Month: February 2013
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Redefining Heresy
I was always puzzled by the Gemara which speaks of Yochanan the High Priest becoming a heretic after 80 years in the job: Believe not in thyself until the day of thy death? For lo, Johanan the High Priest officiated as High Priest for eighty years and in the end he became a Min? He… Read more
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Who Would Rabbeinu Tam Vote For
In the recent election campaign, one of the parties (who were not elected to Knesset) ran a campaign asking who Rambam would vote for. The implications of the ad were: 1. Rambam is in favour of learning Torah AND working (and by extension serving the country/army/being a productive member of society) 2. (Not stated but… Read more
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Of Onions and Wine Barrels
Over at MentalFloss there is an overview of historical methods of testing for pregnancy. It seems that the ancient Egyptians were not wrong in their test, and a lot of rabbits had to die in the early part of the 20th century (whether they were pregnant or not). But it is clear that there is… Read more