December 2008 Archives

December 26, 2008

A few months ago I wrote a short article for the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals' new journal Conversations. The purpose of this journal is to promote communal dialogue on various issues facing the Jewish community. Unlike the Edah/Meorot journals, the journal is supposed to be more accessible than academic and so I was given two editorial conditions:1. keep it short and 2. no footnotes.

As longtime blog readers know, that last condition was a tough one to overcome.

At any rate, I'm posting my article "A Fair And Balanced Approach To Jewish Social Justice" and I plan on revisiting the motivations for the article at some later point.



December 23, 2008

Wow.

I can hardly believe how long it's been since I've last written anything. I've barely had time to get basic derashot out, let alone formulate for intelligible posting (maybe next year :-). Consider that for the months of September and October I was commuting from Springfield to the LES for every Shabbat and Chag, packing, unpacking, and writing derashot. Then for some reason things just keep popping up that I haven't had the time to think let alone research and write.

So I'm sticking my head out to say that yes I am alive and well, just too distracted with many life and shul details to write more - though I must say I've been feeling the absence of not writing.

Right now I'm prepping a shiur for Dec 25 on Talmudic Responses to Greek and Christian Culture. Of course it's not going to be close to comprehensive but it serves a double inyanei deyoma.

God willing I'll try to make more time to write. I've really missed this place.