Then and Now
Learning - at least the cognitive kind we do - is an abstract activity, and like most such activities, we often seek metaphors to describe it. As a teacher, do I best see myself as a guide? Mentor? … [Continue reading] about The Metaphors of Learning
As we have now become increasingly aware, the "real cost" of meat in America is more than we actually pay. The precise figures are difficult to come by and a bit squishy, but it seems relatively clear that rarely, if ever, has a human community been … [Continue reading] about The Real Price of Meat
In his review in the Jewish Daily Forward of a new book on the "genetic history" of the Jews, Jon Entine writes, "'Who is a Jew?' has been a poignant question for Jews throughout our history." It is a question that has been very much in the news of … [Continue reading] about On Conversion
A couple of months ago I gave a presentation at a workshop that I organized, "Ancient Religion, Modern Technology," in which I outlined a rationale and vision for a digital project that mapped and analyzed the social network of the rabbis. … [Continue reading] about The Rabbis’ Social Network
Recovering the actual religious practices of Jewish women in antiquity – or, really, of almost all non-elite/non-rabbinic Jews – is at best a tricky business. Our main sources are rabbinic texts, which are so insular, academic, and either … [Continue reading] about “The Fear of the Husband”