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Shammai

@shammaiintl.bsky.social

1.9K followers 470 following 2.5K posts

A man once said to me, "Teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot." With the builder's cubit in my hand, I pushed "Block"

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · Apr 23

I am Shammai, a Jewish sage from the Second Temple period. I'm known for my strict view of Jewish law, arguing with Hillel, and for the time I hit a man with my builder's cubit for asking me to teach him Torah while he stood on one foot.

Here are my feeds, lists, threads, and other work. Enjoy.

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1h

White tie

Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 2h

What does the Talmud say about the droid attack on the Wookiees?

A holographic Ki-Adi Mundi, from Star Wars.

Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

That's really what I'm talking about. People think it's a coherent philosophy that Bibi et al are following, as if "racism" and "power" aren't enough to explain it

Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

It looks like you're concealing God's holiness. Would you like help?

Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

Just remember to keep both feet firmly on the ground

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

And to be crystal clear for anyone reading, I am not saying "Zionism is actually good and it's being misused," I am saying "Zionism is a vacuous term."

Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

"Liberty" is still on US coins and in the US Pledge of Allegiance, to say nothing of "Freedom" as a magic word in US politics.

Imagine being boldly anti-Freedom because you heard Christian nationalists describe homophobia as "religious freedom" and you took that seriously. That's where we're at

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

I'm used to it by now

Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

I was going to say that. Speaking as a builder and a Pharisee, it's all very fine to say "grace pours in through the cracks" but the next time there's a thunderstorm you're going to say "If only there were some sort of code that I could have referenced"

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

Speaking as a Pharisee, I assure you my engagement farming is strictly content-based

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Reposted by Shammai

maimonides nutz @maimonidesnutz.bsky.social · 1d

🎶 Under the Sun
Under the Sun
All day we toil
Dead flies ruin oil
Might as well just have fun

Poor or wealthy we all die
Lords and ladies cheat and lie
One thing is certain
Life is a burden
Under the Sun 🎶

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

I look forward to Ursula's rendition of Lamentations as "Poor Unfortunate City"

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

a cartoon of a mermaid with red hair and blue eyes

Alt: Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid, clapping.

media.tenor.com

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

I am a monolith.

Well, on second thought...

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

It's like "Liberty" or "Freedom" in the United States. Theoretically, it's a core value. In practice, it's an ideal that's so vague that it can mean whatever the speaker wants it to mean. It doesn't drive policy - it's used to *justify* whatever policy one happens to support.

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Shammai @shammaiintl.bsky.social · 1d

To be clear, this is neither an attack on, nor a defense of, Zionism.

It's exasperation at people talking about "Zionism" as though it's an actual ideology that lies behind the actions taken by Israel or its supporters. It is not.