Life of Spud

I Don't Hate Jews; I'm Just an Antisemite Not everyone who says “Free Palestine” is antisemitic. Many people use the phrase to express support for Palestinian self-determination or criticism of Israeli policy. That is legitimate political speech. But it is also true that antisemites can and do use the phrase as a socially acceptable vehicle for hostility toward Jews . And when someone harasses Jews and “Free Palestine” is the justification, the meaning becomes clear. A couple of weeks ago I experienced that firsthand. At Costco, at the Hurom America sample table, I overheard a woman complaining to the representative: “ They want everything to be kosher. Get over it. Free Palestine. ” I walked over and asked her a simple question: “ What’s the connection between kosher and Palestine? ” She looked me up and down and snapped: “ Oh no you don’t. No you don’t. ” Then she began shouting at the top of her voice: “ Free Palestine! Free Palestine! ” Her partner intervened. A manager ca...

Hiding in Plain Sight How the Assimilated Jews Saved their Brethren Most of us are aware of the uniqueness of Megillat Esther: There’s no mention of God. Not once, not even in passing.  The Jews are in exile. Not temporarily, not waiting to go home, just living in Persia. The person who saves them is a woman who got where she is because a Persian king found her attractive. These are not your typical biblical tropes. The Torah, the prophets, the whole sweep of Jewish history as we tell it — God is present, the land of Israel is the destination, and men are the actors.  Esther is none of those things, which is why the rabbis of the Talmud actually debated whether it belonged in the canon at all. But were you aware that the rabbis in Israel didn't want to celebrate Purim in it’s time?  Mordecai and Esther had to write to them twice to get them to accept the holiday. The Talmud Yerushalmi records their response to the first letter, which roughly translates as, “we have enough...

There's a strange grammatical glitch in the Book of Exodus that most readers skip right past — but once you see it, it's hard to unsee. In Exodus 14:9-10, the Israelites are trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. Two verses in a row describe the same scene, but with a subtle shift: 9. The Egyptians pursued them [וַיִּרְדְּפוּ — plural verb] and overtook them... 10. The Israelites looked up and saw Egypt advancing [נֹסֵעַ — singular verb]..." Same subject. Different verb. Plural becomes singular at the exact moment the Israelites look up and see their enemy. Why? What Was Actually Chasing Them Before we get to the grammar, let's look at the numbers — because they're striking. Exodus 14:7 tells us Pharaoh took "600 choice chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt." Call it generously a few thousand soldiers. A real threat, but a finite one. Now look at the Israelites. Exodus 12:37 says "about 600,000 men on foot, aside from chi...