Category Archives: Judaism

Never Give Up Hope

Posted on September 28, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: War. Terrorism. Riots. Crime. Unemployment. Political corruption. Intolerance. There are many reasons to give up hope. Don’t. If you give up hope, then you give up on the future. If you give … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Einstein, Fate, Freedom, Hope, Jonathan Sacks, Perseverance, Utilitarianism, William Penn | Leave a comment

Are We Free to Choose?

Posted on September 14, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

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

Solve the Right Problem

Posted on September 6, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: Define the problem right, and you’re halfway to a solution. Define the problem wrong, and you’ll probably never solve it. You’ll waste all your time looking for a solution that doesn’t exist. … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, Philosophy, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Faith benefits, Garbage in garbage out, GIGO, Moral reasoning, Morality, Nonviolence, Problem solving, Religion, Religious extremism, Tolerance | 1 Comment

God, Science, and Objective Reality

Posted on August 31, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: “If God does not exist, then everything is permitted.” Dostoyevsky didn’t write exactly those words in The Brothers Karamazov, but he came pretty close. The character Ivan Karamazov says: “For every person … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Individual will, Metaphysics, Natural Law, Objective reality, Objectivity, Polytheism, Science, Theism | 1 Comment

The Weirdest Torah Theory You Never Heard

Posted on August 29, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

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 →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Ancient History, Bicameral Mind, Documentary Hypothesis, Jonathan Sacks, Julian Jaynes, Minds of the Bible, Psychology, Torah, Torah min Hashamayim | Leave a comment

Organizing the Bible and the Talmud

Posted on August 22, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: Do you know what it says in the Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 8, verse 3? Unless you’re a rabbi or a savant, you probably don’t. Neither do I. But we know how … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Judaism, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Bomberg Talmud, Magna Carta, Rashi, Stephen Langton | 2 Comments

Biblical Writers Were Math Nerds

Posted on August 15, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

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

Posted on August 8, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

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?

Posted on August 6, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

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?”

Posted on August 4, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

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 →