Broken References in the Epistemic Regime
Several years ago, I wrote a post in which I ascribed the chief appeal of The Lord of the Rings to the narrative’s “unremarked extension” – a term that I had taken from an essay by Barry Langford. If...
View ArticleCharmed, I’m Sure: Wizardry, Women and War in the Book of Numbers
Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting my fourth paper (?) at an AAJS Conference, held this time at the University of New South Wales. I was a last-minute stand-in, since one of the registrants had...
View Article“Beyond Narrative”
Here, recently reprinted, is Roger Ebert’s 1978 article, “Beyond Narrative: The Future of the Feature Film”. It is rather lengthy, but thoroughly engrossing, and comprises in part a highly informative...
View ArticleCholent: A Heated Issue
A little while ago, David Curwin over at Balashon mused upon the etymology of cholent. He offered a variety of different suggestions, and is no doubt correct in relegating all of them (or almost all of...
View Article5774: The Year that Was
5774 was an incredible year for me. It began, somewhat predictably, with Rosh haShana. Little more than a week later, on the day following Yom Kippur, my sister got married to her wonderful husband and...
View ArticleTalmudic Methodology
Picture the following scenario. A young man, enamoured of Torah, encounters the commentary of the Ramban. Lucid, straightforward and with an almost categorical precision, yet mystical and permitting of...
View ArticleSeder Qodshim: Some Preliminary Reflections
It has taken me a good few years, but I have finally finished the first four sedarim of the Mishna and am now halfway through the forty-first tractate: Masekhet Zevachim. These remarks of mine are...
View ArticleRare Footage of the First Convention of Agudas Yisrael
This beautiful and incredible footage has been doing the rounds lately, and is well worth watching. The reason for its sudden popularity is no doubt the segment showing the Chafetz Chayim, R’ Yisrael...
View ArticleA Purim Parody (though not by me)
In the spirit of Purim, which begins at sundown this evening, I would like to share a piece of satire that must surely take its place as one of the greatest Purim parodies ever composed. It was shared...
View Article“Failure of the Flood”
On Monday evening I had the privilege of hearing Prof. David Clines speak at Mandelbaum House. His presentation concerned the “failure” of the flood narrative in Genesis, and can be found (more or less...
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