Writing
The Peace Process
THE IVORY TOWER
my ivory tower
turns out to be
a concrete blockhouse.
can I break down the walls
or will I just keep printing
the same old stationery?
The Ivory Tower.
The Ivory Tower.
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a kind of psychological armor that we build up to ward off information that we don't want to hear. According to cognitive dissonance theory, we seek harmony among our beliefs. When there is conflict between belief and behavior, we change something to eliminate the dissonance. We could change our behavior to accord with our beliefs, but usually, we change our attitude to accommodate our behavior. It's much less work.
Fahrenheit 451
At 451 degrees Fahrenheit, paper ignites spontaneously.
So wrote Ray Bradbury in his futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451. The novel's main character, Montag, is a "fireman." Unlike the firemen we're used to, however, Montag's job is not to put out fires - it's to start them. Montag's job is to burn books.
The Month of Tammuz
If there is one food in which the Epicurean takes delight above all others, it is the crab. The sign of the Crab (Sartan/Cancer) denotes a time of the year when the most extreme aspects of the physical world are most attractive. The crab symbolizes being given over to the pleasures of the flesh. The crab is most at home in water. And water flows as it desires. The heavenly body that rules Cancer is the moon, and the moon's pull on the earth greatly influences the earth's largest body of water - the sea - the native home of the crab.
Before The Dawn
Apart from the giving of the Torah, Shavuot marks two other major events in Jewish history: the birth and the passing from this world of King David. King David is not just a king of Israel. He is the king. "David - Melech Yisrael - lives and endures." Throughout history, the line of David is the hidden line of kingship that survives to eventually emerge in Mashiach.
Digital Torah
We are living in the middle of a revolution.
A few decades ago, the idea that you could link any computer in the world with any other computer was no more than the twinkle in the eye of a few gifted programmers. And today, that twinkle, with all its benefits and problems, is an everyday reality.
The First Domino
If we know anything -
it is to know
that we know
something.
Hearing Is Believing
"Hear, O Israel! Hashem our God, Hashem is One."
The Shema is the basic credo of the Jewish people. It is our twice-daily declaration of God's Unity and the last words to leave our lips when we pass from this world. But why is it that we say, "Hear, O Israel"? What are we supposed to hear?
Mirage
High Noon. The Desert. Hot air rising on the horizon like a cobra under a snake charmer's spell.
In this heat, everything floats. Everything shimmers, melts, and re-forms in front of your eyes.
The Medium And The Message
Last time I was in America I went for a walk around the Warner Brothers store. It was amazing. All of my childhood memories come to life. Original animation cells of Lady and the Tramp (a mere $500).
Giving Yourself
When you love someone very deeply, the thought of parting is very difficult; but if you have to part, how can you still be together though separated by time and space?
The Empty Landscape
Some three and a half thousand years ago, a little-known Middle Eastern people gathered around a small mountain in a trackless wilderness and underwent an experience that changed the history of the world.
The Month of Sivan
The first two astrological signs are both represented by animals: Taleh (Aries) the Lamb, and Shor (Taurus) the Bull. It is only with this month's sign - Te'omim (Gemini), the Twins - that we find a sign that is represented by Man.
A Straight Line
The computing power inside your skull vastly exceeds any supercomputer. However, for the past half-century, neuroscientists have suggested that the brain achieves its phenomenal performance in a way fundamentally similar to electronic computers. Thinking takes place through the aggregate action of billions of simple elements - cells called neurons - that are connected in an extremely complicated way.
Light and Enlightenment
A holy light burns in the lights of Chanuka. A light as old as the world itself. We may not use the Chanuka lights to illuminate our homes. Their radiance may not be used for any practical purpose at all. We may only look into the light itself. We may only gaze into its depths. But why can't we use the lights of Chanuka for some other sacred purpose?
The Ultimate Message
In a matter of decades, we have seen a revolution in communications. Now, only the speed of light limits our ability to communicate a thought, a picture, a sound, or a sentence from one side of the world to the other, and beyond.
The Taste of Life
Most people think of life as a trip through a treasure-house of experiences. "Living it up" is synonymous with living itself: white-water rafting, paragliding, sipping margaritas around the pool, seeing the Mona Lisa or the pyramids or climbing Everest - that's what life is all about! This view of life sees existence as a compendium of possibilities, and he who dies with the most toys - or the most trophies - wins.
The Month of Iyar
The formation of the Jewish People started on the eve of the Exodus in the first month, Nissan, and culminated with the giving of the Torah at Sinai in the third month of Sivan. This nation-building process is symbolized in the progression of the first three astrological symbols: Aries, the lamb, symbolizes the unity of the group.
The Sentinel
Society has no truer mirror than its advertising.
What motivates people to put their hands in their pockets and pull out their hard-earned cash must appeal to their innermost desires. And what someone wants, what he truly desires - is who he is.
The Light of the Night
Imagine a world where, when you turn on the light, darkness shines from the lamp. Imagine a world where, when you close the shutters and nothing can penetrate from the outside, the room would be "pitch white." Imagine a world where darkness is not the absence of light, but light is the absence of darkness.
