liel leibovitz

The May issue of @tabletmag is here! An abundance of riches, including a celebration of Miles Davis' centennial later this month. Subscribe and read America's best magazine.

@NhavsMaimonides Incredible. Mind sharing the source?

The Ibn Ezra wrote that most people die without souls. Man does not “have” a soul as if it were a separate piece of equipment. “Soul” is the name we give to the human capacity to make choices that are not dictated by biological necessity. If a person only follows his instincts, he is a sophisticated animal. He only becomes “human” at the moment he chooses to act against his nature for the sake of a value that is not grounded in that nature, and if that moment never comes, he is soulless.

@DavidMKeyes Jonathan Greenblatt.

I'm making a list of the 50 Least Influential Jews of 2026. #37 is Gertrude Cohen, 85, of Beverlywood. Nicest woman in the world, but zero influence. Who do you nominate?

I'm sorry, but that's incorrect. This is an ancient Palestinian dance originated in the 1410s by Nae Nae al Twerk, better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Soulja Boy. It is well-documented in the sacred Palestinian text, the Kitab TikTok.

“The Israeli genocide is guilty of creating too many fancy restaurants in Gaza” is peak, perfect retardation. Congrats, guys: after three years of crazy lies and blood libels, you finally hit rock bottom.

The Mets, at this point, are basically the ADL. Huge budget, failed leadership, no accountability, and nothing but contempt for the actual base.

My guest on the Karol Markowicz Show today is Emil Pitkin! We talk his translation of The Penny Is Gone: Meditations of a Soviet Jew, his grandfather's Soviet memoir, predicting an analog future and so much more. Listen anywhere you get podcasts: omny.fm/shows/the-karo…

In an attempt to save their season, Mets are considering a rare 8 team trade: Mets get: Alonso, Nimmo, McNeil, Diaz Jays get: Bichette Rangers get: Semien Mariners get: Polanco White Sox get: Robert Jr Orioles get: prospects Dodgers get: prospects A's get: salary relief

Your weekly reminder to always listen to @GatesGarciaFL

The Education of Cole Tomas Allen by Liel Leibovitz @liel firstthings.com/the-education-…

As communities invest more in security than ever before, the result may not be strength—but a growing sense of fear and dependency. At what point does protection start to erode the very confidence it’s meant to preserve?

American politics has been a bad, abusive, deceptive reality show for a very long time. And @spencerpratt, the next mayor of LA, knows it and is calling out the bullshit: thefp.com/p/spencer-prat…

And yet, somehow, this is not the worse thing an American public school teacher has done this week.

@JoPerryAuthor @tabletmag It sure does. And if New York and California continue to defy SCOTUS, as they currently do, on this issue, and setting up illegal barriers to gun ownership and carrying, then eventually the smart Jews will move to free states like Florida and Texas.

@liel @tabletmag I don't see California or New York approving open carry any time soon and that is where the Jews mostly live in the U.S. Would New Jersey? Does FLA have open carry law?

Fortified synagogues send a message to Jewish kids: your identity is anxiety. There's a better way — not more guards and bollards, but communities that take ownership of their own protection. Armed Guards Aren’t the Answer, from @liel: tabletmag.com/sections/commu…

NEW: Blue jurisdictions are rationing homeless services based on race. In Portland, a non-white, non-native English speaker who is LGBT would get priority over a domestic violence survivor with a 6 yr old child who's been homeless for 12+ months. The policies are shocking.🧵

“Whether it is through my Torah learning or my gun, I am ready to bring Mashiach.” ~Rav Gershon Henoch of Radzin, explaining why he owned a gun

They not like us

@JoPerryAuthor @tabletmag Absolutely.

@liel @tabletmag Thank you. Are you advocating open carry, then? For the mentally-sound?

You are asking a bunch of good questions here, Jo, so let's answer 'em all. First thing's first. In 2024, the last year for which we have good data, a whopping 62 percent of all firearm fatalities were suicides. That's why we have Red flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), a sensible measure currently enjoying robust bipartisan support. Put simply, these measures allow us to enjoy our Constitutional right to bear arms while also allowing family members worried about a loved one's mental state to ask for these arms to be temporary removed from the home to decrease the likelihood of suicide. Onwards to question 2: This one's easy! Google "New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen (2022)," and read the Supreme Court's answer to your query. And as for a gun stopping a truck, two things. First, apologies, but what a silly and a illogical argument: the majority of assailants we've seen come armed with knives and firearms, especially when trying to harm people congregated inside buildings. By your logic, as trucks pose potentially very dangerous weapons, we can ban those, too. But second, and more to the point: Trucks have both wheels and drivers, and both can be easily punctured from a distance by a reasonably trained shooter. Hope this helps.

@tabletmag @liel Guns in the home raise risk of homicide and suicide; do you really think NYC will permit open carry gun laws? How does a gun stop a truck?

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