“There has to be a common sense cutoff for craziness, and when that threshold is exceeded, then the criteria for publication should get far, far more stringent. Otherwise, the floodgates will be open to crackpots of all stripes — and opening the floodgates to the frequent publication of crackpot ideas in top-notch journals would, in … More Quote of the Day
In the statement of principles of IFNOTNOW, an American Jewish organization opposed to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, is the claim that there are as many ways of being Jewish as there are Jews. (http://ifnot.net/about-us/our-principles/) This claim is exaggerated, but it contains a kernel of truth. Because no one central Jewish authority … More The Diversity of Jewish Opinion
“Nothing that a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu can experience—self-transcending love, ecstasy, bliss, inner light—constitutes evidence in support of their traditional beliefs, because their beliefs are logically incompatible with one another. A deeper principle must be at work.” ― Sam Harris, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion
“I literally could be listening to Bibi Netanyahu right now at AIPAC, and it wouldn’t sound any different than Hillary Clinton.”—Naomi Dann, media coordinator for the group Jewish Voice for Peace http://www.salon.com/2016/03/22/she_sounds_like_netanyahu_hillary_clinton_goes_extra_hawkish_in_her_biased_die_hard_pro_israel_aipac_speech/
“Alcohol makes other people less tedious, and food less bland, and can help provide what the Greeks called entheos, or the slight buzz of inspiration when reading or writing. The only worthwhile miracle in the New Testament—the transmutation of water into wine during the wedding at Cana—is a tribute to the persistence of Hellenism in … More Quote of the Day
“Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.”–Mark Twain
Two or more nouns or pronouns joined by “and” as the subject of a sentence require a plural verb: Ted Cruz and John Kasich are toast. Two or more singular nouns or pronouns joined by “or” or “nor” as the subject of a sentence require a singular verb. Neither Cruz nor Donald Trump has a … More Subject/Verb Agreement
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
This Friday, April 22, is the first night of Passover. Jews will gather, mostly in their homes, to eat a ritual and festive meal called a Seder. Before the actual meal, they will eat a variety of symbolic foods and read the Haggadah, a text that includes a narrative of the Exodus. Among the symbolic … More Passover: A Message of Liberation
“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ….get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” ― Abraham Joshua Heschel
