Times: Talmudic Speed Limit Sign

A truly Talmudic sign from the Times Magazine:Sign, Signs, Everywhere a Sign...By Hope ReevesRoad signs in a small town outside Detroit that listed six separate times for drivers to slow down in school zones have now been replaced after residents complained that reading them created a hazard all its own. The signs in White Lake Township instructed passing cars to slow to 25 m.p.h. from 6:49 to 7:15 a.m., 7:52 to 8:22 a.m., 8:37 to 9:07 a.m.,...

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Free Sunday April 1 from Talmudic Books: Tzvee Zahavy, "God Bless You: The Origins of Jewish Prayers and Blessings - Kindle Edition"

Free book of the day! April 1 - no fooling!From Talmudic Books: Tzvee Zahavy, "God Bless You: The Origins of Jewish Prayers and Blessings - Kindle Edition" It is a big book. 370 pages in print! Description: This book covers the origins of Jewish prayer in the first five centuries of the Common Era, known also as the epoch of early rabbinic Judaism, the time of the Mishnah and the Talmud, the era of the Tannaim and Amoraim, and the time of Jesus and early Christianity. This volume provides a detailed analysis of the textual evidence on the subject...

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USATODAY: It is still men only at Augusta National the Master's Golf Course?

The Masters is the annual reminder to us all of how the old boys love their men only country clubs as USA Today asks, "Will Augusta National have its first female member?"The story speculates on whether the club already has its first female member. Three of the members of this most exclusive club in U.S. sports, if not in all of American culture, have traditionally been the CEOs of Exxon, AT&T and IBM. They have been invited to be members of...

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Our Favorite Movie "The Endless Summer" and Our Quest for the Perfect Wave of Prayer

Our favorite movie is Bruce Brown's, The Endless Summer. Yes you heard right. In 1966 we were young and we saw a film that documented two boys seeking simple perfection in a quasi-mystical sport. IMDB sums up, "Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters."The film spoke to us, as it did to many others of a more idealistic age. The...

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StarTribune: Minnesota author publishes six books and creates an instant legacy

The Star Tribune has a moving story about self-publishing by a Minnesota author.The author is ill with cancer. The paper reports: "With time running out, Emily Meier started her own publishing company to share her life's work - six books at once."Quite inspiri...

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Is the Jordan Think Tank Arabic Babylonian Talmud Kosher?

JPost reports that and Arabic translation of the Talmud has been published.A think tank on Middle East affairs in Jordan has for the first time published a translation of the Babylonian Talmud in Arabic.Middle East Studies Center based in Amman produced the 20-volume work, which took six years to complete and is the labor of 95 translators, language experts and editors.Sketchy details leave questions open about whether the motives of the translators are kosher or not.We will follow up as more information becomes availab...

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Special Book Event This Thursday 7:30 at the Teaneck Public Library: Six super-models that you meet in the Synagogue

Teaneck Public Library Special Book Event Six super-models that you meet in the Synagogue - Thursday, 3/29, 7:30 PMNot those "super-models" from the fashion magazines!Professor Tzvee Zahavy will speak about his new book, "God's Favorite Prayers" that narrates his spiritual quest searching for perfect prayers. His talk will be on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30 PM at the Teaneck Public Library.In his quest, Zahavy meets six ideal archetypes - those...

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Bernice's Favorite Pesach Recipe for Passover Peach Kugel

Here once again is Bernice's favorite Passover Peach Kugel recipe! Happy and Kosher Pesach to a...

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Jewish Action: Is Rabbi Jonathan Gross the Chief Rabbi of Nebraska?

We salute our Teaneck favorite son for achieving recognition as a rabbi in Omaha. A certain young rabbi named Zev Goldstein (our dad) served as a clergyman in that town in the early 1940's.The Chief Rabbi of Nebraska: Rabbi Jonathan GrossBy Bayla Sheva BrennerThe richest man in the world lives in Omaha, Nebraska, according to a 2008 Forbes magazine report. Although the publication was referring to legendary investor Warren Buffet, Rabbi Jonathan...

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Crimson: Egyptology and Christianity Alive at Harvard

We guess it was a slow news week at Harvard.The Crimson reports that a "Professor Revives Egyptology At Harvard". You can now enroll in Egyptian Aa: The Language of the Pharaohs, Egyptian 150: Voices from the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Literature in Translation, Anthropology 1250: The Pyramids of Giza, or Societies of the World 38: Pyramid Schemes: The Archaeological History of Ancient Egypt.And you can now find Christianity at Harvard (although we thought...

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Haaretz: Jerusalem Fake Yeshiva Kollel Busted

Some would say there are redundancies in this headline: "Jerusalem police arrest four ultra-Orthodox men in fake kollel scam". Fake and scam in the same title seems over the top and repetitive to us. To others, the term "kollel" refers to a scam by definition, since it is where some men are paid to sit and read books, to engage in essentially unproductive activities, making the headline triply redundant.What surprises us is that the secular...

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Erica Brown's Encomium of the Virtues of the Talmud

From Erica Brown, published at the Algemeiner, nice words about the Talmud while reflecting on the demise of the Britannica:...And the pause that I took to contemplate this new era also made me marvel all the more at our Jewish equivalent of the encyclopedia: the Talmud. Produced over several countries and four centuries, the Talmud has outlived the Britannica almost ten times over, at least from its humble beginnings as passages of Mishnah. Many...

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Is the Brookings ConText site a Talmud?

Like Lloyd Bentsen said of Dan Quayle in 1988, "I know the Talmud, I studied the Talmud, and the Brookings ConText site is no Talmud."The "Center for the Constitution" with the Brookings Institution presents online "James Madison's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787" with commentary that can be augmented by users of the site.The publishers of the site suggest that it is a lot like the Talmud. From the American Interest blog: "The...

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JTS publishes over 100 podcasts via Apple's iTunes

In a welcome initiative the Jewish Theological Seminary Announced the Launch of JTS iTunes U with quality recordings of events and presentations for the public at large.The unanswered question in this press release is how (or whether) JTS leverages iTunes and all other digital technologies for instruction of its students in and out of the classroom. The Jewish Theological Seminary is pleased to announce the launch of the JTS iTunes U site. The site, accessible via Apple’s iTunes, makes public lectures, Torah commentaries, and select JTS...

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StarTribune.com: Are liberal arts colleges kosher?

Liberal arts colleges are kosher although they are having a tough time proving it, reports the StarTribune."In tough times, liberal arts colleges defend their value," recounts the efforts at St. Olaf's in Northfield MN:...St. Olaf has transformed its career center, called the Center for Experiential Learning. "I don't know why that name was selected," Anderson quipped, "but I'm guessing it was to avoid using the word 'career.'"Once on the fringes...

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Times Travels to Uman and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's Grave

Our son Yitz told us he did not like one of the pictures in this story about Uman in T the Times' Travel magazine. We said, what is Uman?In "One Schlep Forward" Gideon Lewis-Kraus explains in a funny story from his forthcoming book - A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful - that it is a gathering in the Ukraine of 50,000 Jews:The big event, we’d heard, was at the Tzion, Rabbi Nachman’s grave, at noon before the start of...

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Is Goldman Sachs Critic Greg Smith Jewish?

Yes, Greg Smith is a Jew.Paul Berger of the Forward writes about Smith, "Goldman Rebel is Latest Outspoken S. African Jew." He suggests, as a question, that Smith's criticism of Goldman Sachs, "was simply continuing a South African Jewish tradition of speaking truth to power."Okay, but what about the substance of Smith's criticism? It could be dismissed as sour grapes or it could be acclaimed as a brilliant analysis. Which one is right?And what of...

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Daf Yomi starts Kerisos or Kerithoth on Wednesday March 21

Daf Yomi starts a new tractate - Kerisos or Kerithoth on Wednesday March 21: Soncino Babylonian Talmud KerithothGet the Kindle Soncino English Translation for $.99.Talmudic Books for Kindle on the Talmud, Bible, Kabbalah and PrayerThe Kindle Edition of the Classic Soncino Talmud in Engl...

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Free Kindle Book for Sunday 3/18 from Talmudic Books - Eleazar: Rabbi, Priest, Patriarch [Kindle Edition]

Our free book by Tzvee Zahavy is Eleazar: Rabbi, Priest, Patriarch [Kindle Edition] and it takes us back a few years. The texts have not changed and our analysis of them still holds firm.Get this book for free on Sunday 3/18.Product DescriptionFor anyone concerned with the formative period of rabbinic Judaism, the study of Eleazar b. Azariah and his traditions is naturally important. He was prominent as a rabbi, a priest and a politician. According...

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For Parshas PARAH: LAWS OF THE RED COW (THE RED HEIFER)

From Reuven Brauner - free download PDF:SUMMARY OF THE BASIC LAWS OF THE RED COW (THE RED HEIFER)DESCRIBING THE RITE OF PURIFICATION FROM DEFILEMENT WITH A CORPSE USING THE ASHES OF A RED COW Each aspect of the red cow procedure is steeped in esoteric symbolism which addresses the fundamental concepts and meaning of life and death, as well as purity and defilement.Talmudic Books for Kindle on the Talmud, Bible, Kabbalah and Prayer The Kindle Edition of the Classic Soncino Talmud in Engl...

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Manic, Panic, Titanic

We don't usually make random psychological posts. But in thinking just now about what is called bipolar disorder, we were bothered by how the mood condition is commonly described, to wit, "Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition,...

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Were visions of angels in Bible real?

No, visions of angels were not perceptions of anything real according to recent studies. They were the products of lucid dreams. The UK paper the Daily Mail reports that, "Recorded Biblical angels and religious encounters may have just been lucid dreaming suggests a new sleep study that claims the historic stories were merely 'out of body experiences'"The research center that conducted the study is not a recognized academic unit. Still the claims...

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We endorse Shmuley Boteach for Congress

JTA has reported that our neighbor in nearby Englewood, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, announced his run for Congress.We endorse his candidacy. We believe that overall it would be a good thing for rabbis and the for all things connected with the Talmud to have a Rabbi in Congress.We do not endorse all of Boteach's positions on issues. He needs to clarify where he stands on many things. It seems he is a political conservative on many issues, something we...

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Announcing fewer book promotions on Tzvee's Talmudic Blog - Moving those to our new Talmudic Books blog

We are moving our promotional book postings to our new blog. (There have been many here.) We want to keep this blog purely for our topical Talmudic analysis of the world.Announcing fewer book promotions here - we are moving all of those to our new Talmudic Books blog. There you will find the news, events and reviews of our Talmudic Books publications.Don't forget that you can download many of our offerings for free at Halakhah.com! Look for...

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New from Talmudic Books: Soncino Babylonian Talmud Shabbath [Kindle Edition]

New from Talmudic Books: Soncino Babylonian Talmud Shabbath [Kindle Edition] Shabbath is the first treatise of Mo‘ed, the second Order of the Talmud. It contains 157 folios divided into 24 chapters, and is the second longest Tractate of the Talmud, being exceeded only by Baba Bathra, which runs to 176 folios. As its name implies, the Tractate deals with the laws and regulations of the Sabbath. It is obvious that an institution of such far-reaching...

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Progress Report: The Worried Waiting of West Side Jewish Women

Our question lately is, if Orthodox Judaism says that modesty is such a virtue, then why is it imposed upon women and not men? Shouldn't men also be modest in all the ways they require women to be? Why not?We posted this below four years ago, 3/3/08. Is there any progress to report after four years? Looks to us like lately Orthodox women are losing ground, not making progress. Here is our question from 2008.What do women want? On the West Side of...

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Henry Frisch's Maxwell House Haggadah Beats out the new one by the Trendy Novelists Jonathan Safran Foer and Nathan Englander

Our neighbor Henry Frisch (he lives mamash on our block in Teaneck) has beaten out the two hoity toity hotsy totsy novelists who have published a really strange new Haggadah this year.According to the Times, none other than the President of the United States, Barack Obama, has considered the Jonathan Safran Foer and Nathan Englander Haggadah and has rejected it in favor of Henry's translation in the Maxwell House Haggadah. Boo-yah to Henry. Way to...

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"Define Judaism: Ten Seminars" - New from Talmudic Books and Free Kindle Book on Monday 3-12

We have another new book out.Professor Tzvee Zahavy, "Define Judaism: Ten Seminars" - New from Talmudic Books and Free Kindle Book (the entire book is free) on Monday 3-12. Here is the Product Description:When I taught “Introduction to Judaism,” a popular Jewish Studies course at the University of Minnesota, as a final essay assignment I gave to the class this task: “Define Judaism.” Even though it was an open-ended question, my students considered...

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New from Talmudic Books: Soncino Mishnah Seder Zeraim (Soncino Babylonian Talmud) [Kindle Edition]

New from Talmudic Books: Soncino Mishnah Seder Zeraim (Soncino Babylonian Talmud) [Kindle Edition]Product Description:Zera'im ('Seeds'), the name given to the first of the six 'Orders' into which the Talmud is divided, deals principally with the agricultural laws of the Torah in both their religious and social aspects. It sets forth and elaborates the Biblical precepts relating to the rights of the poor and of the priests and Levites to the produce...

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Sarna Slams Soloveichik, but too Softly

Professor Jonathan Sarna has levelled a strong critique against Rabbi Meir Soloveichik in an essay in the Forward, criticizing Soloveichik's testimony to congress about the funding of birth control, concluding:...one hopes that Congress will ignore the testimony of Soloveichik. To focus on the religious liberties of employers while overlooking those of their employees, and to focus on only the free exercise clause of the First Amendment while ignoring...

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Happy Purim. Absolut Talmud

Absolut TalmudHat tip to Yitz, Bernice, et. ...

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The Sunrise and the Redemption of the Jews in Yerushalmi Berakhot and in the Book of Esther

Talmudic life extends the space-time continuum with an acute awareness of the physical here-and-now and deepens the spectrum of thought and meaning with trajectories back into the distant past of the scripture and forward to the hopeful expectation for salvation.This passage below from the Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Berakhot demonstrates key aspects of the logic of a Talmudic life - what we explore every day in this blog. The rabbis in the passage...

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New from Talmudic Books: Soncino Babylonian Talmud Berakoth for Kindle

New from Talmudic Books for Kindle: Soncino Babylonian Talmud Berakoth, $.99You do not need a Kindle to download and read Kindle books. You can study the Talmud with Kindle Apps on your Web Browser, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or Android Phone, and of course on your Kindle. Amazon Kindle Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes your last page read, your bookmarks, your notes, and it highlights across all of your devices. You...

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Is Robert Allen Stanford Jewish?

No, we are pretty sure that Robert Allen Stanford is not a Jew.Stanford is a prominent financial executive who was sought by U.S. marshalls 2/17/09 and charged with a multi-billion dollar fraud. (SEC Statement)On 6/18/2009 he was arrested and indicted on criminal charges stemming from his operation of a massive investment fraud operation that bilked thousands.He was convicted on 3/6/2012: "Stanford Convicted by Jury in $7 Billion Ponzi Scheme"Stanford...

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Is Democracy in Israel Kosher?

A lot of people are pushing the notion in Israel that democracy is not kosher, says David Remnick of the New Yorker magazine in an editorial comment.He reviews a wide number of examples of how democracy is "threatened" in Israel and indeed centers in on the religious tensions that are current there. Here is his pungent prose on that matter.Herzl envisioned a pluralist Zionism in which rabbis would enjoy “no privileged voice in the state.” These...

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Video: Is the Megadeth style Hatikva Kosher?

The Times Ethan Bronner chronicles the controversy in Israel over an Arab judge who did not sing Hatikva at an official ceremony, "Anger and Compassion for Arab Justice Who Stays Silent During Zionist Hymn." We think that not singing is perfectly kosher.This reminded us of another instance of Hatikva (guitar but no singing) that we took at the time as a proof that Israel is the full flowering of Jewish redemption. Here is a 2007 story from Ynet and a YouTube video clip of Megadeth style Hatikva, which we deem to be glatt kosher. Hatikva, like you've...

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Video: Artscroll Talmud App for iPad -"This will change everything again" at what price?

At first we thought this was a Purim spoof video. It is not.The overstated and over dramatized video promotion for the Artscroll Talmud App informs us that this is "far beyond anything" and that this new app "will change everything - again." And then it shows us (without a touch of self awareness) how the exact page of the Romm Talmud will be reproduced on the iPad and the exact page of the Artscroll elucidation will be reproduced on the iPad. This is the true irony of "look at how many new, new, new ways we can reproduce the old, old, old texts."...

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Is Rush Limbaugh Jewish?

Yes, Rush Limbaugh is a Jew. Rush's Conservative Gentile persona is a successful act that has earned him record multimillion dollar contracts in the radio business.Rush's real name is Ronald Levy. He was born on the upper West Side of Manhattan. His father was a dermatologist and his mother a junior high school librarian. He attended the Ramaz School where he excelled at floor hockey and then Amherst College where he double-majored in art history...

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Was Andrew Breitbart Jewish?

Yes, Andrew Breitbart was a Jew. He died suddenly March 1.The conservative pundit said he "grew up in Brentwood (i.e., Los Angeles, California) a secular liberal Jew" who celebrated his bar mitzvah and "has the tape to prove it."In an effort to discredit the congressman, in June 2011, Breitbart publicized personal tweets and emails sent by Rep. Anthony Weiner to various women.Fox News reported:News of Breitbart's death reverberated on Capitol Hill...

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