Check out my latest book!
Why I wrote the book (3 mins)
Death & compassion (4 mins)
Three Kraters Podcast (2 hrs)
Posts I Liked
Author Archives: N.S. Palmer
Biblical Writers Were Math Nerds
My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: We normally look to the Bible for morals, religious inspiration, and history. But are you excited to learn that there’s some mathematics in there, too? If you’re a nerd like me, the … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, The Jewish Journal
Tagged Euler's Number, Golden Ratio, Math in the Bible, Pi, Posamentier, Vilna Gaon
2 Comments
Tisha B’Av Turns Tragedy into Victory
My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.” According to the late comedian Alan King, that’s the explanation of most Jewish holidays. It’s particularly relevant to the fast day of Tisha … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, The Jewish Journal
Tagged Alan King, Dunkirk, First Temple, Positive attitude, Reframing, Second Temple, Tisha B'Av
4 Comments
Is It Moral to Have Children?
My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: The question is strange but not crazy: Should we have children? Are there cases when we shouldn’t? Judaism and common sense agree that generally we should and sometimes we shouldn’t. But there … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post
Tagged Children, Ethics, Individualism, John Rawls, Mitzvot, Nominalism versus Realism, Parenthood, Rivka Weinberg
4 Comments
“Why is everybody wrong except me?”
My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: “These are the times that try men’s souls,” wrote American founder Thomas Paine. Our own times are more likely to try people’s patience than their souls. We can’t stop shouting at each … Continue reading
Pianko and Peoplehood
My new blog post for The Jewish Journal: Are we not one people, but many? Today’s Jewish population is incredibly diverse. World Jewry includes people of all races and nationalities. It includes “honorary members” such as interfaith spouses and children … Continue reading
Gloomy Gus Mendelssohn
My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: Do we survive bodily death? There are reasons to think so, but nothing that qualifies as proof. Perhaps the most sensible attitude (because it’s mine) is that if we do survive death, … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post
Tagged Death, Immortality, Kant, Lavater, Moses Mendelssohn, Soul
2 Comments
Is Jewish Peoplehood Passé?
Is it time for us to stop thinking of ourselves as “the Jewish people”? Are we not one, but many? Some influential writers think so. They start with what is obvious: today’s Jewish population is incredibly diverse. World Jewry includes … Continue reading
Spinoza on the Couch
My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: I’ve spent a lot of my life dealing with crazy people, including myself. “Crazy,” of course, has various definitions, though it’s not the topic of this blog post. My favorite definition was … Continue reading
Seeing the Reality Beyond “You”
My new blog post for The Jerusalem Post: What’s real and what isn’t? How do you know? Could there be different kinds of realities that you know in different ways? The greatest thinkers, both Jewish and gentile, have given the … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post
Tagged Arthur Green, Genesis, Hebrew, Hebrew College, These Are The Words, Torah
Leave a comment
What Tolerance Requires
My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: My father had a lot of favorite adages. One was: ”Smart people learn from their mistakes. Smarter people learn from other people’s mistakes.” Learning from other people’s mistakes is easier said than … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, The Jerusalem Post
Tagged Hillel, Jewish Values, Neusner, Open-minded, Pluralism, Rawls, Shammai, Talmud, Telushkin, Tolerance, Toleration
Leave a comment
The Thousand-Year View 