes and dreams From the limits Of those around you To the land that I will show...
- 31 October 2025ט׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Yemen Blues Shabazi
Finallllllly listening to Shabazi - A Tribute to the Poet On our way to Ma'ale Adummim Beautiful, bold, brassy, funky, traditional all in one sound *Chef's Kiss* Yemen Blues -...
- 31 October 2025ט׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Why Aren’t We Doing This
From his Islamic context, R Abraham b haRambam drew the obvious conclusion - if our traditional laws describe ideas and prescribe practices, and it's accepted in the prevailing milieu to...
- 31 October 2025ט׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Rambam Before His Son
As someone approaching the subject from the Maimonidean angle, it amazes me how people attribute innovations to Rambam's son that are actually earlier described in Rambam's works, and much of...
- 30 October 2025ח׳ בחשוון תשפ״וEssay
Kollelim as National Service
I respect Haredim. I think that their counter-cultural ethos is inspirational and the construction of a lifestyle revolving around the study and observance of Torah is admirable. I, too, value...
- 29 October 2025ז׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Beyond Jewish Studies
I'll go one step further and argue that the origins and historical trajectories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can not be adequately understood from within the framework of Jewish Studies...
- 28 October 2025ו׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Israelite Studies
Elephantine. Idumea. Himyar. Kaifeng. Samaritans. Bené Anusím. Bene Israel. Beta Israel. Bene Menashe. Igbo. Qaraites. Amazighs. Palestinians. Ashkenaz. Sepharad. Teiman. Paras. Jewish Studies is an outdated discipline. It's time to...
- 28 October 2025ו׳ בחשוון תשפ״וEssay
Igbo Israelites
The Igbo culture always surprises me. Today I learned that those Igbos that still pray according to the ways of Omenana, convene an additional service steeped in tradition (after they...
- 27 October 2025ה׳ בחשוון תשפ״וEssay
Who Invented the Jews
Who invented the Jews? Who invented the Palestinians? "Sand explained during a newspaper interview his reasons for writing the book: "I wrote the book for a double purpose. First, as...
- 25 October 2025ג׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
Zion in the Sources
Zion is mentioned 196 times in Isaiah. 64 times in Jeremiah. 130 times in the Twelve Prophets. 152 times in Tehillim. 441 times in the Talmuds (374 in the Zohar!)...
- 24 October 2025ב׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
The Z Word Launches
The Z Word - open and honest conversations with Palestinians and Israelis about Zionism, the land, the conflict, and the hope for a shared future... These are going to be...
- 24 October 2025ב׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
On Calling Out the Wicked
A valued friend privately messaged me to take issue with my personal insult to Yosef Mizrachi in a previous post. He felt it was in conflict with the overarching principle...
- 23 October 2025א׳ בחשוון תשפ״וNote
What Mamdani Could Have Said
"My dearly beloved fellow New Yorkers, It's an honor and privilege to not only be one of you but to fight for this opportunity to represent and lead you -...