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Category Archives: Jewish Philosophy
Ben Franklin’s Jewish Values
My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: American founder Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) wasn’t Jewish, but he might as well have been. He shared many of Judaism’s key moral values. One of our most central values is moral seriousness: the … Continue reading
Are We Free to Choose?
Do you have free will? That’s an easy question. Of course you do. Here’s a harder question: What is free will? That’s where most of us get into trouble. Common sense tells us that we have free will, but doesn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jewish Journal
Tagged Autonomy, Divine foreknowledge, Exodus, Free Will, Freedom, Jewish Philosophy
5 Comments
The Weirdest Torah Theory You Never Heard
My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: It’s a weird theory about the Torah. You’ve never heard of it. And it’s really a thing. Of course, you’ve heard of other theories. The documentary hypothesis says that ancient editors assembled … Continue reading
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
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
The Thousand-Year View 