Monthly Archives: September 2014

How Can a Soul Sin?! (Zohar)

Posted on September 30, 2014 by

I like the naive shock in the Zohar. Commenting on the verse “If a soul sins” (Lev. 5:1), the Torah is astonished (astonished!) that a soul could sin. Before its descent into the world, the soul stands before the King in a garment … Continue reading →

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Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky in the New York Post

Posted on September 29, 2014 by

I love the New York Post, and their front page editor’s a genius. I’m not sure if out-of-towners will see the affectionate ribbing with which the paper greets the birth of baby Clinton Mezvinsky. Another liberal cry baby!

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Wrath in the World (Evil According to the Zohar)

Posted on September 29, 2014 by

At the very end of the commentary on Exodus, the Zohar turns its attention to the flow and force of evil in the world. The demonic point has no color, and it does not exist. It expands out, to the right … Continue reading →

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Dialogue in the 21st Century: A Martin Buber Memorial Conference

Posted on September 29, 2014 by

Dialogue in the 21st Century: A Martin Buber Memorial Conference Manhattan College April 23, 2015   Call for Abstracts: Submissions from all disciplinary backgrounds, including philosophy, religious studies, Judaic studies, media studies, political science, education and peace studies are welcome. … Continue reading →

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BDS (Amira Hass at Birzeit)

Posted on September 28, 2014 by

This is why BDS is the damaging thing that it is, the damage being done not just to Israel, or actually less to Israel than to Palestinian civil society whose call it is U.S. advocates of BDS intend to support. At … Continue reading →

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In Shul After Gaza — Green Rosh Hashana at Anschei Chesed

Posted on September 28, 2014 by

A report from the liberal pew: The Jewish year this year happens to be a Schmittah year, a sabbatical year. According to the Bible, the land is supposed to stay fallow every seventh year. The land needs to rest. It’s not … Continue reading →

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נהיה לראשׁ ולא לזנב (Rosh Hashana Fish Head Blessing)

Posted on September 27, 2014 by

“May we be like the head and not the tail.” Like many customs and tradition, eating a fish head to mark the new year, is both delicious and disgusting. Before they are moral, these kinds of tradition are gustatory, or … Continue reading →

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