Gavha the Hunchback

A Modern Golem

2010-05-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

So today scientists "created" a living cell. Before Dr. Venter starts attributing G-dly powers to his institute, let me just say that the Maharal preceded you and making life from inanimate matter is not creation something from nothing.Oh forget it, you already knows that. But just in case you start thinking differently, remember this- On Shavuos we read the 10 commandments which begin with "I am

Obecalp

2009-11-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

During one of his lectures on psychiatric disorders, our professor Dr. Z told us that every once in a while a patient would come to him and he could not pinpoint what was exactly the matter with the person. In such a situation he would prescribe a wonder-drug called Obecalp. Obecalp was an effective agent against depression, pain, and a host of other common conditions. Although this drug is no

"Alternative" Medicine

2009-09-15T06:11:00.001-07:00

It usually goes something like this- "Yes, you probably have type II hypothyroidism (my research shows that 90% of the world has it), you just don't know it, all the conventional tests to see if you have it are unreliable. Yes, even though you are not fatigued or depressed, don't have a goiter, muscle cramps, weight gain, or any of the other classic symptoms of hypothyroidism, you have type II

Internal Observer

2009-07-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was at a wedding and my friend starts a conversation with someone at the table next to us. The guy looked a lot like Charlie Chaplin, just a bit more sophisticated and a lot more Persian. It turns out he's a physics professor that really loves Torah and science. So he explains to my Ohalei Torahnik friend how time is relative and if you look at the 13 billion years of

Super-rational Design

2009-05-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

Medical school professors tend to think very rationally, so I wasn't surprised last week when one of the doctors in the middle of his lecture, stopped to point out the illogical position of a certain nerve (maybe it was a vein, I don't remember). "This is my problem with intelligent design" he said, "if there is a Creator, why would he put this over here? This is the worst possible place to put

The Rebbe as Moshiach

2009-05-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Circus tent has a post regarding a psak din of Rav Menashe Klein in which he addresses beliefs of the Rebbe being alive and being Moshiach.Every time this issue comes up it causes a firestorm of controversy. I just want to add my perspective on this controversy maybe some will see it my way.1. The Rebbe as Moshiach- Can't everyone agree that the Rebbe can be Moshiach? In the psak din, Rabbi Klein

Kavanah Pnimis

2009-04-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

What is written- The wise one, what does he say? "What are the testimonies, the statutes and the laws which the L-rd, our G-d, has commanded you?" What is meant- The wise one, what does he say? "How can these testimonies, statutes, and laws that deal with worldly matters reveal G-dliness?"

1. What is chassidus and 2. why you should learn it

2009-04-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

1. Chassidus is the soul of the Torah.2. Not learning chassidus is like getting married and only getting to know each other superficially, never bothering to connect on a deeper level.

A House

2009-03-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

In yesterday's shiur Mishneh Torah (yes I'm a day behind-block exams and whatnot), the Rambam discusses the rule of neighbors. The rule of neighbors is that if you want to sell your property you should first offer it to your neighbor. If he can afford it, he is given the chance before anyone else. However if the neighbor wants to use the land for growing produce and there is another interested

If you get a chance read this

2009-03-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Rav Soloveitchik reminiscing-from Crawling AxeHe describes his childhood impressions of Lubavitch and the lasting influence it had on him. Very eloquent.

Tiferes II

2009-03-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

After the last post, I got to thinking about Tiferes. The attribute of Tiferes is also the attribute of truth. So I was thinking, when someone is not being truthful, their face should become less symmetrical. I looked into it, and didn't find studies that say exactly that, but there is research that found that liars avert their gaze to one side or another and that they cover part of their face.

Tiferes

2009-03-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

In undergrad, I remember a class where the teacher spoke about his research in symmetry and beauty. In short he used a device that measures the symmetry of the two halves of a person's face and then showed pictures of these faces to other people. He found that the more symmetrical the two halves are, the more attractive the picture was deemed. He also found that children of interracial

Math

2009-03-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

G-d=1 <-Hashem Echad (but not a countable 1)G-d + everything else=1 <-Echad not yachideverything else=0 <-identity property of addition (aka Ein Od Milvado)

Chassidus

2009-03-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Before- After- Coarse/grub. Refined/Eidel. Does G-d exist? Do we exist? The main thing is spirituality. The main thing is to use the physical for the spiritual. Want to be a "godol". Want to be a "chossid, yerei shamayim, and lamdan". Fear people. Fear Heaven. Superficial/chitzon. Deep/Pnimi. "Big Rabbi">>>"Lowly Jew" "Big

"Cult of the Personality"

2009-03-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

The oldest slander against chassidim is to discredit them by labeling them a cult. Critics have even leveled this accusation in the times of the Besht, reffering to the chassidim as "der kat". Modern reincarnations of these critics particullarly attack Chabad as a "cult of personality". Dr. David Berger is perhaps the best known critic, claiming that "chabad appears more interested in promoting a

Now for the why

2009-02-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Now for the why; why would G-d create a mature world?Let me just preface with a (not so) short introduction. The Torah begins: Be'Reishit barah Elokim et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz- normally translated as "In the begining G-d created the heavens and the earth". Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki explains that to be more gramatically precise, the Torah should have used the world Batechilah. Nevertheless, the

The Age of the Universe: the Chicken Before the Egg Theory

2007-08-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

According to Jewish tradition, this November 6th marks 5,768 years since the first of the six days of creation and the beginning of the universe. Physicists currently believe that the universe began with a big bang about 13.7 billion years ago + 200 million years (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_universe).I think we can reconcile these very different views, by looking first at