When I once clerked in a Civil Litigation Law Firm, a partner assigned me writing and research projects. Upon task completion, I would meet with him to go over the drafts.
Every time he went over my writings, he eviscerated them. His red pen bloodied all four corners of the pages. My work product died many painful deaths. Hannibal Lechter met Hammermill paper way too many times!
Eventually, I got lucky on a task. I found an exact sample of the assignment. Even better, my boss had authored it.
Like any good legal practitioner, I copied it verbatim. Unlike any other field, plagiarism in law is a good thing. The sin in legal writing is to not properly cite legal authorities.
With the assignment completed, I met with my nemesis for another soul butchering. While he somewhat approved the letter, he nevertheless bloodied it up with his red inked scalpel.
Catharsis set in as I watched him stab into my sentences. This was my Kobayashi Maru moment. Unlike Captain Kirk who triumphed over his “no win” scenario Kobayashi Maru test, I embraced the “no win” scenario. I now understood that sometimes people intentionally and endlessly desire to mess with you. It’s more about them than it is about you.
Recently, the WordPress’ Jetpack AI Feedback Generator Upgrade beset me with flashbacks of my old boss. The upgrade transformed the AI from the cool and encouraging Tenth Grade English Teacher into my nasty former Curmudgeon Bossy Barrister.
The current version produces an endless multitude of bullet point criticisms. A literary firing squad. Every time I requested feedback, I felt that I was being blindfolded and set to be executed by ten bullet(point)s.
The AI is now, while full of constructive criticism, shows no love; no compliments. No “good job”, no “excellent work.” Criticisms to infinity. Enraged, I went postal!
Postal in October
This October was a unique for posting. Beyond the tension with the AI feedback, the month was packed with holidays. While I could not get any digital or virtual pats on the back, I was at least gifted with ample blog post material.
October’s first post was a blog staple. Writing on biblical literacy offered the opportunity to address a topic popular post-October 7. While many people believe Zionism is a modern movement, they are not aware of Zionism’s roots within the Hebrew Bible. The holiday’s scriptural read provided great content.
The Book of Death was a risky title choice and it failed. Never do it! Poor word choices in titles will kill any opportunity for your work to be read. Some words simply do not inspire the need to read.
The post ironically touches upon this exact issue. Death is a reality most individuals wish to avoid. We all want to live and be placed in the Book of Life.
Sometimes, flipping the switch is a fun way to explore a topic.
Are there people who are so good that they are completely without sin? If so, what do they do on a day devoted towards seeking forgiveness?
This post inspired me to being a series of posts on the role of sin in society. Essentially, we have two types of sin, social and criminal. How did a Ten Commandments’ based society provide individuals with a clean slate after sin?
The Saturday Morning Quarterback was another post that fell flat. This post was sacked! There is hope for this post, however. The Jewish Quarterback for BYU, who played on Yom Kippur still has his team in national championship contention.
A Very Ten Commandments’ Moment carries on the theme that the Ten Commandments involve something more than the words. In this Post, it discusses how the Decalogue’s manufacture was a collaborative effort. Both God and Humanity contributed as Moses crafted the tablets while God acted as the scribe.
I found a pristine copy of David Wolpe’s book on David at a library sale for a quarter. What did I have to lose? I decided to do a book review and critique.
Ironically, I attended the high holiday services at which Rabbi Wolpe was present. While I had the opportunity to approach him about the book. I chose not to because I hadn’t finished it. I was happy that I didn’t. Perhaps, I wouldn’t have gotten the value out of the complete read had I engaged him.
I found his book as a launching pad to reveal the Monarch’s striking connections to his sons Amnon and Absalom. Arguably, his progeny were amplifications of himself. Amnon amplified his wrong doings while Absalom was an amplification of his charisma and desire for power.
Interpretation and translation are the challenge of dealing with ancient sources. This is a like skill for that everyone should engage in. This post is to spark one’s intellectual light.
The Sabbath arguably is a reward for working six days. Thus, is the work ethic something that should be valued as part of the Ten Commandments? This Post addresses this issue which is a Blog theme.
In Los Angeles, politicians only do their jobs when faced with elections and special events, i.e. the Olympics. Other times, the City is neglected.
This observation carried into national politics with this years’ Presidential Election. Progressive ideology that was continually imposed upon society suddenly disappeared when votes were pursued.
Moving forward, should crazy ideology ever be entertained in the first place? Is it time that people simply dismiss radical ideology point blank?
Any Ten Commandments’ Blog would be remiss without addressing the Noahide Laws. These Laws, which purportedly pre-dated the Decalogue are important as this acknowledge the sophisticated societies pre-dating the Torah.
With the weekly Torah Portion being Noah it was an excellent opportunity to address it on two fronts. Noah’s tale, as well, likely has ancient roots. Prior to the Torah, the Epic of Gilgamesh had been published.
With the modern discoveries of ancient literature, one must appreciate that the Middle East in antiquity was a place which involved rich cultural exchange. With this in mind, we must ask “how did the Torah actually shape the Levant culture?”
Be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 