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David Bogomolny

Jan 16, 2019, 1:41 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 26

Children begin by loving their parents; after a time, they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them. ~ Oscar Wilde I am mourning the father I had, and I am mourning the father I didn't have. He had limitations, and...

David Bogomolny

Jan 12, 2019, 9:58 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 25

Beyond purportedly elevating the soul of one's departed parent to higher metaphysical planes or possibly demonstrating why one's parent deserves to be granted a good fate (blog #11), the kaddish, according to the Talmud, also affects God Himself. In Tractate...

David Bogomolny

Jan 10, 2019, 2:21 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 24

"I just finished my yud-aleph chodesh at Shabbat mincha," he said, catching my shoulder as walked towards the sanctuary, "It feels strange... You should lead ma'ariv." It strikes me that for most of my life, I would have had no...

David Bogomolny

Jan 4, 2019, 4:55 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 23

Dear Dad, Happy birthday. You would have turned 71 years old today but likely wouldn't have celebrated your birthday - it wasn't something that you thought important. When Eli was very little, Mom told me that she wished we had...

David Bogomolny

Dec 31, 2018, 3:27 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 22

If I’m being honest, it’s easier to read and write about kaddish than it is to bethink myself of memories, even privately. - Me (Blog #13) At first, I thought I would study the kaddish in my father's memory to suffuse...

David Bogomolny

Dec 21, 2018, 1:57 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 21

Towards the beginning of my kaddish odyssey, back in early September, my friend Mosheh asked me: What do you think of the other customs we have to remember / uplift the souls of loved ones after they have died (i.e....

David Bogomolny

Dec 15, 2018, 11:15 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 20

I heard something beautiful this week. Two of the regulars at my morning minyan completed their eleven months of kaddish, just days apart, each reciting a prayer written by Jerusalem's esteemed Rabbi Benny Lau (b. 1961) in memory of his own...

David Bogomolny

Dec 11, 2018, 2:52 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 19

Tired. There comes a point at which the furnace begins to sputter. One seeks fuel, whereas once it was piled up everywhere. Just yesterday, it would seem, everything was aflame or imminently flammable. Would I have committed myself to this writing...

Dec 9, 2018, 8:08 AM

My Mother’s Letter

This coming Shabbat is my father’s Yahrtzeit. For the 37th time, I will say Kaddish for a man who died much too young. This one, however, will be different. For the first time, I will recite both for my father...

David Bogomolny

Dec 3, 2018, 4:38 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 18

I know the premises of my father's manifesto on mathematics well because his educational philosophy and related reflections were common subjects of conversation between us. I was yet in high school when the Internet came into existence and my...

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