Why isn't Olam HaBa Promised? Part 1 of 2 - May 30, 2019 - Why doesn't the Torah promise Olam HaBa in Parshat Bechukotai and in Parshat Ki Tavo, or elsewhere? Reviewing a few sources demonstrating that belief in life after death was normal in the culture that received the Chumash, and looking at some of the approaches explaining why the Torah does not explicitly promise reward/punishment in Olam HaBa. To be continued after Shavuot...

Shemuel #32 - 10:7-17 - First Mission, Prophecy, and Lottery - May 30, 2019 - Shaul receives his first mission, becomes a prophet, and is the subject of a lottery to identify the new king. All along, one message persists: The king is Hashem's agent, and not independent.

Leading Anti-Semites: Fyodor Dostoevsky - May 29, 2019 - Begins with a discussion of what Salo Baron called "the lachrymose theory of Jewish history". Continues to discuss Fyodor Dostoevsky's anti-Semitic writings earlier and later in his career, why he shifted in his focus, and how some have apologized for him. Concludes with a brief note on using the cultural product of people who have demonstrated hatred for Jews. Geared toward a group including people without strong background in Torah text study.

Yeshayah, Week 27: Intro to Chapter 19: Israel and Egypt - May 28, 2019 - The relationship between Egypt and the Jewish people - in the era of the Chumash and the prohibition against returning to Egypt, during the first Beit haMikdash, and in predictions for the future. How that relationship is expressed in Yeshayah's vision in Chapters 19-20. And what is the time period for fulfillment of the vision in Chapters 19-20?

Shemuel #31 - 10:1-8 - Anointing and Odd Signs - May 23, 2019 - Completing our thought on the message of Shaul's private anointing, and then looking at three ways to interpret the three encounters Shemuel predicts for Shaul, all of which envision a metamorphosis of some kind. [And a note regarding seeing or eating sweet and symbolic foods for Rosh HaShanah.]

The Good and Bad Walls of Behar - May 23, 2019 - Parshat Behar 5779 - Do good fences make good neighbours? Are walls good for us? It may depend on why we build them - to keep something out, or to unify those within?

Leading Anti-Semites: Martin Luther, Part 2 - May 22, 2019 - Martin Luther's development in his approach to Jews, causes of that development. His impact on Christian in the 16th century and beyond. The impact on Jews, and Jewish migration. Geared toward a group including people without strong background in Torah text study.

Tax Incentives and Amazon HQ2 - May 22, 2019 - Is a government plan to exempt new businesses from certain taxes legitimate in the eyes of Jewish law and ethics? A few notes regarding recognizing "in-kind" contributions to society in lieu of taxes, tax legislation which favours a particular sector, undercutting a neighbouring region in competition for a relocating business, and accepting a tax incentive when the business was going to move there anyway.

Yeshayah, Week 26: Chapter 18 - Send a Message Beyond Ethiopia? - May 21, 2019 - Four ways to read the eighteenth chapter of Yeshayah. Is it a call to Assyria, warning them that they will lose when they attack Jerusalem and they will send the Jews home? Is it a message to Assyria to tell the Jews that Sancherev is defeated? Is it a call to tell the Jews that Mashiach has come? Is it a message to the nations to send gifts after Techiyat haMeitim?

Civil Marriage in Halachah - May 19, 2019 - Overview of issues: Which type of kiddushin could take place in a relationship established by civil marriage? What sort of intent would be required of the participants, and what sort of behaviour by the participants influences our assessment of their intentions?