This blog is the creation of Rabbis Gil Student of Hirhurim-Musings and Elli Fischer of On the Contrary. Its goal is to disseminate statements, in the original or in translation, of leading rabbinic figures of the past and present whose words address timely issues and offer a traditional rabbinic voice that is often, unfortunately, absent from public discourse on the issue at hand.

To submit material, email adderabbi-at-gmail.com

Here are a few posts from around the web and blogosphere from the past week or so.

1. Freakonomics links here to a number of recent studies about the role of the religion in people’s lives.
2. The SBL has given bloggers official status. (hat tip)
3. Good, Bad, My Lai, and Human Nature at the Questionable Authority.
4. Is Halakha Insensitive to Non-Jews? The Case of Fraud at the new Text and Texture. (hat tip)

1. Are Cows Worse than Cars? Why what you eat is as environmentally important as what you drive. I just saw that today’s NY Times has an article on the same topic.
2. Five Centuries of Board Games
3. US Interrogator in Iraq Says Torture Policy Has Led to Deaths of Thousands of American Soldiers. An interview with the interrogator who led the interrogation team that facilitated the capture of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. He discusses why torture is unethical, un-American, and has led to the deaths of more Americans than it has saved.
4. Before Rubashkin there was Schechter. Read here about the kosher slaughterer whose case made it to the supreme court.
5. Ten Million Historical Images Online, thanks to LIFE and Google. (hat tip)

1. Rav Tzair on morality and halakhah (in Hebrew)

2. Ancient Hebrew Poetry on Pslam 151a.

3. Jeffrey Goldberg on Jews, Israel, and American politics.

4. Sarah Palin and “Spiritual Warfare.” This is more interesting to me for shedding light on another corner of religion in America. I was voting for “that one” long before Palin came on board. (hat tip)

5. Lion of Zion on a 15th c. “feminist” Italian siddur.

6. Nati Helfgot with some basic bibliographical references for medieval Biblical interpretation.

7. Menachem Butler with a gevaldik post on R. Joseph Caro and the Shulhan Arukh.

It’s important to tell the stories of the Bible and the Talmud as stories rather than as history because these stories are the foundation of Jewish culture and chronicle how the Jewish people has responded to the challenges with which history has presented it. We need to know the legendary Hillel because it’s the legendary Hillel, not the real one, who has shaped our history. But the fact is that, even in religious schools in Israel, the stories seldom get told simply as stories. Israeli kids who attend other schools often encounter these stories first in satirical versions on television or in books.

Then what about history? That needs to be taught, too. We need to pass on our stories to the next generation, but we also need for the next generation to know what actually happened, in both ancient and modern history, and to know the difference between story and history. But there are few teachers and few schools that are willing and able to do both. Religious schools in Israel are afraid to tell students about academic Biblical criticism out of a fear—not entirely unjustified in the modern milieu—that kids will lose all interest in traditional texts if they’re told that they do not offer literal truth. Non-religious schools are afraid to tell the stories as stories out of fear that they’ll be accused of religious indoctrination.

So how can we instill in our children both facts and stories, both the tools they need to inquire into truth and respect for traditions, whatever the historical truth status of those traditions? Rabbi Lau points the way—tell the stories as stories (and tell them well), relate them to our lives, and at the same time make sure your kids know that you are telling stories and not history. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we need to know what is happening, but we also need to know what dreamed.

Take a look.

Not knowing much about Mormons nor their religion (LDS), and the fact that they there has been much talk in the news about them, one can look at the following for some more informed comments. A post at Concurring Opinions refers to some books on the subject, while criticizing others. Iyov on Jesus and Satan, and the Mayfly have also posted on the LDS. Concurring Opinions also has a post on the recently announced Hekhsher Tzedek, addressing some of the legal issues. At the Archaeology of the Mediterranean World there is a series of posts on academic blogging in general, and blogging archaeology specifically: parts I, II, and III (hat tip). Regarding the world of digital books, see this post at Fine Books Blog, Iyov on the Kindle, and this post at Michtavim, Menachem Butler’s welcome return to the blogosphere (besides his work at Seforim).