Month: April 2012
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The Sages
(This post is kind of a follow on from my previous post) The only way to really understand Gemara is to understand the people and places in it. There are several books on the Sages. In Hebrew you have Shem HaGedolim of the Chida and Seder HaDorot in 3 volumes (vol 1; vol 2; vol… Read more
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Rabbi Abahu and Rambam’s 3rd Ikkar
I came across three interesting statements for Rabbi Abahu this week, which seem to point to the fact that he does not agree with Rambam’s third principle – that we must deny any kind of physicality from G-d. I was learning the (Israeli) parshat hashavua which speaks about the service of the Cohen Gadol on… Read more
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Internet Asifa
Everyone is talking about the Internet Asifa with the backing of the Gedolim. Many different people have pointed out all the many things wrong with the idea from beginning to end. What hasn’t been pointed out (as far as I’ve seen) is that it seems obvious to me that this is not primarily about the… Read more
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Is there such a thing as rational Judaism?
Can religion really work with rationalism? There are many good books which try to bridge the gap between them (the ‘first and best’ of which was Challenge: Torah Views on Science and Its Problems, and of course there are the books of Rabbi Slifkin including The Challenge of Creation: Judaism’s Encounter with Science, Cosmology, and… Read more
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Multiple Authors
It is not only Moshe Rabbeinu’s authorship of the Torah that is challenged by ‘experts’. Even Shakespeare’s works contain multiple authors according to new research. Prof Maguire says that a majority of plays written in this era had more than one writer – but the iconic status of Shakespeare has meant a reluctance to consider… Read more
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Hyrax Song
If you live outside of Israel, this week you will read parshat Shemini in Shul (we Israelis already read it last week while you were celebrating the 8th day of Pesach). Shemini contains (amongst other things) the list of kosher and non-kosher animals, birds and fish. (If you want to wear a parsha-themed tie, how… Read more
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Steam-Engine Time
I was reading a book the other day – “The Science of Discworld III – Darwin’s Watch” and they mentioned a concept called “Steam-Engine Time”. According to Urban Dictionary this means: A period of time when many inventors all over the world, despite isolation from each other, and with no contact with each other in… Read more
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Cheating for Charity
Perhaps this research explains the embarrassing amount of chilul Hashem that goes on when ‘religious people’ (note the ”) cheat and steal, and try to justify it by saying that it is for a good cause. “Drawing the Line Somewhere: An Experimental Study of Moral Compromise shows that people are more likely to lie when… Read more
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Biur Maaser
(Even if you are not interested in the first part of this post, it is worth reading the end for a practical suggestion about destroying maaser coins – if you are quick) In years 1,2,4 and 5 of the shemita cycle we separate maaser sheni from all produce grown in Israel. This food is eaten… Read more
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A Plague of Frogs
This item was posted yesterday on a New Zealand news website. It seems that the city of New Plymouth is suffering from a plague of frogs now. Large numbers of the green and brown croakers have been seen sunning and bathing themselves in backyards from Spotswood to Bell Block after a bumper breeding season. Neighbours… Read more