Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Jewish Curiosity and the Value of Play
An excerpt from my recent Lehrhaus article on Jewish curiosity: Extensive research has established the fascinating connection between...
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Nature of Torah
Rabbi Dovid Campbell
Sep 112 min read
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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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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