What’s Really behind Qatar’s Spat with Its Neighbors, and What It Means for Israel
It’s about the Muslim Brotherhood, not Iran.
June 15, 2017
Making Sense of Ancient Jewish Magic
Demons, The Sword of Moses, and Judaism.
While it may come as surprise to some, the Talmud is filled with information about demons as well as charms, incantations, and other advice about how to deal with them. There are also Jewish works such as Ḥarba d’Moshe (The Sword of Moses), which contains magical recipes of likely Jewish Babylonian origin, compiled by Jews in the land of Israel between the 6th and mid-8th centuries CE. In his recent book, Jewish Magic before the Kabbalah, the scholar Yuval Harari seeks to explain this lore from the Second Temple period until the 12th century CE. He discusses his research, and the question of why it matters in an interview with Alan Brill:
June 15, 2017
Netanyahu Is Caught between Opponents on His Right and an American Peace Initiative—and That’s Good for Him
Political realities suggest he will remain in power for some time.
In 1967, Arab Countries Went to War on Their Jewish Populations
A lesson for those who claim a distinction between “anti-Israel” and “anti-Jewish.”
A Haunting Poem from a Master of Yiddish Verse
“Toys.”
Making Sense of Ancient Jewish Magic
Demons, The Sword of Moses, and Judaism.