Talmud
From Secular Jew to Talmud Scholar Part II: Many Ways to Study Talmud
Click here for part 1 of this series. Rabbi Benay Lappe instructed us in the traditional method of Talmud study, ...
From Secular Jew to Talmud Scholar Part I: How I Came to Study Talmud
Readers often ask: How did a girl raised in a secular socialist family in Los Angeles come to be a ...
Bridgegate vs. God
Bridgegate.The story broke two weeks ago, and updates are still front-page news.Allegedly, New Jersey Governor Christie’s leadership team closed lanes ...
Pursuing your dreams?
About a year ago, someone recommended a Paulo Coelho book to me—a popular one— The Alchemist . Most people I ...
Hillel and Shammai
Two weeks ago I posted a piece responding to some articles on patrilineality which provoked several excellent other blog posts ...
Parashat Re’eh: Observe That Which I Enjoin Upon You
Jews read sections of the Torah each week, and these sections, known as parshiyot, inspire endless examination year after year. ...
Is Freedom A Jewish Virtue?
Are you on the freedom bandwagon yet? Celebrations of the concept of freedom seem to be permeating the cultural-political zeitgeist ...
Chanukah/Hanukkah: So Many Ways to Celebrate
The Daf Yomi (Hebrew for “page a day”), is a program for learning Talmud. Participants study one page a day, ...
Hanukkah: Holiday of Queer Miracles
I’m skeptical of Hanukkah. Maybe it’s the rampant commercialism that defines the entire month of December. Maybe it’s the way ...
It’s Not Over Until …
It’s not over until… When the Simpsons go to see Carmen at the Springfield Opera House Homer asked Bart when ...
Politics and the Pulpit
This past Sunday was claimed by many churches around the country ‘Pulpit Freedom Sunday’. It’s the day that the pastors ...
Give Me Some of that Old Time Blasphemy
There is much discussion currently about imposing limits on blasphemy. It seems clear that the vast majority of those in ...