Lahag

Bring a blogger to Israel

2009-08-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

So, the rules state that in order to nominate a fellow blogger I must blog about it. Now, the term "fellow blogger" is actually slightly problematic in this context, as I myself hardly do qualify as a blogger.

However, since:

1) There is nothing in the rules that states a minimum frequency of update.
2) In case of a tie breaker every vote counts.
And
3) Last but not least, my opinion, even if it doesn't hold much weight, is really just meant as a sign of gratitude towards the chosen blog, for providing thought provoking material on a regular basis.

I have decided to at least express my opinion.

This is no easy task as there are many many worthy candidates out there.
The verdict, after much deliberation, is that I'm gong to vote for Team Chana from the "curiousjew" blog.

Why?
Because she can split a hair with her keyboard, when it comes to making accurate definitions of complex emotions.

Rabbi Professor

2009-02-09T22:55:00.001-08:00

When I was about thirteen years old my dream was to be both a world renowned possek and a nobel prize winning scientist at the same time. At some point it became clear to me that this was most likely impossible. On the one hand to become a leading possek I would need to devote myself almost entirely to Torah (the Netziv actaully makes this quite clear in his Mashiv Davar) while on the other the demands of developing a leading scientific career are not much different.
In the words of Nobel prize winning Robet Aumann (http://www.ma.huji.ac.il/raumann/publication.htm)

Actually I did a bit of soul-searching when finishing high school, on whether to become a Talmudic scholar, or study secular subjects at a university. For a while I did both. I used to get up in the morning at 6:15, go to the university in uptown New York from Brooklyn—an hour and a quarter on the subway—then study calculus for an hour, then go back to the yeshiva on the lower east side for most of the morning, then go back up to City College at 139th Street and study there until 10 P.M., then go home and do some homework or whatever, and then I would get up again at 6:15. I did this for one semester, and then it became too much for me and I made the hard decision to quit the yeshiva and study mathematics.

Thid does not mean that it is impossible to live a life of Totrah u'maddah - only that it is not trivial.

Tzipi the Lion King

2009-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

I'm certainly no fan of Kadima but I think I'm on to something.

Living the Dream

2009-02-08T21:21:00.001-08:00

Just before we all go to vote...

Why I am voting for HaBayit Hayehudi

(Note: I am not officially affiliated with any party.)

I am usually not outspoken even on issues close to my heart. I respect
other people's opinions and understand that there may be more than one
legitimate point of view. At the same time the following post really
does come from the bottom of my heart. Sometimes the perceived gap between
my own point of view and the black hole into which we seems to be
gravitating mandates that I at least voice my own opinion. I don't even know if anyone will actually read this (before the elections), but I feel a need to get some
things off my chest.

I have a dream.
Since making Aliyah (with my family) in my early teens I have been educated primarily in Religious Zionist institutions. I feel strongly connected to this land, love the people in it and believe that if necessary (which I hope will not be) would give my life to build and protect it.
As a proud believing Jew I can not imagine not taking an active part in a process that has even a remote chance of being a stage in the Geulah.

Disillusionment and Disengagement.
The last few years have been quite difficult. It is easy to brush off the grievances and say (possibly even correctly) that just because the bad things happen doesn't mean we change our beliefs or our strategy. But something feels wrong. Our secular partners are not with us. Sometimes it seems that they downright hate us (at the very least they are scared stiff of us). How can we create a lasting and productive partnership with them?

Becoming part of a secular party to tactically succeed in achieving our nationalistic goals does not seem to me to be the answer. My dream is not the American Dream. It is not even the
dream of Yosef. It is so much more. Achieving positions of power and
even ensuring the continued welfare of the Religious Zionist
infrastructure is only a technicality. If this becomes our measure of success I'm afraid we are aiming too low.

On the personal level I admire the individuals who are poised to be Mekadesh Shem Shamayim through their work from inside the various secular parties. However, on the broader national level the these parties are not anywhere near holding up the flag of Torah and Ahavat Yisrael. There is no great Kidush Hashem in us joining them for practical materialistic purposes.

Isn't it better to collect the cream of our crop, our best and our finest role models, present them for all to see and say this is what a group of Torah Jews, Lovers of Medinat Yisrael, bringing Torah into the modern world, look like.

Join us!

That is my dream. It may be too early, I may be naive. There is however something curious about us
dreamers. We are not quick to give up. The bleaker things look the harder we will work to turn the dream into reality.

The wheels are in motion. We shall make this
happen. When it does, I shall be proud to have been a part of it from the beginning.

ברוך הוא א-לקינו שבראנו לכבודו והבדילנו מן הטועים ונתן לנו תורת אמת וחיי עולם נטע בתוכינו

Golani Sheli

2009-01-14T02:31:00.000-08:00

Ilana Dayan at her best

In tribute to the IDF

2009-01-14T02:26:00.000-08:00

An amazing song by Naomi Shemer's son

(note: prepare tissues)

רקפות בין הסלעים

hovercraft

2008-11-18T01:18:00.000-08:00

I really need one of these:

link

well, not really

אין כמו במבה

2008-11-11T04:29:00.000-08:00

It seems that giving children bamba is not so bad.

A new study seems to indicate that it actually lowers the risk of developing a peanut allergy.

Now I can give it my kids without any having to hide in the kitchen.

Election Post

2008-11-11T04:20:00.000-08:00

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; +/- 4.7% "

{ from a t-shirt advertising a public opinion polling company in Boulder CO }

Yes, we should!

2008-11-05T01:02:00.000-08:00

I have my reservations regarding Barak Obama. Many concerns about his policies and hesitations about his character.

At the same time i'm very optimistic.

Listening to him speak was moving and I felt a strong sense of pride and excitement. I don't thin that these are feelings which should be dismissed lightly.

Undecided - The ability to listem

2008-11-03T01:35:00.000-08:00

Okay so I voted. No i'm not gonna say who for. I have been going back and forth debating internally who to vote for. I can make a good case for both front running candidates.

The more I read the different arguments the more I become convinced that those writing them are quite firm in their opinions and not very well poised to see the other side of the debate.

It reminds me of the story of Reb Chaim brought in "The Rav" (Rabbi Rakeffet) pg. 227

Of course i'm nowhere near the level of Reb Chaim but nevertheless sometimes it is a fun excersize to try and see more than one side of things. Then again sometimes the easiest thing to do is just have someone dictate your choice.

A friend told me that if I can't decide then just don't vote. Personally I feel that an unsure and hesitant but well thought out position is certainly no worse than a biased sure thing stand on the issues.

There should be an social equivalent to the Fluctuation Dissipation Theorem of Statistical physics which would allow me to determine my linear response to perturbations based on my fluctuation level.

BTW - I think it is much too early to speculate on effects of election one candidate on the upcoming Israeli elections. Voters are not quite that easy to influence have very short term memory and many times such attempts can produce the opposite effect.

Thinking hard makes you hungry

2008-11-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

A recent study confirms the long held suspicion that:

thinking does indeed make you hungry.

Don't contimplate this for too long or you may need to take a snack.

I would suggest that someone now try to quantify

how hard one must think (i.e. rate of calories burned per second)

in order to give oneself a headache.

Enhancing performance

2008-10-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

In one of his final posts before closing shop, the "Rabbi Without A Cause" posted on mood altering before meetings with the help of music.

I can't help but insert here "John Cage's Bells"

Relating to the question of other methods that may enhance performance the is an interesting piece in this innovations report.

Personally i'm quite facinated with the nature of music especially how (and why?!) we are affected by it. A starting point I would recommend on this subject is the recent series in Nature Magazine.

(this is not really going to be a music blog although who knows...)

The sky is falling...

2008-10-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today it is raining.

That is a good thing.

It can however be interpreted in manny different ways.

Some, under the influence of current events, might say the sky is falling. This has not yet happened on any previous occasion, but I ain't saying it never will.

My son thinks that the clouds can't be mitapek any longer and well you can figure it out....

But sometimes it just seems as if Hashem is crying. Especially when things happen that we just don't understand. I know that if this were true it should probably be raining quite often we would not have any water shortage. It is just how I want to feel at the moment.

I can hear the loadspeakers outside announcing the time of the funeral.

The evolutionary cost of sex

2008-10-27T04:37:00.000-07:00

"Sex is considered as an evolutionary paradox, since its evolutionary advantage does not necessarily overcome the two fold cost of sharing half of one’s offspring’s genome with another member of the population."

This statement from a recent article caught my attention.

I am not interested at the moment in the most recent calculations as to whether or not it actually turns out to be advantageous or not. The point is that from a scientific point of view a Unisex universe should be the initial starting point. The two fold cost is an existing barrier which then may or may not be overcome.

I think it is interesting that this is exactly the position that the Torah takes in its account of creation. The initial description is only of Adam (and Midrashically a combination of man and woman which may be alluding to the possibility of unassisted reproduction)

It is only then that Hashem decides that this is "not good". This can be for a myriad of reasons from game theory to ethical to spiritual, but whatever it is, I think that creation of Chava from Adam's Tzela is intended to show that this was not a necesaary step from the pure scientific view of creation. The unisex universe could have been self sustaining. There are deeper forces at work behind the nuion of man and woman.

Music Roundup

2008-10-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

We'll start with a music related post b/c there are just too many serious things going on.
I think music is a window int the soul so i'll give you a sneak peak inside mine.
Last night was Kol Chai Radio's yearly music roundup.
First, I must say that they did do a fine job. It is no easy job selecting the best especially in a year so full of great jewish music.

They hit the nail spot on with the "Album of the Year" choice - I would have been pretty surprised had they not chosen the Eighth Note which is a head above everyone else despite the fact that this year everyone else were also, well above par.

This choice left the door wide open for "Singer of the Year" since the eigth note does not exclusively feature anyone specific. In my personal opinion a strong case could be made for any one of the trio - Shuli Rad, Yonatan Razel or Meir Banai who all put out amazing disks this year (Yidel or Lipa would have been fine choices too). They went with Shuli Rand which is as I stated a great choice but slightly surprising given the fact that on their list none of his songs made it to the top 25 (I would have put 2-3).

My main divergence is in the song list which vastly differs from theirs. In fact most of my favorites were nowhere on their list and in the top ten only two songs are the same. I can't blame them for putting Meidad in first it is really quite a nice and very popular song but I hereby present to you my alternative view of how things should have gone:

1) K'shoshana - Katz, Razel, Chaim Dovid
2) The Letter - Dovid Gabay
3) Pnei Elai - Mordechai Yitzhar

4) Veatem Hadeveikim - Yonatan Razel
5) Nekuda Tovah - Shuli Rand
6) Lev Echad - Yidel Werdiger
7) Ma Yakar - Shlomie Shabbat and Halehakah

8) Beshivtecha - The Eigth Note
9) Ayelet Chen - Meir Banai
10) Al Naharot Bavel - Meidad Tassa

Note: Kol Chai's full list can be found here. My list is a bit slower paced I think but thats just my personal take on things.

Just do it

2008-10-26T02:37:00.000-07:00

o.k.
So iv'e been wanting to experiment with this for quite a while.
It's time to jump in.