Playing with my phone here at 3:00 a.m. and it seems I have a new assistant. They say it’s name is Gemini. On the internet exactly the last few days were jokes from Saturday night live about Scarlett Johansson. I’m in love with her. It’s true. Actually, I’m not really in love with the 40-year-old…
I found a very brief article on the internet which pretty much stated 90% of the issue as far as I can see it. From thehorizonsun.com The Jewish Point of View of ChristmasSometimes it feels like everyone celebrates Christmas, but you couldn’t be more wrong. From Nadav Golden It was a very short piece that…
It’s the shortest day of the year. There is the least amount of sunlight. The most darkness. It’s not about being further away from the Sun but more of the angle that the sun strikes it. The sun is striking the southern hemisphere now. Over the last couple of years I’ve tried to make ceremonies…
From chabad.org Vayeshev in a NutshellGenesis 37:1–40:23The name of the Parshah, “Vayeshev,” means “And he dwelt” and it is found in Genesis 37:1. Jacob settles in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite is seventeen-year-old Joseph, whose brothers are jealous of the preferential treatment he receives from his father, such as a precious many-colored coat…
Well, I said I wouldn’t do it but here it is and we are live for our very first podcast. I’m looking here at the numbers. I know our stream has started. I think we should have visitors here. Anyway, while we are waiting for the visitors to show up. Welcome. I hope we have…
When I first saw this graphic, it really grabbed my attention. Scripture. Right up there with science and your personal experience. Not how you feel. We are not talking about taking an account of your body’s nervous reaction to stimulus. We’re not asking if you are identifying something good or bad inside yourself. We’re asking…
I have to start this brief narrative with two disclaimers: this is not about psilocybin mushrooms and it is also not about exotica in the fungus world. I am not a mushroom connoisseur. Perhaps, given an alternative life with more sensitivity in it, I might have become a chef. Perhaps I had the patience for…
From chabad.org: Vayishlach in a NutshellGenesis 32:4–36:43The name of the Parshah, “Vayishlach,” means “And he sent” and it is found in Genesis 32:4. Jacob returns to the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in Charan, and sends angel-emissaries to Esau in hope of a reconciliation, but his messengers report that his brother is on the…
Thinking of growing things in my field, I’ve come to understand what has happened to the region over the last couple of decades. Perhaps 15 years ago, we had a similar place in a similar village a similar distance away. And I remember being able to put things in the ground and they would grow….
I find myself stuck in the mirror. No matter how much I simply want to do something, the focus of attention just comes back to me. Not the work. Not the ideas. Not even if it’s fun to read. Nothing. Just staring at me. So it’s about being Jewish in a newly minted anti-Semitic world….
When speaking about my teaching career working with Russian speakers, I always say that there are two parts to the history. The time before the Russians arrived and the time after. The Russians are bullies. There is no other way to say it. You can say Nazi. That’s an irony right there. But they are…
So we are all here at the shabbos table and it is time for us all to make a speech. It is my deepest wish that everyone at the table can make a good speech. I don’t mean a toast. I don’t mean something you could send off on Twitter. I mean to make a…
If dogs lived that long, this would have been his 55th birthday. He made it to 11 I believe. And then there was the moment in the garage when the dog suddenly howled at the landscape, saying his peace. He was getting sicker and wouldn’t live more than a month or two. We named him…
Well, that was interesting. Maybe unexpected is a better way of saying it. Do you have profound moments in your life? I remember thinking about this when I was a teenager. I started smoking. I really don’t know why I started smoking except I felt a pull to do it because it was a part…
Pre-fight First of all, I’m not sure if this is a significant cultural event or just a demonstration of the power of social media. The problem as a sporting event is that this particular influencer is known for his pranks. Literally, it would seem that we are about to be pranked. It’s like a giant…
Okay, first of all it was not as shocking as you might think. Yes, there was that consciousness moment that was indeed shocking. Suicides of global leaders simply to filled with fear at what one unoccupied moment of their life would do to them. If suddenly all the mistakes were mounted one on top of…
Hi again. I know it’s been a while but we need to have a little talk. Going forward, it’s interesting to think if even the fastest and most practical method to become a better English speaker has become superfluous. It’s not only chat TP or whatever computer generated essay machine they have. I actually had…
A question came up regarding whether or not what might be seen as toxic male behavior could exist in a utopian society. To define utopian society for this essay, we are simply talking about a 100% sustainable, generally agrarian in nature, community of a specific number of people. They find their symbiotic relationship with the…
It’s hard to see any hope for the world. It’s interesting to think of oneself as being crazy. They say that it’s one of those catch 22s, literally, you can’t be crazy and know you’re crazy. That’s my problem. It’s about knowledge. I’m a pretty good pragmatist so my vocabulary and library is pretty much…
It’s interesting to listen to the conservatives Crow in the media. They won handily. It seems they have proven something. They got the popular vote that they created themselves. It’s not only about gerrymandering or forcing people into the most inconvenient types of voting. It also doesn’t mean anything that the votes themselves are meaningless…
It’s Tuesday morning just before noon in Belarus so I am a little preemptive here. A glance at the poles shows that things are going to be tight but that Harris is going to be the winner. You never can tell. You never can’t tell the level of honest excitement and you never can tell…