419 reputation
318
bio website fivesecondreview.wordpress.co…
location Pasadena, CA
age 39
visits member for 1 year, 8 months
seen 9 hours ago
stats profile views 24

My day-to-day work is with a combination of C, ksh and PL/SQL. I enjoy asking and answering questions that come up at work. I also dabble in Perl, lua and LaTeX. My boss has asked me to learn Python as well.

My favorite living philosopher is Alvin Plantinga and my favorite dead philosopher is Blaise Pascal. I think Paul of Tarsus is too little credited as a force in Western philosophy. If you think I'm a Christian, you're right.

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. -- 1 Corinthians 1:20-25 (ESV)

At home, I have a potted herb garden, potted dwarfed citrus, and a hanging hummingbird garden. My wife and I are also trying to grow a son, but he's harder to feed and train properly.


Apr
18
awarded  Nice Question
Mar
5
comment How were girls educated during the Talmudic era?
That certainly makes logical sense. Do you happen to have any sources that show how far back this ruling goes? Further, which portions of the law would they have been taught? Would they have been exposed to the Writings of the Tanakh, which might be useful in ways not strictly tied to fulfilling the mitzvot?
Mar
5
comment How were girls educated during the Talmudic era?
Thanks for the answer. I needed to look some things up, such as Sotah and I see there's a Hebrew/English parallel of the Torah text (Deuteronomy 31. I gather that daughters were taught the law, but only the Peshat meaning so that they would be able to practice it. Is that correct?
Feb
27
comment How were girls educated during the Talmudic era?
@Seth J: Oh. My primary interest is in the historical angle by all means. I'll take any old sources that apply. ;-)
Feb
27
comment How were girls educated during the Talmudic era?
@Double AA: You know better than I. However, I would like to read the "Talmudic sources" the article mentions, if possible. (I'm not at all sure which tag might apply.)
Feb
27
asked How were girls educated during the Talmudic era?
Feb
21
awarded  Altruist
Feb
14
awarded  Investor
Feb
14
comment Does “foreign religious obligation” = “Takruvas Avodah Zarah”?
I know better than to attempt an answer in the religious question: I'm way out of my depth! I had @Dave's suggestion in mind when writing my comment. In purely human terms, it seems unethical to waste such a gift. (I thoroughly enjoy the question. I hope it gets an answer. ;-)
Feb
14
comment Under what conditions may a Jew participate in the Biblical Hermeneutics SE site?
@Isaac Moses: That certainly improves my answer. (As it turns out, I pondered asking if the identity of the rabbi would help. You beat me to it. ;-)
Feb
14
comment Does “foreign religious obligation” = “Takruvas Avodah Zarah”?
@Seth J: The context is an instruction from Jesus to "love your enemies". Personally, I think the fellows in the story applied the text exactly correctly. Of course, by asking for something on the basis of this verse, one would self-identify as an enemy (which may or may not be the intention). This is no answer, but if you ask (and take) money in this way, I think it would be dishonest to not use it in some fashion. Perhaps giving it to a favorite charity would satisfy the moral conundrum.
Feb
14
awarded  Revival
Feb
13
comment Under what conditions may a Jew participate in the Biblical Hermeneutics SE site?
@msh210: Ah. Obviously when someone says they are a rabbi, I tend to believe them. ;-) It's nice to know the analogy is sound in any case. Would it be useful (or wise) to ask the related question about contributing to a newspaper?
Feb
13
answered Under what conditions may a Jew participate in the Biblical Hermeneutics SE site?
Feb
9
reviewed Needs Improvement When lighting Chanukah candles on both entrances to courtyard, can I use only one candle?
Feb
9
reviewed Needs Improvement Who wrote Tohar HaYichud?
Feb
9
reviewed Needs Improvement One-in-Sixty Versus Roiv- Why both?
Feb
9
reviewed Satisfactory Ya'akov's brief amnesia
Feb
9
reviewed Needs Improvement Studying Torah sitting on the floor?
Feb
6
reviewed Excellent How can angels “give permission” to each other?