Talmud of America
My recent posts..."Talmud of America" Pardes Institute, a non-denominational study center based in Jerusalem, offers immersive Jewish learning around the world. One project is “Talmud of America,” which aims to illuminate and interpret, through Jewish eyes, some...
Twilight Zone
My recent posts...Twilight Zone בֵּין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת Bein hashemashot, literally, between the suns. בֵּין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת A twilight zone of time, or rather, out of time, between one day and the next. Our sages of old used this concept to explain certain miraculous...
When to Pray Yizkor
My recent posts...My edited comments from this past final day of Pesach. Ellie’s mom, Julia Helfman, died on her 95th birthday, December 24, 2025. This was the first Yizkor service Ellie feels obligated to attend. She said, “I’m now a member of a club I was not eager...
Timing
It had become a Kremer household Pesach tradition, or rather, a pre-Pesach tradition. Somewhere within a couple of days prior the first seder and noon on erev Pesach, something would go awry in the kitchen.
Letters
To the Editor:
…about assault weapons, have I been missing something? Such as accounts of civilians bearing AK-47s who thwarted criminal activity, prevented home invasions, chased away drug dealers, and the like. For mass murderers, they’re the weapon of choice. Who else needs one?…
To the Editor:
Recently, Janice McGeachin, the lieutenant governor of Idaho, got nearly a third of the Republican gubernatorial primary votes. In March, it was reported that she told an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, “God calls us to pick up the sword and fight, and Christ will reign in the state of Idaho.” Constitution anyone?
To the Editor:
States seek to constrain certain discussion topics in schools for fear of damaging the self esteem of young students. If hard thinking is banned from the classroom, will teachers simply post on the board the answers to tests?…
To the Editor:
How do I explain school shootings to my grandchildren, ages ten, seven, foור? How do I talk to them about derangement without coupling it with the obscene number of murderous weapons legally purchased in these United States? What do I tell them is gained by killing children, by killing…anyone!?
To the Editor:
Pity the progressive. What avenues are available for disgruntled progressives to express their rage at the myriad wrongs they perceive, or to incite a riot for, say, a stronger social safety net? Obviously, they can’t kill children! What to do? Stage an unauthorized release of butterflies on school property? Persuade a classroom of fourth-graders to all wear zebra-dolphin pajamas to school one day and post it on social media?
Yours truly…
Shabbat shalom and chag sameiach ! שבת שלום וחג שמח