Today, I came across this quote from the famous science fiction author Robert Heinlein (1907-1988): “The Ten Commandments are for lame brains. The first five are solely for the benefit of the priests and the powers that be; the second five are half truths, neither complete nor adequate.” Taken strictly at face value, I can … More Lame Brains
French feminist Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) once wrote, “One can hardly tell women that washing up saucepans is their divine mission, [so] they are told that bringing up children is their divine mission. But the way things are in the world, bringing up children has a great deal in common with washing up saucepans.” It’s … More Washing Up Saucepans
All Mel Brooks jokes aside, what is a miracle? I recently came across this image on my X feed. It’s an excellent example of two things: first, that Western atheists specifically reject the Christian paradigm, and second the reality that Christianity is explicitly about placing faith over evidence. It is true that “miracle” can be … More It’s A Miracle!
In previous articles I have addressed the question of whether Judaism is more a religion or a nation. Although I conclude that Jews are more nation than religion (in my opinion), nation and religion are tied closely together in Judaism as the nation was founded in a covenant (contract) with Hashem (G-d). If Jews appear … More Meet the Judeans
Recent events have brought renewed interest in the modern State of Israel’s origins and legitimacy. Israel is the only country in the world which will suffer a terrorist attack only to be asked what right the country has to exist at all. No one asks if the United States has a right to exist or … More Judaism: Religion or Nation?
Over in American Karaite Judaism (our FB group), we recently had a contentious and bizarre discussion of the twentieth verse of Ovadia. For reference, here’s the verse: This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zar’phat;the exiles from Jerusalem who are in S’pharad will possess the towns of the … More How Language Changes
This article was written over the course of the events of the Slaughter of the Seventh (10/7/2023) wherein hundreds of Israelis (including children) were tortured, raped, kidnapped, and murdered by Hamas terrorists. This article is written in loving memory of the victims. A reminder that morality, including the sanctity of life, must remain absolute. Their … More Reason and Morality
This article was written over the course of the events of the Slaughter of the Seventh (10/7/2023) wherein hundreds of Israelis (including children) were tortured, raped, kidnapped, and murdered by Hamas terrorists. This article is written in loving memory of the victims. A reminder that morality, including the sanctity of life, must remain absolute. Their … More The Light of Reason
In his book, Tractatus Theologico Politicus (Tractate on Theology and Politics), Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677 CE), later Bennedictus Spinoza, argues for a rationalist view of religion. Spinoza was the descendant of Jews forced to relocate to the Netherlands from Spain or Portugal. He studied with several Rabbis in Jewish schools in his youth, including with a … More Baruch Spinoza
I’ve seen a lot of former Christians struggle with how to approach the concept of forgiveness, both in terms of how Hashem forgives us for our misdeeds and how to approach forgiveness between individuals. The first thing to bear in mind is that we are not required to forgive wrongs. The second is that forgiveness … More Forgiveness
Silver Trumpets 