This past Shabbat, I went for a walk around Central Park. It was a beautiful day. The air was cool and fresh. The sun was out and I was feeling good. I was careful to observe the statutory social distancing from everyone else and chose paths that were not busy. The cherry trees were in blossom. The magnolias were heavy with…
General Topics
The Economist
I think there’s been enough written about the virus crisis. Here is something less serious, to relieve the tension. I read The Economist religiously every week. Its coverage of world affairs in a concise and readable form, combined with its cultural, scientific and review articles, are the best way to keep up to date with what’s going on. I don’t always agree…
Eating an Idol
Eating, plays a very important part in Jewish rituals, every day of the year. Once upon a time, eating sacrifices in the Temple was the centerpiece of Jewish communal life. It hasn’t been that way for two thousand years. The table at home has replaced the altar. Every meal has become a spiritual act of worship (in theory if not…
Poor Him
Purim. Poor Him. But “poor” who? Ahasuerus the drunken incompetent sop of a passive king? Vashti the deposed queen? Perhaps all the virgins corralled into the king’s harem? Esther, the Metoo# nice Jewish girl who had to sleep with the king and face the chance that if she failed to please him she would be denied the starring role and…
Vilem Flusser
I met the Jewish Czech philosopher, Vilem Flusser, at a conference on Contemporary Judaism and Zionism convened by Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jackobovits in London in 1980. He stood out in a gathering of rabbis and academics. Despite the differences in our backgrounds, age, and religious commitment, I felt a very strong bond with him. His eyes sparkled with delight in challenging…
Jewish Names
We Jews are hyper-sensitive. Recently, several people have told me how embarrassed they are that Jewish names are so prominent in the current spate of legal cases involving sexual abuse. We even get agitated over the pronunciation of Wineshtain instead of Weinstein and Epshtein instead of Epstein. Why? Because anti Semites, even unwitting ones, like to throw up such names as…