Monthly Archives: June 2015

Questions About Money & Princeton University Press (Tikvah Fund)

Posted on June 3, 2015 by zjb

Does it matter if a book on or of Jewish thought or culture is published at the Library of Jewish Ideas “co-sponsored” by the neo-conservative Tikvah Fund? It’s very clear from the webpage, which you can read here,  that the … Continue reading →

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This Is An Idol (Ancient Near East Artifact)

Posted on June 3, 2015 by zjb

I’m not even sure if it’s “art,” which we know is a modern construct. Best to define these things as narrowly as possible, an “idol” is an ancient Near Eastern artifact. These home votives sit and stand there, they strike … Continue reading →

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Zohar Spinning Revolutions Looks Like (Shiva Nataraja)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by zjb

Rabbi Yitzhak opened, “He revolves wheels by His devices, according to their deeds, whatever He command them on the face of the inhabited earth (Job 37:12). He revolves wheels –The blessed Holy One spins revolutions in the world, bringing cloaked dazzlers … Continue reading →

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Haptic Religion and the Religions of India (Max Müller)

Posted on June 1, 2015 by zjb

Reading Max Müller’s Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion As Illustrated by the Religions of India (1882). An odd book, it does a lot of different things. On the one hand, Müller’s thinking about religion is steeped in … Continue reading →

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