Category: Science and Health

Altruism is not a given; many have argued against it. Social Darwinists, inspired by the theory of evolution, argued against helping the poor. Charity, they maintained, runs counter to the “survival of the fittest.”  Helping the weakest in society would only undermine progress by allowing the unfit to procreate. Ayn Rand attacked altruism as collectivism […]

      Life Torn and Sewn Together (comments on Torah Portion Chayei Sarah) 2024 Comments on Torah portion Chayyei Sarah (adapted from previous versions)   Pain, regret, hurt, and betrayal form part of the backdrop of the book of Genesis. Those tragic moments often produce visions of God and the appearance of angels. Sometimes […]

These are stressful times here in Israel. War on two fronts, soldiers killed almost daily, 101 hostages still in Gaza, nonstop sirens and barrages of rockets, thousands still displaced from their homes, deep political divisions, no tourism, economic uncertainty. Trauma, PTSD and depression are widespread. Despite all resilient efforts for the semblance of a normal […]

Simon Rutberg hadn’t set foot on Fairfax Blvd in years. In fact, it’s been nearly two decades since he closed his record store there in 2006. The memories are too painful and there are too many of them.  In a way, he grew up on this street. As a child, he would go shopping with […]

Students at UC Berkeley were taken aback by the announcement of a new class set to begin in Spring 2025. The class, English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature, was to be taught by instructors Christian Gonzalez Reyes and Harry Mizumoto and included the following description: “With the US-backed and funded genocide […]

Is Israel good or bad? Are Jews good or bad? These are not rhetorical questions. For the average person who sees all the hatred directed at Jews and Israel on college campuses and around the world, it’s a natural question. After all, how good could Jews and Israel be if there’s so much hatred directed […]

It was a question that crossed the line. Shaul Amsterdamski was interviewing Rabbi Tamir Granot, who had lost his son Amitai in battle a week after the October 7th war started.  Amsterdamski asked Granot to respond to a phrase some use (borrowed from Harry Potter) to negatively describe Religious Zionists: “Death eaters.” These critics accuse […]

    Highway 61 Things Done on Highway 61 (Shabbat Vayeira 2024) Rabbi Mordecai Finley    (adapted from earlier versions) Highway 61 runs from the city of Wyoming in Minnesota, down in to New Orleans. It also runs through a desolate region where the rivers of dread and destiny merge.   It is the road […]

It was the fall of 2010. I was sitting on the train, going back to my college in Westchester, New York and crying my eyes out. I was halfway through my internship at “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and I was not doing well. I’d spend all day transcribing boring tapes of politicians giving […]