Click, and look at the bottom right corner.Tip of the watermelon srugy to Amshinover
Showing posts with label Amshi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amshi. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Typo? Maybe not...
Click, and look at the bottom right corner.Tip of the watermelon srugy to Amshinover
Friday, January 25, 2008
The writing on the wall
Click on the photo to see the strange etchings on the wall.
[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Women_at_western_wall.jpg]
Hattip: Amshinover
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Toe-AY-vah!!!!
Funniest marketing campaign of the year? Could be, could be.
[Subtitles and additional commentary available here]
[Furry-hat tip: Jacob Da Jew]
[And AMSHINOVER]
AM
SHI
NOVER
[Subtitles and additional commentary available here]
[Furry-hat tip: Jacob Da Jew]
[And AMSHINOVER]
AM
SHI
NOVER
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Chilling
Our old friend Amshinover has many gifts. Chief among them is the ability to feret out odd and interesting Google links. For a time, every comment he left here using haloscan had a different homepage, each stranger than the one the came before it.
Yesterday, having used his powers for something other than evil, he sent me this:
Fun fact to know and tell: The marvelously accented BBC reporter (found, I presume, in central casting) later became a member of Parliment and a cabinet minister. He lost his seat (in 1964) when an opponent played the race card.
More of Amshi can be found here
Yesterday, having used his powers for something other than evil, he sent me this:
It should make your hair stand on end....link of a recording discovered last October of prisoners freed from Bergen-Belsen singing Hatikva for reporters.
BBC Recording: http://genealogy.org.il/BergenBelsenHatikva.mp3
Yediot article: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7350/cci000000fg.jpg
Fun fact to know and tell: The marvelously accented BBC reporter (found, I presume, in central casting) later became a member of Parliment and a cabinet minister. He lost his seat (in 1964) when an opponent played the race card.
More of Amshi can be found here
Friday, September 01, 2006
DovBear does it again
Well, it appears my blog has squatted and pushed a wet and shiny, slightly foul-smelling, new GH blog into existence. Joy to the world.
What I want to know now, before I commit myself to his new venture in the form of hat-tips and other segulahs, is this: Will he be funny?
Because if all GH plans to do is rehash and review all the many different reasons for the decline in his emunah, I'm going to stick with my back issues of the original GH blog that I helped to launch, co-wrote and spell-checked.
Other blogs that are ribs from the unbroken body of the bear
Shifra (she commented here before starting her own blog)
OrthoMom (ditto)
CWY (ditto)
Naphtuli (ditto)
Amshinover (rachma ltzlon, but ditto)
Chana (ditto)
I am sure there are others. Make yourselves known in the comment thread. Also... I'm too lazy to link you all, but if you still read DovBear (and why would you, now that you've got a big, important blog of your own) feel free to put your URLs in the comment thread.
Am I taking credit for the entire Jewish Blogosphere? Only if I can get away with it. Only if I can get away with it.
What I want to know now, before I commit myself to his new venture in the form of hat-tips and other segulahs, is this: Will he be funny?
Because if all GH plans to do is rehash and review all the many different reasons for the decline in his emunah, I'm going to stick with my back issues of the original GH blog that I helped to launch, co-wrote and spell-checked.
Other blogs that are ribs from the unbroken body of the bear
Shifra (she commented here before starting her own blog)
OrthoMom (ditto)
CWY (ditto)
Naphtuli (ditto)
Amshinover (rachma ltzlon, but ditto)
Chana (ditto)
I am sure there are others. Make yourselves known in the comment thread. Also... I'm too lazy to link you all, but if you still read DovBear (and why would you, now that you've got a big, important blog of your own) feel free to put your URLs in the comment thread.
Am I taking credit for the entire Jewish Blogosphere? Only if I can get away with it. Only if I can get away with it.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
DovBear: Who wrote the Zohar? Not me!
A reprint, in honor of Rashbi's deathday.
DovBear: Who wrote the Zohar? Not me! I would love to attribute this blog to Moshe Rabbanu. If I could convince you that Moshe was the man behind my insights and comments, I'm sure I'd get a boost in page views. I bet I could even add some adverts, or a pay pal button. Soon, as the blog became more and more popular, I'd be able to focus full time on retailing and turn the actual writing of the blog over to OrthoMom and other low paid interns (MBAs call this "Garfielding" it.)
But I'd never get away with it. And not even even the typically well-thought out, carefully researched, right-wing style explanation ("But he's Moshe! Moshe can do anything!") would save me from a fierce dressing-down in the Jewish Press.
The teeming masses may not be bright. (They read the Jewish Press, after all.) But even someone like Heshy would eventually realize that this blog is composed in English, a language that did not exist in Moshe's time. (But he was Moshe! Moshe! Moshe can do anything! --- Ok, folks, did that work? Let me know. I'm in a rush to start retailing.)
Anyway, there's a book we call the Zohar that is also attributed to someone who lived long ago.
For those unfamiliar with the Zohar, it is a work of Jewish mysticism alleged to have been written in the second century by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and passed, teacher to student, until the 13th century when Moses de Leon published it.
[Important Interjection: I will not attack the validity of the Zohar. That would be stupid, and also bad for retailing. People smarter than me, and Amshinover, plus Hasidic Rebbes of every stripe, have praised the Zohar, and I have no reason to think that the publisher paid them off. As far as I am concerned Bernard McGinn, Professor Emeritus, The Divinity School, University of Chicago was underselling the Zohar when he called it "the crown jewel of Jewish mysticism...[and a] masterpiece of mystical literature." Ok? So please have your credit cards ready.]
But who gets credit for that achievment? Did de Leon merely publish it? Or did he write it? From the very beginning, questions have been raised about the authorship of the Zohar. Yitzchak of Acco, a kabbalist and student of the Ramban, met de Leon's widow, reviewed the manuscript, and determined that the Zohar was, in fact, written by de Leon. (See Sefer HaYuchasin by Rabbi Avraham Zacuto 1425- c. 1515 CE in which Mrs. de Leon admits the fraud.)
Rabbi Yitzchak's conclusion was supported by later scholars, including Elijah Delmedigo, Yakov Emdem, and Gershom Scholem, the 20th century Hebraist. They observed that the Zohar:
1 - contains names of rabbis who were born after Bar Yochai had already died;
2 - misquotes passages of Scripture and misunderstands the Talmud;
3 - contains ritual observances which were ordained by rabbinical authorities who were born after Bar Yochai had already died;
4 - mentions the crusades against the Muslims (who, inconveniently, did not exist in the second century);
5 - uses the expression "esnoga", which is a Portuguese corruption of "synagogue;"
6 - gives a mystical explanation of the Hebrew vowel-points, which were not introduced until long after the Talmudic period.
7 - contains suspicious marks of Spanish and Spanish sentence patterns
8 - is riddled with Aramaic errors; at times, Scholem found, the Aramaic is actually Hebrew with a few extra alephs scattered here and there. [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohar]
I admit to not having read the Zohar (that and my wonderful singing voice might cause people to confuse me with Madonna) but I have read Scholem and Emdem and I find their arguments compelling.However, when I repeat these compelling arguments the reaction of the teeming masses is not friendly. Why is this? Why can't the Zohar be, simply, an awfully good book of great importance? Why is the back story about Bar Yochai necessary? What does it add? Why do people who can hardly even spell the word Zohar cling to this story? Does anyone seriously believe that the value of the Zohar would be reduced if we put aside the myth that it was written by Shimon Bar Yochai?
DovBear: Who wrote the Zohar? Not me! I would love to attribute this blog to Moshe Rabbanu. If I could convince you that Moshe was the man behind my insights and comments, I'm sure I'd get a boost in page views. I bet I could even add some adverts, or a pay pal button. Soon, as the blog became more and more popular, I'd be able to focus full time on retailing and turn the actual writing of the blog over to OrthoMom and other low paid interns (MBAs call this "Garfielding" it.)
But I'd never get away with it. And not even even the typically well-thought out, carefully researched, right-wing style explanation ("But he's Moshe! Moshe can do anything!") would save me from a fierce dressing-down in the Jewish Press.
The teeming masses may not be bright. (They read the Jewish Press, after all.) But even someone like Heshy would eventually realize that this blog is composed in English, a language that did not exist in Moshe's time. (But he was Moshe! Moshe! Moshe can do anything! --- Ok, folks, did that work? Let me know. I'm in a rush to start retailing.)
Anyway, there's a book we call the Zohar that is also attributed to someone who lived long ago.
For those unfamiliar with the Zohar, it is a work of Jewish mysticism alleged to have been written in the second century by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and passed, teacher to student, until the 13th century when Moses de Leon published it.
[Important Interjection: I will not attack the validity of the Zohar. That would be stupid, and also bad for retailing. People smarter than me, and Amshinover, plus Hasidic Rebbes of every stripe, have praised the Zohar, and I have no reason to think that the publisher paid them off. As far as I am concerned Bernard McGinn, Professor Emeritus, The Divinity School, University of Chicago was underselling the Zohar when he called it "the crown jewel of Jewish mysticism...[and a] masterpiece of mystical literature." Ok? So please have your credit cards ready.]
But who gets credit for that achievment? Did de Leon merely publish it? Or did he write it? From the very beginning, questions have been raised about the authorship of the Zohar. Yitzchak of Acco, a kabbalist and student of the Ramban, met de Leon's widow, reviewed the manuscript, and determined that the Zohar was, in fact, written by de Leon. (See Sefer HaYuchasin by Rabbi Avraham Zacuto 1425- c. 1515 CE in which Mrs. de Leon admits the fraud.)
Rabbi Yitzchak's conclusion was supported by later scholars, including Elijah Delmedigo, Yakov Emdem, and Gershom Scholem, the 20th century Hebraist. They observed that the Zohar:
1 - contains names of rabbis who were born after Bar Yochai had already died;
2 - misquotes passages of Scripture and misunderstands the Talmud;
3 - contains ritual observances which were ordained by rabbinical authorities who were born after Bar Yochai had already died;
4 - mentions the crusades against the Muslims (who, inconveniently, did not exist in the second century);
5 - uses the expression "esnoga", which is a Portuguese corruption of "synagogue;"
6 - gives a mystical explanation of the Hebrew vowel-points, which were not introduced until long after the Talmudic period.
7 - contains suspicious marks of Spanish and Spanish sentence patterns
8 - is riddled with Aramaic errors; at times, Scholem found, the Aramaic is actually Hebrew with a few extra alephs scattered here and there. [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohar]
I admit to not having read the Zohar (that and my wonderful singing voice might cause people to confuse me with Madonna) but I have read Scholem and Emdem and I find their arguments compelling.However, when I repeat these compelling arguments the reaction of the teeming masses is not friendly. Why is this? Why can't the Zohar be, simply, an awfully good book of great importance? Why is the back story about Bar Yochai necessary? What does it add? Why do people who can hardly even spell the word Zohar cling to this story? Does anyone seriously believe that the value of the Zohar would be reduced if we put aside the myth that it was written by Shimon Bar Yochai?
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
It's Zalman!
Arutz Sheva is reporting that the deceased Satmar Rebbe's will, read aloud at his funeral(!), has designated the third son, Zalman, as the successor.
Meanwhile, Aaron, the first son, isn't going quietly into that good night. In a statement, he said: “The Grand Rebbe's will does not determine succession. Only the Satmar Board of Directors can make that decision. That's how the Grand Rebbe himself was selected. And that's how his successor will be selected.”
The second son, Fredo, was in Las Vegas, managing the family casino business and could not be reached for comment.
At stake in this family dispute are real estate holdings valued at $500 million dollars, a school system that would be the fourth largest in the state if it were a public school system, and the famous matzo factories, where (per Amshinover in a famous, but hard to find, DovBear comment) the matzohs baked by non-Jews are put aside for non-Satmar consumption. Oh, and the winner also gets the mindless and devoted respect and adoration of over 100,000 hasidim, among other valuable prizes.
The Rebbe was buried overnight in Kiryas Joel, and I willl say this: I am surprised and pleased to learn that the Aaronis kept quiet when the will was read, and I'm also glad to see there was no brawling as the Rebbe was laid to rest. I was sure the rival factions were going to go after each other with chains and pick-axes. But they didn't, and the fact that the funeral was late at night may have had something to do with it (hashcocha protis, anyone?)
Funeral Photos:
TienMao
Jesse Chan Norris
Gothamist (article)
UPDATE The Times Herald reports that "A brief scuffle broke out around 5 a.m. inside the synagogue. Kiryas Joel security and troopers quickly quelled the fight, which apparently started over a dispute about who could speak at the services." Apparently, that was the worst of it. I'm still surprised.
Meanwhile, Aaron, the first son, isn't going quietly into that good night. In a statement, he said: “The Grand Rebbe's will does not determine succession. Only the Satmar Board of Directors can make that decision. That's how the Grand Rebbe himself was selected. And that's how his successor will be selected.”
The second son, Fredo, was in Las Vegas, managing the family casino business and could not be reached for comment.
At stake in this family dispute are real estate holdings valued at $500 million dollars, a school system that would be the fourth largest in the state if it were a public school system, and the famous matzo factories, where (per Amshinover in a famous, but hard to find, DovBear comment) the matzohs baked by non-Jews are put aside for non-Satmar consumption. Oh, and the winner also gets the mindless and devoted respect and adoration of over 100,000 hasidim, among other valuable prizes.
The Rebbe was buried overnight in Kiryas Joel, and I willl say this: I am surprised and pleased to learn that the Aaronis kept quiet when the will was read, and I'm also glad to see there was no brawling as the Rebbe was laid to rest. I was sure the rival factions were going to go after each other with chains and pick-axes. But they didn't, and the fact that the funeral was late at night may have had something to do with it (hashcocha protis, anyone?)
Funeral Photos:
TienMao
Jesse Chan Norris
Gothamist (article)
UPDATE The Times Herald reports that "A brief scuffle broke out around 5 a.m. inside the synagogue. Kiryas Joel security and troopers quickly quelled the fight, which apparently started over a dispute about who could speak at the services." Apparently, that was the worst of it. I'm still surprised.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Check the Caption
They sure aren't making Ultra-Orthodox Jews the way they used to.
[Hat Tip Amshinover, scourge of the blogosphere.]
[Hat Tip Amshinover, scourge of the blogosphere.]
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The Hall of Fame (the hiatus continues)
With my secret mission taking longer to wrap up then anticipated, I thought I'd give the loyal members of DovBear nation something new to argue about during my (very temporary) absence...
And so with very little thought, yet a fair amount of fear and trepidation, I am pleased to introduce...
UPDATE:
(1) Links fixed.
(2) The Hall of Fame is meant to honor sustained excellence, so I didn't put up any new blogs. Of those on the list only GH and OM are younger than me. Basicly, if you're not GH or OM and you started blogging after October, 2004, you were excluded. If you're older than me, and I left you off it was (a) an error (b) an attempt to upset you (c) a personal attack on your dignity and honor as a blogger or (d) done because I hate you. Or, it could be just that you're still going strong. If you notice, hardly anyone on the Hall of Fame list is still blogging at full power.
(3) If some enterprising artist (AirTime?) would like to design a Hall of Fame banner you can put them on your sidebars. Or now. Whatever you like is ok with me. I am here to serve.
DovBear's J-blogosphere Hall of Fame (DovBear, proprietor)
Members: Blogging Division
AidelMaidel
Ari Goes Down
Burry Katz
ChayyeiSarah
Esther Kustanowitz
Godol Hador
Luke Ford
Heimishtown
Hirhurim
Jewlicious
JewSchool
Mobius
MoChassid
OrthoMom
Psychotoddler
Renegade Rebbetzin
She
Steven I. Weiss and Protocols
Team Shaviv
The Shaigetz
Treppenwitz
Members: Service to the J-blogosphere Division
Air Time - For artistic contributions
Aussie Dave - For the Jibs
Mirty - For teaching us all how to code
SoccerDad - For Havel Havalim
Candidate Members: Commenter Division
Note: This is not an exhaustive list, despite my best efforts.
&
4jkb4ia
Annoymous
Anono
Anon
Anono1
Anon2
Air Time
Akiva
Al Gore
Alex
AMP
Amshinover
B. Spinoza
balabustainbluejeans
bishul akum
Back of the Hill
Cara
Chana
chandira
charliehall
chardal
Classmate Wearing Yarmulka
Cyrk
David
Dilbert
Dude
Eliyahu
Elf
Esther Kustanowitz
Ezzie
Frummer????????
GaonOfChelm
Ger Tzadik
Godol Hador
Goldaleah
halfnutcase
Holy Hyrax
Hanan
Jack
Jameel Rashid
Joe Schick
Jewropean
J-Freak
Jeff
justajew
Just Passing Through
Judd
Q-Jew
katieb
Krum
latefordinner
lamedzayin
Lipman
LkwdGuy
Mar Gavriel
Mike Koplow
Mirty
Mis-nagid
Moishe Potemkin
mykroft
Naftuli
Noyam
R2J
R' Hyman Krustowskij
Rebecca
Reb Yudel
REReader
S.
Seth Gordon
Shanna
Shifra
SnoopyTheGoon
Steven Brizel
Steg (dos iz nit der šteg)
Still Wonderin'
Surah Malka
The Town Crier
Yitzchak Goodman
Yoinasaschreiber
Uncle Moishy
Velvateen Rabbi
WBS
Warren
Woodrow
Additional nominees welcome. Let the recriminations begin!
And so with very little thought, yet a fair amount of fear and trepidation, I am pleased to introduce...
UPDATE:
(1) Links fixed.
(2) The Hall of Fame is meant to honor sustained excellence, so I didn't put up any new blogs. Of those on the list only GH and OM are younger than me. Basicly, if you're not GH or OM and you started blogging after October, 2004, you were excluded. If you're older than me, and I left you off it was (a) an error (b) an attempt to upset you (c) a personal attack on your dignity and honor as a blogger or (d) done because I hate you. Or, it could be just that you're still going strong. If you notice, hardly anyone on the Hall of Fame list is still blogging at full power.
(3) If some enterprising artist (AirTime?) would like to design a Hall of Fame banner you can put them on your sidebars. Or now. Whatever you like is ok with me. I am here to serve.
DovBear's J-blogosphere Hall of Fame (DovBear, proprietor)
Members: Blogging Division
AidelMaidel
Ari Goes Down
Burry Katz
ChayyeiSarah
Esther Kustanowitz
Godol Hador
Luke Ford
Heimishtown
Hirhurim
Jewlicious
JewSchool
Mobius
MoChassid
OrthoMom
Psychotoddler
Renegade Rebbetzin
She
Steven I. Weiss and Protocols
Team Shaviv
The Shaigetz
Treppenwitz
Members: Service to the J-blogosphere Division
Air Time - For artistic contributions
Aussie Dave - For the Jibs
Mirty - For teaching us all how to code
SoccerDad - For Havel Havalim
Candidate Members: Commenter Division
Note: This is not an exhaustive list, despite my best efforts.
&
4jkb4ia
Annoymous
Anono
Anon
Anono1
Anon2
Air Time
Akiva
Al Gore
Alex
AMP
Amshinover
B. Spinoza
balabustainbluejeans
bishul akum
Back of the Hill
Cara
Chana
chandira
charliehall
chardal
Classmate Wearing Yarmulka
Cyrk
David
Dilbert
Dude
Eliyahu
Elf
Esther Kustanowitz
Ezzie
Frummer????????
GaonOfChelm
Ger Tzadik
Godol Hador
Goldaleah
halfnutcase
Holy Hyrax
Hanan
Jack
Jameel Rashid
Joe Schick
Jewropean
J-Freak
Jeff
justajew
Just Passing Through
Judd
Q-Jew
katieb
Krum
latefordinner
lamedzayin
Lipman
LkwdGuy
Mar Gavriel
Mike Koplow
Mirty
Mis-nagid
Moishe Potemkin
mykroft
Naftuli
Noyam
R2J
R' Hyman Krustowskij
Rebecca
Reb Yudel
REReader
S.
Seth Gordon
Shanna
Shifra
SnoopyTheGoon
Steven Brizel
Steg (dos iz nit der šteg)
Still Wonderin'
Surah Malka
The Town Crier
Yitzchak Goodman
Yoinasaschreiber
Uncle Moishy
Velvateen Rabbi
WBS
Warren
Woodrow
Additional nominees welcome. Let the recriminations begin!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
My First Literary Crush
Slate asks a bunch of famous people ... well, mostly journalists and comedy writers who aren't particularly famous ... to choose the most influential book they read in college.
The two I liked best, back when I was attending old DovBear U, were Stranger in a Strange Land and All the Kings Men, with a slight edge going to SIASL because I liked what Valentine Michael Smith said about all suffering ebing a result of our refusal to grok each other. Also, as an Orthodox Jew, I probably related to Smith as he attempted to integrate himself into the larger, non-Martian culture.
Like you, I'd love to know what other bloggers were reading in College. Some guesses:
OrthoMom: The Handsmaid Tale
Renegade Reb: The Feminine Mystique
Ezzie: X-Men Annual #172 (easy words edition)
Naphtuli: God and Man at Yale
Amshinover: Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas
CWY: How to talk to a liberal (if you must)
Chardal: They Must Go
More later (suggest your own)
The two I liked best, back when I was attending old DovBear U, were Stranger in a Strange Land and All the Kings Men, with a slight edge going to SIASL because I liked what Valentine Michael Smith said about all suffering ebing a result of our refusal to grok each other. Also, as an Orthodox Jew, I probably related to Smith as he attempted to integrate himself into the larger, non-Martian culture.
Like you, I'd love to know what other bloggers were reading in College. Some guesses:
OrthoMom: The Handsmaid Tale
Renegade Reb: The Feminine Mystique
Ezzie: X-Men Annual #172 (easy words edition)
Naphtuli: God and Man at Yale
Amshinover: Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas
CWY: How to talk to a liberal (if you must)
Chardal: They Must Go
More later (suggest your own)
Friday, November 11, 2005
Ready to move on....
UPDATED
A schism has developed among the online community of heretics now that their high priest has retired. The majority believe S is the annointed succesor, citing the words of the prophet as he climbed his Nebo:
But I think my natural heirs are S primarily, followed closely by [three others]
However, a small, but growing minority insists that S is not worthy, pointing out that his blog, On the Main Line, appears on Hirhurim's blogroll. Gil, propreiter at Hirhurim, famously refuses to blogroll anyone who might offend his readers. If S is too vanilla to disturb Hirhurim's audience, can he possibly be The Heir?
A quick rundown of the other candidates:
RebelJew: My choice, and though I sprinkled holy water on his head a few posts ago, the faithful have yet to flock to his feet.
LamedZayim: A dark horse favorite. I'm not too familiar with his work, but until he makes me laugh, I'm won't be convinced he can carry the Godol's mantle.
Gil Smart enough and popular enough and, like the golden age GH, certainly a great enough friend of this blog. But in many important ways, the GH succeeded Hirhurim as a gathering point for Jewish smarty-pants. There can be no going back.
Krum We like Krum. The only bad think I can think to say about him is that his blog, with its white on green color scheme, is illegible. (As anyone who's been with me from the begining knowns my own blog used that scheme for the first 9 weeks of it's existance, so even that little critisim is half-hearted.)
Amshinover Though Amshi is rude enough, and quite possibly smart enough, he fails the heretic test. Also, Amshi frequently displays an unattractive sympathy for Hasidim. GH 1.0 would not have tolerated this.
Elf: Can a woman be the chosen one? Though the real GH was famously mysoginistic, I'd support Elf's candidacy - notwithstanding her superlative X chromosone - were it not for one thing: Elf is straight-up about being less than Orthodox; the real GH preferred a Trojan Horse approach.
More later, likely in the comments....
A schism has developed among the online community of heretics now that their high priest has retired. The majority believe S is the annointed succesor, citing the words of the prophet as he climbed his Nebo:
But I think my natural heirs are S primarily, followed closely by [three others]
However, a small, but growing minority insists that S is not worthy, pointing out that his blog, On the Main Line, appears on Hirhurim's blogroll. Gil, propreiter at Hirhurim, famously refuses to blogroll anyone who might offend his readers. If S is too vanilla to disturb Hirhurim's audience, can he possibly be The Heir?
A quick rundown of the other candidates:
RebelJew: My choice, and though I sprinkled holy water on his head a few posts ago, the faithful have yet to flock to his feet.
LamedZayim: A dark horse favorite. I'm not too familiar with his work, but until he makes me laugh, I'm won't be convinced he can carry the Godol's mantle.
Gil Smart enough and popular enough and, like the golden age GH, certainly a great enough friend of this blog. But in many important ways, the GH succeeded Hirhurim as a gathering point for Jewish smarty-pants. There can be no going back.
Krum We like Krum. The only bad think I can think to say about him is that his blog, with its white on green color scheme, is illegible. (As anyone who's been with me from the begining knowns my own blog used that scheme for the first 9 weeks of it's existance, so even that little critisim is half-hearted.)
Amshinover Though Amshi is rude enough, and quite possibly smart enough, he fails the heretic test. Also, Amshi frequently displays an unattractive sympathy for Hasidim. GH 1.0 would not have tolerated this.
Elf: Can a woman be the chosen one? Though the real GH was famously mysoginistic, I'd support Elf's candidacy - notwithstanding her superlative X chromosone - were it not for one thing: Elf is straight-up about being less than Orthodox; the real GH preferred a Trojan Horse approach.
More later, likely in the comments....
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Today's productivity enhancer
Amshinover points us to website featuring a new and exciting anti-American game, sponsored, no-doubt, by evil doers who wish to make us think that our esteemed president has the brains of a sea cucumber.
Avoid this game!
My top score: 8
Avoid this game!
My top score: 8
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Tagged
OrthoMom tagged me with the 7 meme. And I thought we were friends. Anyway, off we go!
7 Things I Can Do:
* Read all 5 megilos in front of a shul
* Make a perfect omlet
* Post 3-10 times per day, while mantaining a regular life (and no, this isn't my secret.)
* Name all of the American presidents in order, as effortlessly as my son might recite the alphabet
* Grow grass (the green kind)
* Drink you under the table (I have a hollow leg)
* Tell you how quite a few magic tricks are done.
7 Things I Can't Do:
* Discern the differences between expensive wine and swill
* See dirt
* Roll my tounge
* Tolerate vapid people
* Prove Torah mi Sinai
* Play an instrument
* Think of a seventh thing
7 Things I Hope To Do In My Life
* Write something deathless
* Finish the Great Books
* Raise kids that are intelligent and well-mannered.
* Live in a great city, like London or Manhatten
* Perform some major league philanthropy
* See great-grandchildren
* Demonstrate that the Torah isn't hostile to liberalism; that ball mofsim are frauds; that you can be a Torah True Jew without toeing the party lines.
People I'd like to infect with this meme:
* Zman Biur
* Chayyei Sarah
* Jason Maoz
* Amshinover
* Gil Student
* Yakov Menken
* Toby Katz
7 Things I Can Do:
* Read all 5 megilos in front of a shul
* Make a perfect omlet
* Post 3-10 times per day, while mantaining a regular life (and no, this isn't my secret.)
* Name all of the American presidents in order, as effortlessly as my son might recite the alphabet
* Grow grass (the green kind)
* Drink you under the table (I have a hollow leg)
* Tell you how quite a few magic tricks are done.
7 Things I Can't Do:
* Discern the differences between expensive wine and swill
* See dirt
* Roll my tounge
* Tolerate vapid people
* Prove Torah mi Sinai
* Play an instrument
* Think of a seventh thing
7 Things I Hope To Do In My Life
* Write something deathless
* Finish the Great Books
* Raise kids that are intelligent and well-mannered.
* Live in a great city, like London or Manhatten
* Perform some major league philanthropy
* See great-grandchildren
* Demonstrate that the Torah isn't hostile to liberalism; that ball mofsim are frauds; that you can be a Torah True Jew without toeing the party lines.
People I'd like to infect with this meme:
* Zman Biur
* Chayyei Sarah
* Jason Maoz
* Amshinover
* Gil Student
* Yakov Menken
* Toby Katz
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Jason Maoz's Stupid List
Over at the Jewish Press Jason Maoz has helpfully provided a list of blogs that nobody reads.
Though he calls his list a "Web Honor Roll" how can that be true if it doesn't list Godol Hador, Hirhurim, ChayyeiSarah, Krusty, Pinky, Treppenwitz, Mirty, RenReb, Bloghd, TTC, OM, Lioness, Velveteen, PsychoToddler, Krum, Shifra, LForD, Yudel, Yuter, YitzhakEyezik , Mississippi Fred MacDowell, the Bronsteins, Ari, or Amshinover?
And look at some of the blogs he does read. SultanKnish? All that tells us is that he and the Sultan are buddies becuase per The Truth Laid Bear hardly anyone else has ever heard of the KnishKing. Also, who in their right mind (is Maoz in his right mind?) would choose to honor a blog which insists that God send eclipses whenver he wants to let us know that he really really really hates gay people? (Don't miss RebelJew's awsome takedown of the Sultan in the comments.) If you're going to honor Sultan, why not go all out and include Heshy of the haunted House? Why not list Charedi World, too? Either of those blogs have as much to offer as Sultan. (Incidently, RebelJew does a very good job of demolishing Heshy, too)
When you break it down, Moaz's "honor roll" is just a bunch of conservatives news blogs (InstaPundit, Captain Quarters) and those Jewish blogs which most often offend thinking people (Cross Currents, for example, and Sultan Knish again) plus a couple of good blogs like Canonist and James Walcott thrown in, apparently to mislead us.
Miriam puts it best: "Why would anyone want to be considered a favorite by that rag?" To which I can only add: And why would anyone want to be listed among the noxious blogs that are included?
Though he calls his list a "Web Honor Roll" how can that be true if it doesn't list Godol Hador, Hirhurim, ChayyeiSarah, Krusty, Pinky, Treppenwitz, Mirty, RenReb, Bloghd, TTC, OM, Lioness, Velveteen, PsychoToddler, Krum, Shifra, LForD, Yudel, Yuter, YitzhakEyezik , Mississippi Fred MacDowell, the Bronsteins, Ari, or Amshinover?
And look at some of the blogs he does read. SultanKnish? All that tells us is that he and the Sultan are buddies becuase per The Truth Laid Bear hardly anyone else has ever heard of the KnishKing. Also, who in their right mind (is Maoz in his right mind?) would choose to honor a blog which insists that God send eclipses whenver he wants to let us know that he really really really hates gay people? (Don't miss RebelJew's awsome takedown of the Sultan in the comments.) If you're going to honor Sultan, why not go all out and include Heshy of the haunted House? Why not list Charedi World, too? Either of those blogs have as much to offer as Sultan. (Incidently, RebelJew does a very good job of demolishing Heshy, too)
When you break it down, Moaz's "honor roll" is just a bunch of conservatives news blogs (InstaPundit, Captain Quarters) and those Jewish blogs which most often offend thinking people (Cross Currents, for example, and Sultan Knish again) plus a couple of good blogs like Canonist and James Walcott thrown in, apparently to mislead us.
Miriam puts it best: "Why would anyone want to be considered a favorite by that rag?" To which I can only add: And why would anyone want to be listed among the noxious blogs that are included?
Monday, September 12, 2005
You can't fire me. I quit!
Drownie resigns as FEMA head.
... and walks straight into a high paying lobbyist job, no doubt. I can hear him already: "FEMA contracts! Get your FEMA contracts. Plump juicy FEMA contracts!"
NEW: From now on, all horrible mistakes will be called "eating a brownie," as in "DovBear sure ate a brownie when he let Amshinover guest-blog."
... and walks straight into a high paying lobbyist job, no doubt. I can hear him already: "FEMA contracts! Get your FEMA contracts. Plump juicy FEMA contracts!"
NEW: From now on, all horrible mistakes will be called "eating a brownie," as in "DovBear sure ate a brownie when he let Amshinover guest-blog."
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Responders
I said I would link the bloggers who answered LW's scorching article on Gaza. Here's the list so far (it will be updated)
Chaim Rubin
Amshinover, rachmanus.
Prodly
Serandez
David Bogner
Soccer Dad
Chaim Rubin
Amshinover, rachmanus.
Prodly
Serandez
David Bogner
Soccer Dad
Friday, August 05, 2005
Rashi rocks
Today is the 900th yartzheit of Rashi, the outstanding Biblical commentator of the Middle Ages.
Fun facts to know and tell from Yeranen Yaakov
We're all related to Rashi via Miriam and Me.
A tribute, by Amshinover
And fascinating examples of Rashi's work from this week's sedra via Avigdor Bonchek
Because Rashi is so popular, he's perhaps the most widely misunderstood of all the biblical commentators. His commentary isn't meant to be an anthology of midrashim; and, pace the faculty of my high school, his purpose isn't to fill in blanks in the narrative, or to tell us what really happened behind the scenes.
Here's the closest thing we have to his mission statement:
There are many Aggadaic expositions which our Sages have already organized in their proper order in Bereishis Rabbah and in other Midrashim. But, I have come only to to give the plain meaning of Scripture and the Aggadah which serves to clarify the words of Scripture in a way which fits those words. [Gen 3:8]
Most of the time, Rashi commented on chumash only when he saw an anomaly or maculation in the verse that calls out for an explanation. Then he used his knowledge of midrash or grammar to solve the problem, often choosing between competing midrashim. In short, for Rashi the midrashim were a tool for solving problems in the text. Whether or not Rashi took the midrashim literaly is of secondary importance.
Today is the 900th yartzheit of Rashi, the outstanding Biblical commentator of the Middle Ages.
Fun facts to know and tell from Yeranen Yaakov
We're all related to Rashi via Miriam and Me.
A tribute, by Amshinover
And fascinating examples of Rashi's work from this week's sedra via Avigdor Bonchek
Because Rashi is so popular, he's perhaps the most widely misunderstood of all the biblical commentators. His commentary isn't meant to be an anthology of midrashim; and, pace the faculty of my high school, his purpose isn't to fill in blanks in the narrative, or to tell us what really happened behind the scenes.
Here's the closest thing we have to his mission statement:
There are many Aggadaic expositions which our Sages have already organized in their proper order in Bereishis Rabbah and in other Midrashim. But, I have come only to to give the plain meaning of Scripture and the Aggadah which serves to clarify the words of Scripture in a way which fits those words. [Gen 3:8]
Most of the time, Rashi commented on chumash only when he saw an anomaly or maculation in the verse that calls out for an explanation. Then he used his knowledge of midrash or grammar to solve the problem, often choosing between competing midrashim. In short, for Rashi the midrashim were a tool for solving problems in the text. Whether or not Rashi took the midrashim literaly is of secondary importance.
Friday, July 29, 2005
On Amshinover
His side: Click
My side:
1 - It isn't "censorship" when a private person makes an affirmative choice about standards. A newspaper doesn't have to publish everything, and neither do I. All of you who are using the word "censorship" to describe the choices I have made about content for my own blog, are misusing the term.
2 - Amshi isn't permanently banned from the comment section. He was given a one-day time out (that inadvertantly stretched to two days when I was delayed) because he posted the same abusive comment on 6 or 7 different threads. (I deleted all but one of them.)
3 - When I banned him, Amshi wasn't "defending his point of view." He was cursing me out - on multiple comment threads.
4 - I don't understand why so many people seem to think that a "liberal" is obligated and required to tolerate anything and everything. That's a big mistake on your part, not an inconsistancy on my part.
His side: Click
My side:
1 - It isn't "censorship" when a private person makes an affirmative choice about standards. A newspaper doesn't have to publish everything, and neither do I. All of you who are using the word "censorship" to describe the choices I have made about content for my own blog, are misusing the term.
2 - Amshi isn't permanently banned from the comment section. He was given a one-day time out (that inadvertantly stretched to two days when I was delayed) because he posted the same abusive comment on 6 or 7 different threads. (I deleted all but one of them.)
3 - When I banned him, Amshi wasn't "defending his point of view." He was cursing me out - on multiple comment threads.
4 - I don't understand why so many people seem to think that a "liberal" is obligated and required to tolerate anything and everything. That's a big mistake on your part, not an inconsistancy on my part.
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