Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #Literalist
Most recents (24)
114.01/ Week one-hundred and fourteen, September 17-23, 2022, thread begins here.
Week 113 below.
Week 113 below.
114.02/ 12:50am #Slichot are great for my path of repentance because there's nothing like staying up super late on Motzei Shabbas at my age for filling me with regret. That's part of teshuva, right?
106.01/ Week one-hundred and six, July 23-29, 2022, thread begins here.
Week 105 below.
Week 105 below.
106.02/ A thread I wrote about my early Sunday morning interaction with your (un)friendly neighborhood troll; why I responded and what my goals were.
106.03/ This is an explosive thread about entirely plausible whistleblower backlash at the NewYorker - a mag my family have been subscribers to as long as I can remember - shows what real "cancel culture" looks like.
104.01/ Week one-hundred and four, July 9-15, 2022, thread begins here.
Week 103 below.
Week 103 below.
104.02/ I subscribe to @AlexandraErin on Buttondown but realized I didn't on @Patreon so I just rectified that. I very highly recommend her non-fiction writing (I'm sure her fiction is good too, but I haven't tried it yet so YMMV).
#NewPatron patreon.com/AlexandraErin?…
#NewPatron patreon.com/AlexandraErin?…
104.03/ This is a pretty extraordinary column all around, especially the story by my rebbe, Rav Riskin. It's also clear how much of a multi-dimensional gadol-hador Rav Moshe Feinstein z'l was. A gadol in chochma, bina, da'at and midot.
en.yhb.org.il/revivim1002/
en.yhb.org.il/revivim1002/
86.01/ Week eighty-six, March 5-11, 2022, thread begins here.
Week 85 below.
Thank God #Ukraine still stands.
Week 85 below.
Thank God #Ukraine still stands.
86.02/ #MotzeiShabbatMovieNight continues. Tonight, we started the 2009 Star Trek remake (the lens flare film). This was a requested film and I prepared them accordingly (story soon)
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.…
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.…
86.03/ This makes me shudder.
70.01/ Week seventy, Nov. 13-19, 2021 thread begins here.
Week 69 below.
Week 69 below.
70.02/ So many self-appointed smart guys told me that Garland was doing nothing. They were wrong & caused panic because they are impatient Dunning-Kruger cynics seized by the #Literalist fallacy that if they didn't see DOJ's work, it didn't exist.
washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
70.03/ I’m just one man, but if the supply chain problems are caused by not enough little packets of soy sauce/spicy mustard/duck sauce then I can help out immediately.
I’m also willing to propose they be functionally considered currency instead of bitcryptocoins.
I’m also willing to propose they be functionally considered currency instead of bitcryptocoins.
62.01/ Week sixty-two, Sept. 18-25, 2021, thread begins there.
Week 61 below
Week 61 below
62.02/ A custom on #YomKippur is to wear a kittel, an all white garment that has ambivalent symbolism: men wear one under their wedding canopy and they are also buried in it. I mentioned to a physician friend that it can also be seen as "Jewish scrubs."
62.03/ "But life is ironic" is just boss-level shade. I mean, I have my theological differences with the pontiff, but I can imagine we see eye-to-eye about anti-vaxxers.(h.t. @dick_nixon)
1/ I try to teach my kids leadership lessons from my observed, taught, & lived experience. E.g. (1) 90% of leadership praxis is communication (yet too often unpracticed, with disastrous results) (2) vision is as necessary as operations but without one you're either blind or lame.
2/ (3) Vision is strategy, operations are tactics, but both are neutralized without logistics, (4) ultimately, a leader needs to put the welfare of the group above themselves; it should be the reason they consent to the imagine oneself capable of making decisions for others.
3/ #4 is about self-sacrifice and without that, leadership becomes exploitative. (5) In order to determine all elements - strategy, tactics, vision, and consent of the governed - you need a system of error checking.
56.01/ Week fifty-six, Aug. 7-13, 2021, thread begins here.
#ChodeshTov everyone! Happy #Elul, the "deep breath before the plunge" (as Gandalf says).
Week 55 thread is below.
#ChodeshTov everyone! Happy #Elul, the "deep breath before the plunge" (as Gandalf says).
Week 55 thread is below.
56.02/ Excellent shibboleth action here from Rabbi Ruttenberg, in a benevolent, non-murdery, way, of course.
56.03/ Honored with #haftara yesterday but it had been so long since I last did one that my eyesight has gotten bad enough that I was juggling a mask, fogged glasses, & the too small print of even a full-size Artscroll. And why did Yeshayahu have to make up so many weird words?!
55.01/ Week fifty-five, July 31-Aug 6 2021, thread begins here.
Week 54 below
Week 54 below
55.02/ I have no idea (yet?) how to handle this case brought up by @AnaMardoll and I think I need to because I can envision needing a solution IRL.
(Note, it also illustrates why conservatives were so afraid of D&D: it allows kids to broaden their worlds)
(Note, it also illustrates why conservatives were so afraid of D&D: it allows kids to broaden their worlds)
55.03/ As I've gotten older I've come to view this mishnah from Avot as more & more central to both practical & ideal wisdom. Especially for the internet.
It's an early indictment of #DunningKruger blowhards: stop talking! Listen. Less talk, more rock.
chabad.org/library/articl…
It's an early indictment of #DunningKruger blowhards: stop talking! Listen. Less talk, more rock.
chabad.org/library/articl…
1/ A thread for #9Av 5781. #ReshetKeshet
I've noticed, now having three b'nai mitzvah kids, that nobody gives a kinot book as a gift. Can't blame them, of course. We have a necessary ideology that 9Av can change to a holiday very soon, so why gift a book?
I've noticed, now having three b'nai mitzvah kids, that nobody gives a kinot book as a gift. Can't blame them, of course. We have a necessary ideology that 9Av can change to a holiday very soon, so why gift a book?
2/ I like Rabbi Dr. @NatanSlifkin's nuance to what "sinat chinam" - normally translated as "baseless hatred" - means. It's hatred that brings no gain; it's hurting yourself in order to hurt your perceived enemy more.
Sounds familiar in our day, no?
rationalistjudaism.com/2021/07/sinat-…
Sounds familiar in our day, no?
rationalistjudaism.com/2021/07/sinat-…
3a/ OTOH, this story by Dinah Paritzky is horrifying. Not only is it cruel & abusive, not only can the lesson be taught in less violent means, it's the wrong lesson! The impulse to concentrate on the physical building is #Literalist, as is the cruel act.
rationalistjudaism.com/2015/07/relati…
rationalistjudaism.com/2015/07/relati…
53.01/ Week fifty-three, July 17-23, 2021, begins here. #TishaBeav today, so no real greeting. May next year, we have a fleishig #9Av
I've been making these organized threads for a year. Fitting that anniversary should be on the saddest day of the year.
Week 52 below:
I've been making these organized threads for a year. Fitting that anniversary should be on the saddest day of the year.
Week 52 below:
53.02/ To listen to music today, I have the leining of #Eicha on a loop. One source is the Eidut Mizrach version from Mechon-Mamre:
mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt3201.htm
Direct link:
mechon-mamre.org/mp3/t3201.mp3
&
Ashkenaz via Virtual Cantor:
virtualcantor.com/tbav.htm
Direct:
virtualcantor.com/Eicha1.mp3
mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt3201.htm
Direct link:
mechon-mamre.org/mp3/t3201.mp3
&
Ashkenaz via Virtual Cantor:
virtualcantor.com/tbav.htm
Direct:
virtualcantor.com/Eicha1.mp3
53.03/ Thread from yesterday, #TishaBeav, on some thoughts about the day.
47.01/ Week Forty-seven, June 5-11 2021, begins here.
Week 46 below
Week 46 below
47.02/ Congratulations to my sister-in-law, @LeahCypess, on being nominated for a Nebula for her Novelette "Stepsister” (from F&SF 5-6/20).
I'm thinking of holding a press conference at Four Season's FantasyLandscaping to question to vote tallies.
tor.com/2021/06/05/her…
I'm thinking of holding a press conference at Four Season's FantasyLandscaping to question to vote tallies.
tor.com/2021/06/05/her…
47.03/ Totally agree with this. Basically, this is how McCain ended his career, and Romney knows this game too. It's what ego-driven politicians are supposed to know to do!
46.01/ Week Forty-six, May 29-June 4 2021, begins here.
Week 45 below:
Week 45 below:
46.02/ Attempting the "Not starting every email/tweet with the word 'so' challenge." This is comes after "Not starting every etc with 'well'"
I understand this is common for academics. In my observation: "well" is to state your hypothesis, "so" the next step in analysis.
I understand this is common for academics. In my observation: "well" is to state your hypothesis, "so" the next step in analysis.
46.03/ I just spent hours writing a thread and for some reason the screen skipped and I lost everything. It's hard to explain how destructive this is. First time it's happened and now I will know to continuously back up writing in a side document. But I'm mildly perturbed.
1/ #ReshetKeshet
I've been dwelling on the concept of 'fear' recently, specifically as it relates to my religious community and COVID, but it has application to all areas of morality as well as civic life.
I've been dwelling on the concept of 'fear' recently, specifically as it relates to my religious community and COVID, but it has application to all areas of morality as well as civic life.
2/ In Jewish ethics, we talk about being "Yirat Cheit" which translates into "Fearing Sin" and "Yirat Shamayim" which translates into "Fearing Heaven"
They are related but not equivalent. But fearing sin is the minimum to be considered reliably religious according to Jewish law.
They are related but not equivalent. But fearing sin is the minimum to be considered reliably religious according to Jewish law.
3/ "Fear of Sin" generally means the lowest minimum acceptable level of religious observance because that kind of person doesn't buy into the ideology, doesn't understand the purpose of the system, but will still follow the rules before they fear the consequences.
44.01/ Week Forty-four, May 15-21 2021, begins here.
[note: Forty should have a 'u' in it, no? English is a weird language.]
Week 43 below:
[note: Forty should have a 'u' in it, no? English is a weird language.]
Week 43 below:
44.02/ So many people I assumed were motivated by greed (for money, abstract resources) and/or power are actually driven by ego. This discovery required a major retooling of my understanding of moral philosophy
e.g. during the #TrumpCrisis people risked their lives just for ego
e.g. during the #TrumpCrisis people risked their lives just for ego
44.03/ Long thread about 'fear' (45 Posts)
1/ First of all, this is both correct morally & correct legally. I want to explore for moment why anyone would believe otherwise.
My theory is that it's connected to movies/TV. And that's why it's plausible to say that violent stories lead to violent behavior.
My theory is that it's connected to movies/TV. And that's why it's plausible to say that violent stories lead to violent behavior.
2/ Most of the debate over this question rests on shallow #Literalist-thinking where causes need to be 100% demonstrable, and monocausal, of an effect before causality is established.
It's the wrong question to ask if seeing an action movie makes a person go out and kill.
It's the wrong question to ask if seeing an action movie makes a person go out and kill.
3/ The question is whether movies (I'm including TV in that term) teach a society that certain behaviors are normal, expected, and/or valid.
If the only exposure people have to an issue is through warped, implausible, fiction, then they'll be incapable of evaluating reality.
If the only exposure people have to an issue is through warped, implausible, fiction, then they'll be incapable of evaluating reality.
39.01/ Week 39 thread, April 10-16, 2021, begins here.
Last week's thread, week 38 - April 4-9, 2021, below.
Last week's thread, week 38 - April 4-9, 2021, below.
1/ Welcome to the Cypess Weekly Thread Index Thread.
I implemented the long thread concept in July 2020 in order to have an easy system to access my weekly writing.
Week 1, July 18-24 2020, 10 posts:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1371275…
I implemented the long thread concept in July 2020 in order to have an easy system to access my weekly writing.
Week 1, July 18-24 2020, 10 posts:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1371275…
1/ #ReshetKeshet. For #KiTisa, I taught my explanation for why they chose a calf as the object of worship. My exegetical method (parshanut) is peshat focused. I define peshat as an attempt for a necessary interpretation of the text (as opposed to 'drash' which is a possible one)
2/ Why a young, male cow? There could be a lost external significance to that animal, e.g. the Egyptians worshipped cows. We're told that this was the reason for a lamb for the Pesach offering, except: it can also be a goat. And nowhere is cow worship mentioned in Tanakh.
3/ It's tendentious b/c it requires an "okimta" i.e. outside data not found in the text. That takes it outside peshat.
Note, Ramban suggests the Pesach is a lamb b/c the month of Nisan is Aries in the Zodiac. This is more of an internal proof (Pesach needs to be in the Spring).
Note, Ramban suggests the Pesach is a lamb b/c the month of Nisan is Aries in the Zodiac. This is more of an internal proof (Pesach needs to be in the Spring).
1/ #ReshetKeshet. I'm trying to combine my sociological work on disability with my rabbinic role by writing a Disability Shulchan Arukh, as it were: how halakha applies to full variation of humanity. BTW, the gemara is full of this but invisible disabilities are overlooked.
2/ So, notes on the mitzvah of hearing the #Megillah, which is a disability nightmare. Shas deals with things like blindness:
sefaria.org/Megillah.24b.7…
And deafness: rabbikaganoff.com/megillas-esthe…
But what about #ADHD? For a mitzvah that requires total concentration?!
sefaria.org/Megillah.24b.7…
And deafness: rabbikaganoff.com/megillas-esthe…
But what about #ADHD? For a mitzvah that requires total concentration?!
3/ Or people with sensory overload issues, like #autism & others, who can be quite uncomfortable in rooms packed to the rafters with people graggin' graggers and noisemakers and full tumult (pardon my Yiddish)
1/ My Torah work is published under the title of #ReshetKeshet which, I don't make the rules, makes my "rabbi name" The Reshet Keshet (e.g. the Chofetz Chaim is Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan & he also wrote the Mishnah Berurah he's named after his first)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yisrael_M…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yisrael_M…
2/ In order to embrace hashtag technology, I'll try to label my Torah writing with #ReshetKeshet.
Reshet is Hebrew for 'network' and I use it to reference interconnectedness.
he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A8%D7…
Keshet means 'rainbow' and that's for diversity
he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7…
Reshet is Hebrew for 'network' and I use it to reference interconnectedness.
he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A8%D7…
Keshet means 'rainbow' and that's for diversity
he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7…
3/ Diversity in interpretation, in thought, and of course in inclusion. Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains that the rainbow after the Flood symbolizes the totality of humanity, see my rebbe Rabbi Riskin for more on this:
jpost.com/magazine/judai…
jpost.com/magazine/judai…
31.52b/ This is a continuation of the week 31 (Feb. 13-19) thread which is getting too big for stable threading. This is an experiment for this week: to split a thread when it gets to 50 or so.
Part one is here:
Part one is here:
31.53/ I've been thinking the same thing (not so well put, of course). How did Skype become the fax machine of this tech crisis?
31.54/ This is good to see! I'm glad the effects are empirically demonstrated.
It's nice when virtue is demonstrably effective. Social science for the win!
It's nice when virtue is demonstrably effective. Social science for the win!
1/ Another #Beshalach thread, sparked by the linked article. What do combat exoskeletons have to do with the parsha? The halakhot of cybernetics on Shabbat, of course.
OK, so that's still pretty unclear. It has to do with the manna.
torahmusings.com/2015/05/combat…
OK, so that's still pretty unclear. It has to do with the manna.
torahmusings.com/2015/05/combat…
2/ Can you do melacha using invisible brain power, basically. Normally, I'd love to delve into how the regnant rabbinic view about gramma (causality) drives me utterly bonkers in its #Literalist mentality, as well as the limited 19th Century view of electricity, but not this week
3/ Cybernetics aka invisible brain power applies to the manna b/c:
"Rav Avraham Walkin ... argued that someone who miraculously cooks through thought or speech violates a biblical prohibition ... [he] proves this from the man (manna) that the Jews ate in the Desert"
cont.
"Rav Avraham Walkin ... argued that someone who miraculously cooks through thought or speech violates a biblical prohibition ... [he] proves this from the man (manna) that the Jews ate in the Desert"
cont.
29.01/ Week twenty-nine thread, for Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2021, begins here. Last week's thread (28.01) linked below.
29.02/ Every once in a while, I let the depraved fatalism of the phrase "boys will be boys" just wash over me...
29.03/ Snow still following here in Central NJ, with some swirling wind, allowing me to use the word "snow squalls" at the breakfast table. My 14yo suggested that if the wind is strong enough to dislodge squirrels, it'd be "squirralls of snow." Yup.
