tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83761561051813980402025-12-17T02:46:03.107-05:00The musings of an unemployed Jewish Freemason. I write about the job search, about Judaism, and about Freemasonry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-79544590579524319812013-11-30T13:02:00.000-05:002013-12-01T10:38:26.962-05:00

Some men were born to be Freemasons. A subset of them actually become Freemasons. A subset of those remain Freemasons. Why is that? We all know men whom we know would make great Freemasons, and would enjoy the fraternity and craft on a deep and satisfying level, and yet they have no interest in joining. Some have never heard of Freemasonry. Some vaguely recollect that such a thing exists, but it

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-317710419381994302013-10-25T11:06:00.003-04:002013-10-25T11:06:38.580-04:00

In September, I was installed King of Cambridge Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the Royal Arch equivalent of Senior Warden. A Chapter of Royal Arch Masons is the body of Freemasonry that is the entry-level into the York Rite of Freemasonry's higher degrees. Most York Rite bodies require that their members be Royal Arch Masons in good standing. There are three York Rite Bodies that most Masons know

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-90201447619297432092013-10-17T10:07:00.000-04:002013-10-22T17:03:52.967-04:00

Jewel P. Lightfoot was Grand Master of Masons of Texas in 1915. In 1934, he was asked by the Grand Lodge to prepare a manual about Freemasonry to go with the ritual monitor then being distributed in the Grand Lodge of Texas. The result was so outstanding that four decades of Texas Freemasons received the Manual of the Lodge when they were raised as Master Masons, and the profound effect of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-69606241446848446942013-10-15T10:19:00.000-04:002013-10-22T17:03:24.699-04:00

I originally wrote this in 2009, and at the time I was not willing to publish it for fear that I would offend my brothers. I posted a different version of this on another website in 2010, but after reworking it, I decided to publish it here. In the interests of full disclosure, I belong to three Blue Lodges, a Royal Arch Chapter, a Council of Allied Masonic Degrees, two Scottish Rite Valleys, a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-16255179382992179012012-11-26T15:20:00.003-05:002013-11-15T16:37:21.318-05:00

There is a certain assumption I'm going to label as the Psychoanalytic Assumption, not because it is only found in psychoanalysis, but because it is inherent in the psychoanalytical model of the psyche. The Psychoanalytic Assumption is the assumption that humans in their natural state are possessed with irrational neuroses, urges, presuppositions and prejudices, totally irrational and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-76789819082072274582012-10-26T11:12:00.002-04:002012-10-26T11:14:04.873-04:00

Euclid calls his book The Elements (Στοιχεῖα) because it covers what he felt to be the elementary ideas in geometry. Paul uses the term (in the Textus Receptus) in his Epistle to the Hebrews: "[Jesus was c]alled of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-1416029654569674322012-10-16T12:28:00.002-04:002012-10-16T12:28:24.994-04:00

Euclid (Εὐκλείδης) of Alexandria (fl. c. 300 BCE), was the author of many books of geometry, the most popular of which is the 13-volume Elements. Most of the biographical information we have about Euclid comes from the geometer Pappus of Alexandria (c. 290 - c. 350 CE), and from the neo-Platonic philosopher Proclus (412 - 485 CE). In the centuries between Euclid's life and the lives of those who

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-3629886399221271212012-10-09T10:35:00.000-04:002012-10-09T10:35:51.184-04:00

If you spend enough time in Masonic discussion groups, you will find Masons who are interested in Kabbalah, in astrology, in alchemy, in Tarot and many other arcane sciences. Some are very knowledgeable in these fields, and are keenly aware of how these areas of knowledge shape Masonic ritual; but many more, while they might be eager to learn, do not yet know much about these fields. Do these

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-83028539003516500762012-10-05T13:01:00.004-04:002014-01-06T16:53:01.912-05:00

I spent the last Jewish year writing a Masonic Torah commentary, week by week, getting in each submission before Shabbat on that week. The result comes out to 61600 words, and I have presented the whole thing, unedited, in this post. Genesis Bereshit: Cain and Abel Sunday, October 23, 2011 Last Thursday was Simchat Torah, the day that Jews celebrate having finished the yearly cycle of Torah

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-7960134768328956162012-10-01T12:12:00.003-04:002012-10-01T12:12:58.504-04:00

This is the final Torah portion in the Jewish calendar. Moses gives a blessing to each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Actually, each is more of a prophecy than a blessing, but these are usually referred to in the literature as blessings, because they mirror Jacob's blessings. Many Jews never hear this Torah portion, because instead of being recited during Shabbat services, it is recited on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-15426205189945841712012-09-25T13:57:00.002-04:002012-09-25T13:57:51.024-04:00

There's a midrash (I'm probably going to butcher this) that says that human beings are holy, but the Jewish people are singled out for a special kind of holiness (not exclusively; more like they are a particular lens for examining the concept of holiness). All Jews are holy, but the Kohanim (priesthood) are singled out for a special kind of holiness. All Kohanim are holy, but the Kohen HaGadol (

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-50514687483536431292012-09-24T16:42:00.000-04:002012-09-24T16:42:07.686-04:00

This Torah portion consists of the Song of Moses and a brief epilogue in which Moses is commanded to go to the place where he will die. The song, as you will recall from last week, is designed to be a testament. The Israelites are commanded to memorize it so that when they turn astray and are conquered and exiled, they cannot accuse God of having abandoned them. The song is meant to be evidence

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-44985962986888444652012-09-17T18:52:00.001-04:002012-09-17T18:52:35.719-04:00

We are coming to the end of the Torah. Moses has been commanded by God to die. Moses finishes his oration by telling the people that they will pass the Jordan River and enter into the land, succeed in conquering the land under Joshua's leadership, and will find a place (מָּקוֹם in Hebrew) where the Temple will eventually be built. The zeal of the people will eventually slacken, and they will

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-42044783676861039112012-09-11T10:51:00.002-04:002012-09-11T10:51:36.999-04:00

This Torah portion continues Moses' exhortation to the Children of Israel to seek the blessing and eschew the curse that comes with being in the Covenant. He warns them that everyone stands before God, not merely the leaders, but the men and women and children, even foreign laborers who chop wood and carry water. The rabbis have interpreted this mention of the foreign laborers as a reminder that

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-44377516050776082522012-09-06T12:05:00.002-04:002012-09-06T12:05:38.864-04:00

This Torah portion covers the first fruits of the harvest, the tithes owed, and a long litany of blessings and curses that come from obeying or disobeying the commandments spelled out in the Torah. When the first fruits of the harvest arrive, the Israelite farmer is to take the first of each fruit, put them in a basket, and make a pilgrimage to the Temple at Jerusalem some time during the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-71636157518819661152012-08-29T13:46:00.003-04:002012-09-05T08:55:13.200-04:00

We're at that part of Deuteronomy where there are long lists of commandments, seemingly in no particular order. The rabbis are fascinated with this; what seems like random data often contains hidden messages. Moralists like to make lists of rules in order from most important to least important, but the list of rules in this week's Torah portion scatter across the moral compass from soulful and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-27075736821846478312012-08-20T15:21:00.002-04:002012-08-20T15:21:44.229-04:00

In this week's Torah portion, Moses tells the Israelites to appoint judges, and tells the judges how they should judge cases. He tells them: "Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." [Deuteronomy 16:20]. Editorially, I have taken this translation from the Jewish Publication Society's 1919 Bible, rather than the King James

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-5665859298318475732012-08-17T10:52:00.001-04:002012-08-17T10:52:27.480-04:00

 My background is in mathematics, where there are axioms (which are as few as possible) and there are proofs based on rigorous definitions. And nothing else. You don't really get to even make a conjecture without overwhelming evidence, and that conjecture is worthless compared to a proof. I try very hard to liberally interject conditionals into factual statements: "it appears that", "you

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-56059130729922279942012-08-14T16:22:00.001-04:002012-08-14T16:22:40.227-04:00

The Documentary Hypothesis suggests that the Deuteronomist wrote during the Babylonian Exile after the destruction of Solomon's Temple. If we accept this assumption, then Deuteronomy was written after the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah had come and gone, the Temple created and destroyed, the Jewish national identity having been built up, sustained, and then facing the worst crisis of its

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-74129743383389392762012-08-08T17:29:00.003-04:002012-08-08T17:29:20.440-04:00

Yes, this is the Torah portion that the name of this blog comes from, and yes, I've blogged about this Torah portion before. The second paragraph of the Shema prayer comes from this Torah portion. Moses tells the Children of Israel: "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-76092176348171053532012-08-03T17:31:00.001-04:002012-08-03T20:12:37.237-04:00

This Torah portion contains a re-telling of the Ten Commandments (which in the Jewish tradition are the Ten Utterances), and the Shema, or statement of faith, probably the line in the whole Torah that best condenses the Jewish faith into six words. The Ten Commandments are numbered differently by Jews than by Christians. "I am the LORD thy God" is a preamble to the Christians, but the first

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-71450932489973571052012-07-27T07:37:00.002-04:002012-07-27T07:40:35.249-04:00

Something I wrote from an online discussion group in which I am participating, about Philosophy and the Question of Evil: The philosophical/theological subject of why evil exists is called theodicy. It presumes the existence of a benevolent Supreme Being, and asks why the Supreme Being, if benevolent, allows evil to exist. Most theodicies are religion-specific. As a Jew, I'm aware of Jewish

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-37382177147997438132012-07-25T10:36:00.000-04:002012-07-25T10:36:01.718-04:00

The Book of Deuteronomy (Greek for "second law") is the last book of the Torah. Moses has guided the Children of Israel to Moab, to the East Bank of the Jordan River, and they are ready to cross the river and enter the Promised Land. God has told Moses that he must ascend the mountain on that bank, and die, and that Joshua, son of Nun, will lead the Israelites across the river to their destiny.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-15535605632127957602012-07-18T15:25:00.002-04:002012-07-19T11:21:50.938-04:00

You were born with a brain, but you were not born with an owner's manual for that brain. Science tells us that feral children who reach puberty without learning any language never really learn how to think. Thinking is a skill that we have to learn. It is not an inherent ability. More particularly, assessing the truth value of a declarative statement is something that is learned, not something we

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376156105181398040.post-43997097930108575112012-07-17T22:18:00.002-04:002012-07-17T22:18:56.643-04:00

This Torah portion recaps the journey the Israelites took through the desert on their way to Canaan. Then God tells Moses the rules for the invasion of Canaan, ironic considering that God has ordered Moses' death on this side of the Jordan River without permitting him to set foot in Canaan. God tells Moses that the Israelites are to drive out the current inhabitants of Canaan, who have committed

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0