Rabbi Dovid Campbell
A Rabbi Aboard the Ship of Theseus
Some halachic concepts seem to be inherently philosophical. While the various procedures of the korbanot or the detailed laws of tumah ...
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Nature of Torah
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Jul 144 min read
Resurrecting the Mammoth
I still remember the first time I saw a wooly mammoth, towering over me in the American Museum of Natural History. It was amazing to...
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Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Apr 193 min read
From Purim to Passover
Experiencing the Divine play... This period between the holidays of Purim and Passover has always struck me as a difficult transition....
41 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Mar 194 min read
Leviathan, the Divine Game, and Redemption
“There the ships go, and Leviathan that You formed to play with.” (Psalms 104:26) The Talmud describes the Leviathan as an apocalyptic...
31 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Jan 42 min read
Moshe's Greatest Qualification
“And Moshe said, ‘I will turn aside now and see this great sight. Why is the bush not consumed?’” (Shemot 3:3) The Torah seems to...
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Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Oct 29, 20236 min read
Letting Go
It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have, it buys at the cost of soul. -Heraclitus We all want...
43 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Sep 4, 20235 min read
The Carrot Revolution
What three painters taught me about the art of living playfully. The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a...
38 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Aug 18, 202314 min read
Introduction to the Perek Shira Project - Part IV
A Mysterious Ensemble We can begin by exploring the history of commentary on the Perek Shira and then analyzing the nature of the text...
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Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Jul 18, 202315 min read
Introduction to the Perek Shira Project - Part III
Although this part of the introduction can stand on its own, part I and part II will provide helpful context. The Great Sage In his...
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Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Jun 6, 20234 min read
Philo’s Torah of Daily Experience
Philo of Alexandria’s writings feel surprisingly modern for a philosopher who lived over two thousand years ago. Although he had a major...
96 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
May 9, 20234 min read
Commanded to be Curious
Maimonides’ “Thirteen Principles of Faith” have become a popular summary of Jewish belief, but they wouldn’t be a truly Jewish credo...
77 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Mar 27, 20239 min read
Introduction to the Perek Shira Project - Part II
In part I, we introduced the controversy surrounding Rebbe Yochanan's teaching in Eruvin 100b and noted that our earliest commentators...
53 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Mar 20, 202310 min read
Introduction to the Perek Shira Project - Part I
What is a lion? The answer may depend on whom you ask. An ecologist will be inclined to view it as a unique component of an ecosystem,...
93 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Mar 15, 20233 min read
Perek Shira: The Snake
The Snake says: “The Lord supports all the fallen, and He straightens all the bent.” (Psalms 145:14) What qualities and behaviors strike...
37 views
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Mar 13, 20235 min read
A Divine Playfulness - Embracing the Torah’s Infinite Game
As a child, I was always in my head, inventing characters and quests in enchanted worlds. I would run around the backyard, swinging a...
90 views
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