A Jewish wedding is such a beautiful and joyful celebration, filled with meaning. The way two lives and their families come together reflects how deeply Torah influences every aspect of life—even something as personal as marriage. That kind of joy is so powerful that it’s not just felt by those involved; it can even inspire others, drawing them closer to a sense of G-dliness. For me, living far from a shul, moments like these remind me of what’s possible and inspire me to think about the changes I want to make in my own life.

Take, for instance, the event seen in this video from a musician named The Kiffness. The video incorporates clips from weddings, and from a singing group called The Shira Choir. The song is based on Tehilim, framing it with a techno-electronic beat. The song is available via iTunes. The lyrics are simple:

אם השם לא יבנה בית
שוא עמלו בוניו
אם השם לא ישמר עיר
שוא שקד שומר
"If G-d does not build a home, in vain do its builders toil;
If G-d does not watch over a city, in vain does the watch-stander keep vigil."
Tehilim 127:1

הנה לא ינום
ולא יישן
שומר ישראל
"The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps."
Tehilim 121:4

One of the seven Noahide laws is to live a moral life in the domain of intimate relations. This is exemplified by the weddings shown here. Emotions around intimacy can be difficult to sort out. Certainly there are bad behaviors that one should avoid. The struggle is real, as is all too easy to see from this past week’s headlines that are too horrible and triggering to even mention. I sympathize with those who work hard to heal the wounds inflicted by a cruel and uncaring world. I’m reassured that there is hope, that there is a living ideal.

Please understand that the ethics of our fathers don’t get automatically transferred from one generation to the next — especially when, like in the case of my father and grandfather, one is orphaned. I’m not qualified to teach, as I’ve mentioned before, although I want to reach that level. I’m encouraging you, my dear reader, to verify what I’m sharing with you and consult with a competent rabbi who is a halachic authority. So, I will let others speak for me. In this case a simple music video will suffice as an example of bringing light into the world.

Hi. My name is Moshe Eskenazi. (This isn’t a photo of me, but thanks to AI we’re keeping it fun.) My mother’s mother was not a Jew, and I have not undergone a conversion according to the most widely and consistently accepted body of Jewish law, which is known as halacha. This means that I’m not a Jew — but to an anti-Semite, this doesn’t matter. My name, my mannerisms, and my looks all keep pointing in one direction: definitely a Jew.

It’s a question I can’t escape, but this blog is not intended to talk about Judaism. First of all, I’m not qualified. Although I grew up with a Jewish identity, I have not been properly educated about Jewish law. (I can only hope that those I’ve hurt who are reading this will forgive my trespasses against them as the misguided actions of an uneducated person. For what it’s worth, I do not intend to repeat my mistakes and I intend to obtain a proper education.)

Secondly, this blog was originally intended to discuss the joy of simple curiosity, and how to defend against the hijacking of the innocence of discovery at the hands of an agenda of manipulation. I never thought that such trickery would get so bad, but it did. Imagine the power of an idea that a bunch of uncharismatic computer programmers in Silicon Valley possessed. They succeeded in warping people’s minds very deeply, in a coordinated manner via a browser, a search engine and advertisements. Their effect was so pervasive that the vast majority of the West was duped into believing that a man can become a woman, and vice versa. Even if this nonsensical belief only lasted less than a decade, the damage has been done. The Daily Wire reported that at least 14,000 children in America (but could be as many as 60,000) have received chemical or surgical intervention — for something that the Torah unambiguously denounces, as if common sense wasn’t enough. All this was done to protect a revenue stream from pharmaceutical companies, along with a licentious usurpation of ethics.

If a computer programmer decides that no morality is going to get in the way of his raucous debauchery, then so be it — irreversible juvenile genital mutilation be damned. How did the enjoyment of pushing pixels in virtual art canvases, and synthesizing technologically-generated musical harmonies, and illustrating impossible science fiction landscapes through words and comics, and honing crafts of costumes and gadgets and electronic kits, and meeting and greeting fellow geeks through board games and conventions and imagination, get twisted into, “let’s dye our hair pink and teach kindergartners about pronouns” with glee and aplomb? Why did the boundaries of our exploration not STOP at permanent disfigurement? How could we all not see the truth?

This blog was necessary long before such horrendous acts became commonplace.

Perhaps the root of this collective deviant trans-gender hallucination is just a symptom. The real malady is an excess of fascination — too much ooh-ing and aah-ing, and too many over-stimulated retinae. When the universe is seen as humanity’s playground, when every good feeling ought to be celebrated, and when morality is relative to momentary sensations of gratification, people are bound to get hurt in a grinding machine of pleasure-seeking adventure. I’m guilty, too. Not all that glitters is gold. I believed the lie that sexual self-soothing is healthy, that consent is the only responsibility and obligation that we have towards other people, that what people do in the privacy of their own homes has no consequences for the broader society. When open-mindedness has no boundaries, any bad idea can get in and take hold.

I’m here to tell you now that discovery in and of itself is meaningless. The action that one takes upon the discovery is the entire purpose and the value of the discovery. That’s not Torah. That’s just plain wisdom.

Writing about these themes was my goal long ago, but I lacked the framework within which to discuss the matter in a positive and healthy manner. After exploring these ideas and asking for guidance, it occurred to me that this blog is aptly named, after all. The brothers Jacob and Esau were very different and struggled with each other. One brother represented earnest study and adaptive work, and one represented conquest and control. As a person that necessarily faces issues of conscience and identity every day, this example in Torah resonates deeply with me. Extrapolating from this example, I recognize that I also have to overcome my personal challenges, just as these brothers had to reconcile their characters. I must meet the expectations of G-d, develop my conscience, fit into my workplace and community, and work diligently to help others.

My goal is not to be like the biblical leader Moses — nor ought that be the goal of anyone, for that would be an impossible goal and thus a foolhardy quest. My goal is to be like any of the people of Israel: loving each other, treating people with the respect that they would hope would be visited upon themselves, being free to succeed, and enjoying the blessings of the Creator together in peace.

So, this blog will explore what it means to be a “geek” in a healthy way, to not get corrupted by the “power” that seeks to distort it, and how to sublimate these desires before the ultimate truth of the Creator of the universe.

https://x.com/Eve_Barlow/status/1820913959865921978

The intent in this video is well-founded: there ought to be a conscious separation between stating the facts and a call to action.

I respectfully disagree with the stance on the Olympic boxers.

A call to action doesn't necessarily mean violence. Often it means showing up for a debate, or writing a letter to your representative, or the vote.

If the facts are not clear, then silence is the best course of action. Often the wisest statement to utter is, "I don't know."

A call to action is often driven by emotion. To say that "Hamas murdered hostages" immediately evokes a deep, visceral, emotional response. The action begins with simply and publicly supporting Israel. For those like us who love Israel, we immediately move from the emotion to the action. For others who are open-minded and reasonable, the connection takes a bit longer to forge yet in the end does express itself. (Please Scroll to Continue Reading.)

Merely stating the facts isn't necessarily a call to action. Separating the two, thought from action, is a sign of a rational mind capable of critical thinking. The beauty of the human spirit and kindness in the human heart is revealed when tragedy leads promptly to compassion -- when truth and action are closely linked, it reveals the goodness and righteousness of a person and the culture. It's not automatic, though, and doesn't have to be.

This Substack post was written by Ms. Barlow on the same topic.

It defends the troubled Olympic boxers. Seemingly, a very concerted and broad effort was made across many media channels to defend Khelif. However, my sources indicate that the root of this effort is a smear against the IBA: if one discredits the IBA, the case against Khelif crumbles. The IBA seems reputable to me, though, and I do not accept the slander against the IBA as correct. The IBA found Khelif to have failed the criteria for competing in women's sports, and I accept that as proof positive. It also corroborates what my eyeballs saw, and surely your eyes also saw. Also note: the Olympics is a billion-dollar business. The IOC doesn't want a boycott and will lie to avoid one.

Yet that's besides the point. The point is: men ought not be competing in women's sports. Whether or not you believe that Khelif is a man does not invalidate the argument. If Khelif is not a man, then there is only one less data point. The assertion, however, is still true.

There must be a separation between a statement of facts and the concomitant actions. "Men cannot become women." That statement does not imply that men dressed as women competing in women's sports ought to be lynched (to be clear: they shouldn't be lynched!) However, they ought not be allowed to compete against women. If that trans-athlete perceives such exclusion as an injury of emotion or law, it does not outweigh the need to protect the female athletes from bodily injury.

If you get angry seeing women assaulted by men in the boxing ring, and it drives you to public protest, that is a wholesome response. Such protests should be peaceful, and anyone inciting such demonstrations to violence ought to be immediately thwarted.

Similarly, protests in England today against uncontrolled immigration have sometimes spiraled into violence, which is sad. The underlying issue, nonetheless, remains the same and must be addressed: if immigrants do not integrate into society and instead butcher young girls, and are held not at all accountable to police, the law, and the will of the British people, what is a society to do?

If murderous terrorists raid a music festival, drag off and torture hostages, then shoot them ignominiously on the cusp of their rescue, what is a society to do?

The people of the UK have every right to assemble and speak their mind. It saddens me that average folk are being arrested for posting on Twitter / X. We are one step away from support of Israel becoming an incarcerable offense (offence?) in the UK.

When using the "wrong" pronouns is considered an act of violence, all of society falls down shortly thereafter.