📣 NEW SUBSTACK ALERT 🚨 🎉 Introducing The Wondering Jew What does it mean to be Jewish in America today? This is the question of the hour, for so many of us. And that's what this newsletter is all about. https://t.co/BCP5EH7p3f #Judaism

James Van Der Beek’s final message to the world is one of the most powerful things I have ever heard. Stop whatever you are doing and listen to this! 🥺

Reporter Jana Shortal from @kare11 in Minneapolis recounts how agents mistreated her after the Alex Pretti murder. She was intentionally sprayed with chemicals while wearing her press badge and standing in a designated safe zone, revealing a serious lapse in training and judgment

Before his debut novel "Escape!" arrives on bookshelves tomorrow, I spoke with @stephenfishbach about how #Survivor severe gastrointestinal distress kicked off his 10-year journey of writing a reality TV story. And how many people (including myself!) inspired the tale:

I hunger and thirst for more Amanda Seyfried recognition

Happy birthday to Hans Bethe (born 1906), a German‑born Jewish physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for his work on stellar nuclear processes, expanding our understanding of the inner workings of stars. #Judaism

If you're interested in writing about Jewish life, culture, texts, ritual, tradition, humor, and food, give The Wondering Jew a look. Here's my Month One FAQ: https://t.co/jzNtPm8WsL #judaism

The Wondering Jew is one of the fastest growing Substacks in the category. More importantly, I've met and had conversations with so many people who want to talk about Judaism, engage with Judaism, participate more fully in #Judaism.

I believed that there was a real hunger out there for writing about Jewish life that was open, accessible, and engaging. I’m happy to say that this hypothesis just might be proving correct. #Judaism

One month ago, when I launched my Substack, The Wondering Jew, I had a hypothesis. A thread. #judaism

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To learn how the sages make sense of this, and how it all connects to the Talmud trending on X last week, check out The Wondering Jew: https://t.co/2Sw4TDgWOi

But the rabbis notice that these mitzvot don't always lengthen life. They offer the scenario in which a father tells his son to climb a ladder and chase away a mother bird. The son does this (double-life-lengthening mitzvot!) but the ladder breaks and the boy dies. #Judaism

The Torah specifically offers "long life" as a consequence of performing two mitzvot: honoring your father and mother (Exodus 20:12), and for chasing away a mother bird before you take its young (Deuteronomy 22:7). (The idea is you want to minimize suffering.) #Judaism

Are mitzvot rewarded? If we do something good, can we expect any sort of reward? Let's see what they say in the Talmud. A thread. #Judaism

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So not all gossip is created equal. But all forms of it are frowned upon. I wrote about why that is, how this prohibition fits into larger Jewish thought, and my own relationship to gossip, on The Wondering Jew: https://t.co/qeFf5MDJmQ #Judaism

Maimonides elaborated on the theme of gossip, breaking it down into... Rechilut - Your run-of-the-mill, who-did-what-to-whom type stuff. Lashon Hara - Evil speech. Even if it's true, it's harmful to another person. Motzi Shem Ra - Slander. Lies that do harm. #Judaism

The Torah is unequivocal about its opposition to gossip: Leviticus 19:16: “You must not go around as a gossipmonger among your people.” Pretty definitive! #Judaism

I love gossip. My whole family loves gossip. And there's nothing wrong with that.... Right? A thread on the Jewish view of gossip. #Judaism

Luckily, my best friend is on a quest to create the perfect challah, and has a step-by-step recipe that can't miss. Give it a shot today. https://t.co/p8W3EvpmrM #Judaism #challah