Bo Essays

[Reuven Chaim Klein]

Essays on Hebrew synonyms from my "What’s in a Word?" series related to Parshas Bo:

• Come To Pharaoh - About ביאה, הליכה, and אתא/אתה.
• Army of Grasshoppers - About ארבה, גזם, חסיל, ילק, צפוני, סלעם חרגול, חנמל and צלצל.
• Put in Place - About שם and שת.
• Please Stand Up - About ניצב and עמד.
• The Sign is Coming... - About אות and מופת.
• Turning off the Lights - About חושך and אפילה.
• Follow the Leader (Part 1, Part 2) - About נוהג, מוליך, מנחה, and מנהל.
• That's a Flogging - About מכות and מלקות.
• Filling your Phylacteries - About תפילין and טטפת.

Articles and lectures related to idolatry (avodah zarah):

• “Weaning Away from Idolatry: Maimonides on the Purpose of Ritual Sacrifices,” Religions vol. 12:5 (May 2021).
• The Lure of Idolatry - 10 Ways Idolaters Justified their Practices (YouTube).
• God versus gods: Maimonides and the Struggle Against Idolatry (3-part series).
• How to Start Your own Religion / The Psychology of Idolatry (audio).
• The Psychology of Avodah Zarah (audio, newer version).

"בענין מכת בכורות", קובץ המאור גליון תנ"ב (ניסן תשע"ג) - ATTACHED PDF.

I am working on publishing another book about idolatry, tentatively titled The Divine and the Dumb: Jewish Perspectives on Idolatry. To cover the publishing costs and make that happen, I started a crowdfunding page and at this point, we are over 50% of the goal (including donations not listed on the GoFundMe page). 

Please make a tax-deductible contribution through our GoFundMe page:  https://gofund.me/a22573b55

Even if you can't offer a contribution, I would greatly appreciate it if you can tell others about this by sharing the link through email, WhatsApp, or other social media. For more information about the book, the crowdfunding campaign, or to receive a copy of the table of contents as it stands, please get in touch with me directly.

P. S. My wife is still hospitalized at Shaare Zedek with PPROM pregnancy complications (after having had appendicitis earlier in the winter), but Baruch Hashem she is doing okay. Please keep her in your prayers, Shira Yael bas Shoshanah Chemdah. 

Kol Tuv,

Reuven Chaim Klein

Beitar Illit, Israel

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