David E. Y. Sarna, at The Blogs

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Aug 15, 2016, 4:23 PM

Jumping elephants and acquiring possession — A talmudic view of whether size matters

“Possession,” the old common law adage goes, “is nine points of the law.” This saying succinctly summarizes a principle more fully articulated by Skip Rutledge in 2000: “In a property dispute (whether real or personal), in the absence of clear and compelling testimony or documentation...

Aug 8, 2016, 8:51 PM

Kosher cheeseburgers?

Can a cheeseburger be kosher? Of course not, you say. Cheeseburgers may be the archetypical non-kosher food. Not so fast. It might be kosher. We are talking about meat, and we aren’t referring to veggie burgers. This question is especially relevant, as Jews begin the...

Dec 14, 2014, 2:20 AM

Ferguson – Lessons From the Talmud

Unless you, like Honi the Circle-drawer or Rip Van Winkle have been asleep for a long time, you know that Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri August 9, 2014 by Officer Darren Dean Wilson. After months of weekly meetings, a grand jury returned a...

Jul 18, 2014, 11:11 PM

Don’t Steal Judaism’s Trademark

In the thoughtful but Left-leaning Tablet, a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture, Marjorie Ingall penned a provocative piece entitled, “To Cut or Not To Cut: Finding Alternatives to Circumcision.” In it, she advocates for [Jewish] alternatives to a Brit Milah, male...

Jun 23, 2014, 3:14 PM

ISIL Redraws the Mideast Map as Shias and Sunis War

Sunni and Shia have been in conflict ever since the schism following the death of Muhammad in 630. Nowhere is the conflict between Shia and Sunni more bitter and more important that in the contested areas of Syria and Iraq. In June 2014, in a...

Jun 10, 2014, 7:01 PM

President-elect Rivlin: In Messy Democratic Process, Israel Chooses a Light Unto the Nations

Today, the Knesset elected one of its own, MK Reuven Rivlin as Israel’s Tenth President in a messy but democratic process. “Democracy is messy,” acknowledged Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defense under two presidents. And Sir Winston Churchill once famously remarked, “It has been said...

Jun 8, 2014, 10:53 PM

Lapidism – New-Old Faith reinvented by Yair Lapid

“No one can claim ownership over the Jewish God” Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid piously thundered thus, in a speech delivered to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism a few days before urging a halt of construction in...

May 3, 2014, 7:18 PM

Yair Lapid’s “Risks for Peace” is a Sucker Bet for the Left’s Vote

Yair Lapid, the Israeli Minister of Finance and chairman of the Yesh Atid Party told the Wall Street Journal in an article dated May 2, 2014 that …there is a chance Israel could potentially conduct talks with Hamas if the group renounces terror and recognizes Israel.”...

Apr 30, 2014, 4:14 PM

Admit J-Street? May as well let in PLO and Fatah

On these pages, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, advocates for admitting J Street to membership in the umbrella organization of American Jews, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. He is actively supported by Jane Eisner, editor of The Forward....

Apr 24, 2014, 2:22 PM

Why are Jews Liberal? Is it in their genes?

When conservative radio personality Michael Savage wrote a book published in 2005 called Liberalism is a Mental Disorder,[1] no one really expected that there is a disorder, or a gene tied to liberalism. It seems like there is, and apparently, many Jews are carriers. But...

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About Me

David E Y Sarna is a writer and former entrepreneur. He has six published books and is currently working on Evernote For Dummies, V2. He has nearly completed his first novel, about the Jewish treasures in the Vatican's secret archives and is working on a book about the Talmud for general readers. He lives in Teaneck, NJ. His publications and CV are available at http://independent.academia.edu/DavidSarna