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Articles by Yaakov Paley
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Alef Bet Who placed the intimate secret of the cosmos on a plush toy dangling above my little boy's head?
And this little boy? When he awakens, what will he see? Undoubtedly he will marvel at neat rows of colored squiggles and wonder what they are doing in his crib. He is far too young to realize what he is looking at... 17 Comments |  |
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Bus Number 43
Is Nature a sleek bus that makes random stops? Or is the itinerary determined by our input and effort? Perhaps the bus driver ignores individuals but looks for a convenient crowd to smile upon? 3 Comments |  |
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Pestered By Angels
It's not too often that an angel drops by for a cup of tea and a chat, or that one discovers a heavenly being hovering impatiently in the waiting room... |  |
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Tanagers
They seem just as human as the others. They bleed when cut, and the blood is always red. A gentile could eat cholent and a Jew could own a baseball team. Are they one species or two? 3 Comments |  |
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The Dwarf and the Giant
A nation held its breath as, week after week, the enemy sent steel ravens to claw at their skies, pieces of airplane hurtling earthwards together with the bombs. They had no choice but to win, and they did... 6 Comments |  |
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The Sea and the Sandbag
As they disappear beneath the waves, we wonder whether our efforts are futile. Ten bags, twenty bags, thirty bags... It hasn't worked so far, so what's the point of continuing? 1 Comment |  |
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Life as a Mountain
The cause is the mountain itself: it simply and stubbornly gets in the way. The wind hits it with force, and must force its way around or over. As it does so, it carries little pieces of the mountain with it 10 Comments |  |
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The Disappearing Sea
The water recedes, causing his toes to sink into the sand; it rushes back to cover his legs up to his knees. Small waves, big waves. The further the wave recedes, and the longer before it breaks, the further up it will charge up the beach... 8 Comments |  |
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A Very Strange Commandment
"Taking a human life is an absolute no-no. How could Abraham have been willing to kill his own son in cold blood? So what if G-d commanded him--that's no excuse!" 14 Comments |  |
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Freedom in a Cracker
It contains no oil or honey, nuts or fruit, not even a coating of egg and poppy seeds... How did this "bread of poverty" wrangle center stage in the festival celebrating our acquisition of the greatest of wealths--our freedom? 1 Comment |  |
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Twins: a Saga
For what is man/ But a frame/ Of living wood/ With a bark of flesh/ Whose spent years/ Are carefully recorded/ In the rings of his soul/ To be counted and measured/ When his tree is felled--? 2 Comments |  |
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The Rainbow in the Cloud
To touch some of heaven's radiance, then curve gracefully back towards the earth in a glorious ray of colors that are manmade reflections of G-d's truth and hope for mankind 4 Comments |  |
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