When will it finally rain? The weather for the past month in the UK has been gorgeous–sunny and dry, but this is too much of a good thing. Hosepipe bans have been imposed to conserve water, lawns and gardens are turning tan, and flowers are fading. According to the Fire Severity Index, much of England…
Tag: god
Stuttering Sacred Speech: Devarim 5786
Learning to speak is one of the most mysterious, impactful and, for some, challenging of human capacities. To witness a toddler produce their first recognisable words often seems like a miracle. Language is a defining quality of the human experience, but it is not universally shared. Communication disorders come in many varieties and can have…
Shelach Lekha 5786: The Power of Predictive Processing
We frequently find that two people can observe the same set of facts and yet arrive at opposite conclusions. Our interpretive instincts are shaped by both personal experience and neurobiology. Facts that confirm our existing beliefs and well-established neural pathways are readily noticed, while those that contradict our assumptions are often dismissed as irrelevant. This…
Three Readings of the Third Commandment: Yitro 5786
The third commandment seems simple enough: לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ לַשָּׁוְא, כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה ה׳ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא׃ Translated literally it means, “Do not take up the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not clear one who takes God’s name in vain.” Sounds simple, but if we look…
Shabbat Hanukkah–Mikketz 5786
מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּת הַבַּיִת לְדָוִֽד׃ “A Song for the Dedication of the House, for David.” This verse serves as the superscription to Psalm 30, a psalm which features prominently in our liturgy, appearing every day of the year in Shaharit, though that inclusion traces back only to the 17th century. Much older is the association of…