Dovid Markel, at The Blogs

Dovid Markel

Feb 6, 2017, 2:39 PM

65 years ago on the 10th of Shevat 5712 (February 6 1952) a leader ascended the throne of a dynasty that spanned centuries. Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne of the British Commonwealth. Though the titled monarch of a huge...

Feb 3, 2017, 8:34 PM

Don’t Let Politics Destroy You

I rarely share my thoughts on current events as I don't think being a political commentator is my mission in life, but this post is more about emotional and mental health than politics. There was once an individual who visited...

Oct 6, 2016, 6:37 PM

Kapparot – A Lesson in Empathy?

Each year, before the holiday of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, social media and standard media explode in an outrage of the Jewish custom of Kapparot. The practice of taking a chicken, swinging over one’s head while a...

Jan 21, 2016, 1:07 AM

Israel – The Insecure Teen

Whenever there is conflict or skirmish in Israel and the State acts to protect her Jews, one can expect to hear the usual slogans about Israel’s right to defend herself. Across the spectrum, world leaders pay lip-service to this mantra—usually...

Jan 18, 2016, 12:06 AM

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi and Chabad

I recently watched two clips of Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi speaking about Chabad and I was reminded of the Mishna in Avot (1:11) that states: “Avtalyon would say: Scholars, be careful with your words. For you may be exiled to a...

About Me

Rabbi Dovid Markel is the director of the Neirot Foundation of Jewish Thought and regularly writes on current events from a Judaic perspective. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Jewish Philosophy.