Yesterday we got back from a nice vacation on Cape Cod just before Shabbat. During the week I read an excellent book on the history of the CIA, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. It documents how torture, lying, incompetence, and other related activities has been the bread-and-butter of the CIA since its [...]
It seems like Artscroll can’t make up their mind. From here. From here.
While Iyov is posting about translations of the Bible into English, it seems that someone thinks Hebrew speakers need a translation of their own. (hat tip) See some discussion about it from Israeli educators here, and another article about it here. The translation itself was done by this man. I am wondering if this is [...]
See the informative series on R. David Tzvi Hoffman at Ishim ve-Shitot-here, here, here, here, and here. One comment on this important rabbinic figure. In Alexander Marx’s chapter on R. Hoffman in his Essays in Jewish Biography (pp. 190-191), Marx writes the following about Hoffman. In teaching Codes he would go back to first sources; [...]
Ishim ve-Shitot has some comments on, and refers us to, an interesting post at Biblicalia about the conversion of the Patriarch Hillel II as described in the writings of Epiphanius of Salamis. There is a discussion of the story here in French. I’ll try and find some time to look it over later. Also, I [...]
[Disclaimer: The following post discusses certain aspects of Jewish law which for some exhibit an attitude towards non-Jews that they may find objectionable, embarrassing, better left undiscussed, or any mutation or variation of the above. Being that my current area of research focuses to some extant on many of these laws that are often not [...]
Many people are familiar with the book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. While I admit that I haven’t read the book, I do find the blog Freakonomics very interesting. There was a recent post which was simply fascinating, and scary in a way. The question discussed was “What is the [...]
It was with great sorry that I read the following article. In my years at SUNY Binghamton I had many hallot from Wagner’s, and they were as good as they come. Binghamton, NY – Wagner’s Kosher Bakery Closes Binghamton, NY – After more than 30 years in business, Wagner’s Cakes & Cookies has closed its [...]
R. Josh Waxman has the latest in piety requirements for airplane travelers. This gemara which I learned this morning seems to be an appropriate comment. תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוטה דף כב עמוד ב ת”ר, שבעה פרושין הן: פרוש שיכמי, פרוש נקפי, פרוש קיזאי, פרוש מדוכיא, פרוש מה חובתי ואעשנה, פרוש מאהבה, פרוש מיראה. פרוש שיכמי [...]
I am a big fan of the Artscroll book, The Rishonim, and I just saw in an ad of their’s that the companion volume, The Early Achronim, is back in print. Any quibbles with some of the biographical or bibliographical information found in these books, is off-set IMHO by the quick reference which they allow.
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