Philosophy

My partner just came back from an eight-day silent meditation retreat. She remarked (with some jealousy) how all the serious meditation teachers were childless, which seemed necessary for one to seriously pursue enlightenment. They were thus free to traipse around from one retreat to the next, unfettered by responsibility...

A key Aish tactic in proving God’s existence, was emphasizing the unusual.  There is no nation as oppressed as the Jews.  No other nation claims public revelation. No other book can spell the word Pizza or Hitler with this unique arrangement of letters. This tactic is a huge part of the discovery seminar,...

I sense a continuous state of judgment and disapproval from you towards me and my siblings, for not "doing what's right", not "thinking critically", and not "using our own judgment". We are "following the masses" and "doing what's easy and convenient". I find this accusation absurd in light of what...

Our father in heaven they sayThe father of mercyBut as an almighty beingHe hath chosen to live quite far away Maybe he has better things to deal withBigger celestial fish to fryHe is nonetheless absentFar enough to not hear us cry He admonishes us in his mercySending messages our wayIt's the...

For many people, leaving religion is a philosophical experience, and as part of that books play an important part in their journey. Richard Dawkins played an important influence in my brother's journey, for example. For many others, Christopher Hitchens has been a strong influence. For me, these heretical books...

Around two years ago, one of my siblings was struck in a hit and run accident. They spent a day in the hospital before any of us family members even found out about it. When we did, there were a few panicked hours as we tried to figure out...

For a long time, I was angry at religion for its own sake. And don't get me wrong, the thing is full of irrational beliefs and oppressive ideas. But I'm coming to appreciate over time how, like almost all things, Fundamentalist Religion is really just a tool - a...

We're currently in family therapy, all nine of us and two parents. Even with sessions being 90 minutes long, that gives each of us 8 minutes a week to talk about what is most important to us, assuming the therapist doesn't talk at all. (spoiler: she does) The best possible...

When I left religion, I lost the reason to get out of bed in the morning. Aish had the only reason, and I left it behind. No longer was I doing God's work. No longer was I saving the Jewish people, keeping the world afloat with every word of...

"Judaism is not all or nothing," they preached at Aish Essentials. "Do what you can, God appreciates it all, every bit counts. Except, word on the street was that when you entered Intermediate I, Motty Berger had a class where he explained that it was all or nothing. Sorry, we...