The Passing of a Real-life Hero

Reflections on the passing of Dan Shomron, architect of the legendary "Raid on Entebbe", in which the IDF rescued 103 hostages from the hands of terrorists, from the perspective of a young, modern, religious, American, Jewish professional - me!

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Slate Magazine - Let the Rabbi Split the Pie

I just think this article is fascinating. I remember when I learned Masecheth Sukkah in about 8th grade, and we discovered a reference to pi in the Talmudic literature. Seriously, people actually think that we understand the world better today than the ancients? Maybe some things. Maybe like certain big picture things and some subtle nuances, but the fundamentals were there, and I truly believe that the understanding that at least the intelectual class of the ancient world had, probably was on par with, if it didn't even surpass, the general understanding of the world that today's intelectual class has. I mean, think about it - how many of today's principles are ENTIRELY dependent on discoveries in the ancient world? Yes, the Middle Ages were a dark, dark time for Europe and for scientific advancement in general. But even then, other cultures were thriving and making discoveries that we still depend upon today. But there is no question that the ancient world had its share of individuals who had the brains and the platform to discover and spread knowledge that even today we are still trying to prove and/or use for other purposes.

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Government to evict own citizens again. Disengagement II?

Residents of a Jerusalem suburb received notice yesterday that they are to be evicted. In August 2005, thousands of Israeli citizens were forcibly kicked out of their homes and towns. The land was giving back to the Palestinians who promptly destroyed much of what was there. What will happen this time?

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