Johnson argues that play has always been more important than people realize, and a great deal of our modern world was built thanks to the human appetite for surprise, novelty and beauty. Indeed, as he notes in example after example (from music to magic to games), it is often the simple pleasure of a new experience that initiates the drive towards vast oceans of progress. In the opening chapter, for example, he chronicles how new delights in fashion – such as the craze over

When I first began reading this book, I have to admit I rolled my cynical eyes just a bit. The author, a bioethicist, seemed to have all the right credentials such as a PhD from the University of Chicago, professorships at some of America’s leading medical schools, a best-selling book designated a “medical classic for this century”, and elected membership in a number of special medical societies. But he was also the founding director of something called the Institute for Res

In the Hagada we are presented with what obviously must have been a very important historical seder, the seder of Rabbi Akiva and the other four sages. The question is: Why was the seder at Rabbi Akiva’s place? After all, the other sages mentioned were of equal stature. Among them was Elazar ben Azariah who became the head of the Sanhedrin at the amazingly young age of 18. ere teachers of Rabbi Akiva, founders of the Yavne Academy, the President of the Sanhedrin. There w

Back in 2011 I penned the below in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring. Though not directly parallel, some of the ideas might be relevant to the current protests in Iran. I recently became a global citizen. In search of an affordable graphic artist to design a new logo for Shir Hadash I came across a website that ‘puts out to bid’ various projects to freelancers throughout the world. The client – that’s me – gets to view all these bids and then decide on the best one. T

"Ian Pear's The Day the Devil went on Trial is a philosophical gem disguised as satire." For the full review, click here .

I first became aware of this book just before the arrival one year of Yom Kipur, Judaism’s most holy day. As a Rabbi, part of my job is to prepare a (hopefully) inspiring sermon for this day, usually on the topic of change and self-improvement. It was for this reason that when I heard about this book – and read its subtitle “What if you woke up one morning and realized you were living the wrong life?” – I instantly knew I had to read it as part of my preparation for Yom Kipu

As one of the more popular books we will explore, Gary Chapman’s “The 5 Love Languages” is perhaps already familiar to you ... but as Seneca once said, “something cannot be too often repeated which is not sufficiently learned.” The basic premise of the book is that we humans have five different ways to express – and experience – love. These five “love languages” are: Words of affirmation - Showing love through verbal appreciation, compliments, and encouragement. Quality time

As I write these words, I – along with my family – are huddled in a bomb shelter as our home in Jerusalem is under attack from Iranian missiles. And yet, despite the obvious concern we all have, not to mention the pain and heartbreak over the loss of lives in this conflict, we are in good spirits, occassionally laughing, singing off key (mostly me) and even dancing a little. I am tempted to say that we Israelis are incredibly resilient – which is true – but that’s not the ful

With this fourth installment of ALL BOOKED UP, we’ve now completed a month of summaries. During this time, our readership has doubled … but we’d love even more people to join us on this journey. So if you know anyone who might appreciate this newsletter, please forward them this e-mail and encourage them to sign up . Drunk Tank Pink is both the name of the book I’ll be featuring this week as well as a color that apparently has a calming influence on male aggressiveness. R

The key question Dr. Sharon Moelem asks is: Why do hereditary disorders exist? After all, evolution likes genetic traits that help us survive and reproduce. According to natural selection, if a gene produces a trait that makes an organism less likely to survive, carriers will be less likely to reproduce and eventually the gene won’t get passed on, at least for very long. And yet, hereditary diseases perpetuate. Why? The short answer is that some conditions once thought t

The premise of Yale Law Prof. Ian Ayres' book, Carrots and Sticks * is quite simple, and well articulated by the subtitle: Unlock the Power of Incentives to Get Things Done. To expand: Human beings know what is good for them in the long run, but often fall short of achieving such goals because short term, often contradictory rewards loom large in the human psyche. Weight loss and investing in one's financial future are both great goals, but since their accompanying rewards

In Parshat Kedoshim, we are commanded to Love thy Neighbor as Thyself, or in the original, ואהבת לרעך כמוך. The question is: Is that even possible? Can I ever love a person as much as I love myself? Even Rabbi Akiva, who of course promoted this commandment above all others, understood there were limitations in applying it. For example, when two people are lost in the desert and there is only enough water for one of them to survive, Rabbi Akiva writes that if you are the on

We're 3 for 3! The online review service, Reader's Review, had three people review our latest book, The Day the Devil went on Trial. And all three gave the book its highest 5 Star Review. Here are the full reviews , and here is an excerpt from the one written by Carol Thompson: "The Day the Devil Went on Trial is inventive, funny, and full of charm; a novel that uses satire to explore the possibility of transformation even in the most unlikely characters. Ian Pear writes

The Torah tells us that Yitzchak re-dug many of the same wells that his father Avraham had dug in his lifetime, an act necessitated by the fact that these earlier wells were filled in by the local inhabitants in the interim. The Torah seems to emphasize the importance of these acts by having Yitzchak actually name the wells he re-digs. Many commentators ask why the Torah needs to tell us this seemingly mundane fact. Some even point out that doing so embarrasses Avraham; af

Parshat VaYetzei One of the famous scenes in this week’s Torah reading is Yakov’s dream of the Angels ascending and descending a ladder placed on the ground and whose top is somewhere in the heavens. And one of the most famous interpretations of this dream is provided in the Midrash: The angels represent different nations, such as the Babylonian and the Roman Empires. Their ‘Angels’ will ascend – they will conquer eretz yisrael and am yisrael and subjugate our people. But

With Purim approaching I thought perhaps a little Torah on happiness might be appropriate: The Talmud in Hulin (139) informs us that Haman is alluded to within the story of Adam and Eve. Where? you ask. According to Rav Matna, it is when God challenges Adam after he disobeys God and eats from the Tree of Knowledge. In the language of the Torah, “Ha’min ha’etz asher …” or in English, “Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The first word of t

Dan Heath's book Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen begins with a parable: A couple of guys picknicking next to a river notice a young child floating down the river about to drown. They jump in and rescue the child, but then see another child coming down the river. They rescue this child as well, but then notice a long line of additional children approaching. One of the guys gets out of the river and runs upstream. "Where are you going?" shouts

One doesn’t usually think of the rock group Supertramp when studying Mishna … but maybe we should. Towards that end, maybe you’d like to play this song in the background as you read the below post. The Mishna in question is the very first to appear in the Tractate of Shabbat, while the topic in question is the halacha relating to carrying on Shabbat, or more specifically, the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat. Here is the Mishna along with the translation provided by the

As the saying goes, I have some good news and some bad news. First, the bad. I unfortunately did not get in to the City Council. Our party needed 3 seats for me to get on the Council, and we only got 2. But there is also good news. First, while the overall non-Haredi voter turnout was significantly down, Anglos made their presence felt, and as a result, our party is no less interested than before in representing our interests and values. For example, I was just asked to play

When asked by the head of our טב list for City Council -- Deputy Mayor Chagit Moshe - what I wanted to work on as a City Councilor, one answer I offered was to focus on sustainability in Jerusalem. Sustainable building, increased green spaces, more bike lanes, innovative environmental initiatives (maybe helping Synagogues interested in going green do so with training/subsidies/incentives). Part of my motivation behind this concern will be read in Synagogues across the country