Blog under Construction

I upgraded the blog template for Pesach, but lost some changes. The blog will now be able to have more things on the side and be easier to edit.

Tzoveya - Dyeing

This is the fourth Shabook. It was written by B. Goldberg and illustrated by me. These images didn't scan in perfectly, and they're even harder to figure out how to print. This time it's a larger two-sheet edition. Each corner has a page number so you know what order it's supposed to be. Directions for printing (to further confuse anyone who thinks they can) :

1. Print out the page with the cover quarter.
2. Print out the page with the inside cover quarter so it comes out on the back of the cover.
3. Do the same for the bottom two pages.
   
4. Put the two pages together and fold in half lengthwise, then widthwise.
5. Cut off the top and staple the side.

Melabain

Click on the images to enlarge. The books have to be printed out, folded and cut correctly to be in order. I might edit it sometime so it can be read on the computer. It needs a little fixing anyways.

Hilchos Shabbos

A long time ago, I said I would publish some Hilchos Shabbos mini-books. 4 of them have already been written. I'll probably put them on the blog this weekend. Eventually, maybe I'll publish them on Lulu.com.

UPDATE
There are 4 Shabooks in existence: Shemiras Shabbos, Gozez, Melabain, and Tzoveya. All of them are based on R' Ribiat's "The 39 Melachos". I created them because many people don't know basic hilchos shabbos and these mini-books are easy to read. They're for ages 7 and up.

Google Ads

I added some ads on the side. If an ad interests you, click on it. Since I've started the blog, there's been 6 clicks.

Update:
I've removed the ads since most of them were for things like interfaith marriages or Jesus.

Comments I've put on Hirhurim about ID and Miracles

(these comments were taken from the post below)

on comment "explaining" miracles:

what is the point in saying the annenei hakavod were volcanic plumes, etc.?all these things would all still be very unikely so y not just say the electrons, etc. somehow moved in just the right way so as to split seas, etc. it's the same unlikely probability. in addition what was the point in appearing miraculous? to trick the Jews of the time? if it was a miracle to them, y should we have to say it wasn't really? what exactly is the point in saying miracles weren't miraculos? the Ramban explains the purpose in having them happen, what's so problematic? miracles completely show that G-d created and cares about the world and there's Hashgacha. people who don't like the idea shouldn't like the idea of the universe being created in 10 ma'amoros either, it's the same thing - G-d appears to b doing things in a (chvsh) "cheaper" way, y couldn't He just do it w/o miracles, with only one ma'amar? but there is a reason - it adds value to the world, it shows G-d cares even about us...
people might not like the idea of law-breaking miracles b/c they don't happen nowadays, but we don't have nevuah either. there was s/t about the times of a'vodah zara that made nevuah and maybe miracles able to happen (perhaps they didn't affect bechirah as much then) nowadays it's not like that and we can't even detect those times well, the Jews' clothes didn't even wear out, they left no records.
eventually this will b discussed more on my blog.
(rav on 10 makkos)

Hirhurim, ur point is not relevant to design:

Hirhurim: This came to mind recently upon reading an article about the merits of various scientific theories by a rabbi with no advanced scientific training, in which the author declared a particular scientific theory to be "illogical" and unscientific.

me: maybe to declare a theory illogical w/o knowledge is wrong but certain conclusions can be drawn no matter what. certain issues do not require the best scientific knowledge to determine. this universe appears designed no matter what level of scientific knowledge u have. u could have lived 3819 years ago and recognized there was a designer just by looking at the universe. u could live now and with just a superficial knowledge of physics and biology and recognize the design. u could be a biochemist and see it even more. or u could be a future scientist, where it will be even clearer to the unbiased. just like a computer appears designed even without having any clue how the CPU works, so too the universe. of course, if u understand the inner workings of a computer, u'll have more appreciation of it, and the same goes for the universe. its a mitzvah to learn about the universe so u can come to greater fear and love of g-d. even though there are many scientists who look at the universe and say it's purely random, a person with much less knowledge can still realize that the scientists are completely wrong. u don't even need to know statistics and probability to tell that this universe was designed.
(fake torah and science)

anti-miracles?
while i agree w/ r' sax that we can find G-d in nature, i believe miracles r still important. they show w/o doubt that G-d exists, cares about our actions and the world and intervenes when necessary. the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim, matan torah and coming into eretz yisroel r the foundation of Judaism, and explain y we have lasted for 3300 yrs.
miracles make even the non-believer exclaim "this is a finger of G-d!". r' sacks says this is a pagan way of thinking. so when the jew saw the "hand of G-d" that was also bad? all the miracles that happened to the jews - what were they for? so they should come to pagan conclusions?
a more sophisticated approach is necessary. nature is amazing and can bring one to figure out theres a G-d, but at certain points in history, G-d performs miracles so the jews can "see" G-d.
(g-d of gaps post)

Amalek, Darwinism and Nazism (draft)

Avi Shafran of Cross-Currents recently wrote about Amalek and the worship of Randomness.
I put a comment there:

Amalek also heard about the miracle of the sea splitting, but it didn’t react like other nations - it explained the miracle “The wind was blowing, it was pure chance”. Amalek so hated the Jews implication of purpose that it attempted to destroy them, but not by abiding to any norms of war, instead attacking the weak and unprotected Jews at the rear.

Although the idea of Evolution has existed for thousands of years, and Jewish sources also say only the beginning was creation ex nihilo, until recent times most people still saw the need for a Designer. Only in the mid 1800’s was it proposed that all of the amazing miraculous creation could be explained by pure chance and a purposeless struggle between creatures.

Herbert Spencer, a Social Darwinist, invented the term “survival of the fittest”, the fundamental belief of Darwinism. Charles Darwin himself said:

We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man itself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed.
(Descent of Man)

Eugenics, the application of Social Darwinism, was popular in America and Europe until the rise of Nazi Germany. The Nazis hated the idea of a G-d, but still believed in purpose to existence – the strong should dominate or annihilate the weak and rule on their own. They were big believers in Darwinism. Their antithesis was the Jews, who, as Hitler said, “The Jews have inflicted two wounds on humanity: Circumcision on the body and conscience on the soul." The Nazis therefore tried annihilating the Jews.

Although Eugenics has lost popularity, and most atheists aren't killing Jews, the idea of Darwinism that everything is just the result of randomness, without a higher purpose, is still quite common. This is similar to the philosophy of Amalek.