Monthly Archives: July 2016

Yisrael Ha’Yom Loves Donald Trump

Posted on July 22, 2016 by zjb

“I love Israel” (thank you, Yitz Landes)

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Wild Raspberries (Riverside Park)

Posted on July 22, 2016 by zjb

In the Forever Wild sanctuary in Riverside Park just off and above 116th Street there are wild raspberries along the path. They taste okay.

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New York Subway Lost At Night (Messiah)

Posted on July 20, 2016 by zjb

Okay, it didn’t quite look like this at all, but this is definitely what it felt like travelling underground on the subway late last night on the way home after meeting up with a friend downtown. Engrossed deeply in Jacob Neusner’s … Continue reading →

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Ethics Independent of Halakhah? (Aharon Lichtenstein)

Posted on July 19, 2016 by zjb

From Modern Jewish Ethics, edited by Marvin Fox, and since re-printed, here are the main ligaments to Aharon Lichtenstein’s famous question cum essay, “Does Jewish Tradition Recognize An Ethic Independent of Halakah?” I have re-arranged the parts out of sequence … Continue reading →

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(Jewish Ethics) Depends Upon How You Choose The Terms

Posted on July 18, 2016 by zjb

Does Jewish ethics exist? It depends. Again sticking with Modern Jewish Ethics, the 1975 collection of essays edited by Marvin Fox, Aharaon Lichtenstein put it quite bluntly. “[A]s formulated, this particular query is a studded minefield, ever key term is an … Continue reading →

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So 1970s (Modern Jewish Ethics) (Marvin Fox)

Posted on July 15, 2016 by zjb

My search for Jewish ethics pointed me back to this little classic, Modern Jewish Ethics: Theory and Practice, edited by the inestimable Marvin Fox. Full of surprises, this anthology of essay is a neat little time capsule from the 1970s. Published in … Continue reading →

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Mizrachi Jewish Israeli Arab (Biton Committee)

Posted on July 14, 2016 by zjb

I was unsure what to make of it when this largely unnoticed story broke about the Biton Committee Report advocating the teaching of Mizrachi culture in the Israeli educational system. In lieu of my own analysis, here’s the opinion piece … Continue reading →

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A Basic Question re: Jewish Ethics

Posted on July 13, 2016 by zjb

Is Jewish ethics first Jewish philosophy? Does it even exist? These are serious questions. Philosophically, I have always had doubts about the Jewish ethical project particularly in its most one-sided expression. Maybe the skepticism had and has to do with … Continue reading →

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Ethics & Halakhah, Israel & ISIS?

Posted on July 12, 2016 by zjb

Slated to be the next chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim has made statements against inducting women into the army and permitting rape of non-Jewish women during times of war. The latter was said to have … Continue reading →

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Posted on July 8, 2016 by zjb
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