Enough With AI, How About Some RI?

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Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

March 27-28, 2026 • 10 Nissan 5786 • Tzav (Lev 6-8).

RI? (If you're reading this at the dinner table, try asking if anyone can guess what that stands for...) 

RI refers, of course, to "Rabbi Intelligence."

In classical Jewish thought, there are two kinds of rabbi, A-Rabbi and B=Rabbi.

An A-Rabbi is an Authority figure. Think Moses—tall, long beard, super firm handshake. This is a guy you're going to listen to (if you know what's good for you). 

Now, although Moses has passed on to the next world, he appointed a successor, and his successor a successor, and so on, and we have rabbis today who can trace their authority all the way back up that chain.

A B-Rabbi is a Buddy. It could be your neighbor. It could be your friend. It could be... YOU. Rabbi B may not be in the chain of authority, but there's another chain that everyone can connect to—the chain of learning.

The original author of the Haggadah was certainly a B-Rabbi and most likely an A-Rabbi as well. With his (likely but not necessarily it was a he) erudition, he crafted a learned text for fellow B-Rabbis to use at their Seder.

Herein lies the problem for modern Jews. How many of us are B-Rabbis who can appreciate the depth and breadth of this masterpiece called the Haggadah?

So we have thousands of commentaries—cheat sheets, if you will—to raise the bar and turn a lay person into a B-Rabbi at the Seder.

But there's one small catch: in order to succeed in the B-Rabbi business, you'll need to... (ahem)...study. 

There, I said it. I said it and I know I'll get flack for it.

Because who wants to study a 2,000-year-old text just so that I can have a Seder? If we understood the Haggadah better, wouldn't that risk making our Seder more meaningful and then take longer? Isn't the point to get through it as fast as possible?

If this conundrum speaks to you, then you probably are the target audience for the Art of Amazement Haggada and you definitely need the 2026 JSLI Passover Kit - a ZIP file of over 15 great Seder resources (PDF of full haggadah, bingo cards, charades, etc. etc.). To get the Kit, you can click here.

Question for your table: What's the perfect length for a Pesach Seder?

Shabbat Shalom and

Chag Sameach

PS - this year's Kit includes our "Healthy & Holy Passover" excerpt from Body & Soul, which you can also find via TorahHealth.org.

PPS - Don't forget to get a copy of the new book - Restoring the Exodus: The Rational Case for the Biblical Narrative — we recommend gifting the pocket-size paperback version to every adult at the Seder

A Tactless Attack Tactic?

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Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

March 13-14, 2026 • 25 Adar 5786 • Vayakeil-Pekudei (Exod 35-40).

Keep reading for a big announcement! (the image at the left is a hint)

To prepare you for it, here's a question for your table: What's worse - when they attack us physically or spiritually?

For many people, one of the highlights of the Passover Seder (in two weeks and change!) is the song, V'he sheh amda.... 

V'hee she'amda lavoteinu velanu
Shelo echad bilvad amad aleinu lechaloteinu
Eh'la she'b'chol dor va'dor
Omdiim aleinu lechaloteinu
Vehakadosh baruch hu matzileinu miyadam

And this is what kept our ancestors and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and God saves us from their hands.

(Here's a group of yeshiva guys singing this week it in a bomb shelter while awaiting their Rabbi to begin the class).

If you don't know the song, start learning it today and by the time Pesach arrives you'll sing it like a pro.

So when they're attacking us in Israel, we understand that because we're "occupiers" or "land stealers." Even in New York we could maybe imagine it's a sociological issue, you know such population density. 

But why are they attacking us in Lyons, Bondi Beach, Jackson, and now Detroit?

The truth is that their hatred is mostly religious, sometimes cloaked in tactful politesse.

Just look at the recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights: the old Wittenberg Cathedral (home of Martin Luther himself, a major amplifier of this hatred) may continue to display on the outside wall one of the most hideous, disgusting, offensive, painful Jew-hating images ever created - the "Jew Pig."

What was the Court's reason? Because the congregation had installed a plaque nearby declaring that this sculpture is historical but doesn't reflect their modern sensibilities.

Oh really?  

BTW - there are about 30 churches in Europe that choose to continue to be adorned with a "Jew Pig."

(Hat-tip to Michael Duelman, who fought this legal battle for nearly a decade.)

One of the biggest attacks on us has been the 150-year-old battle against our national holiday - Passover.

The central ritual of Passover is to tell the story of the Exodus. But if the Exodus never happened, then apparently our entire religion is a mythology.

Personally, I have no problem believing in and telling a story that my parents and grandparents told me.

But these attacks — some by Jewish clergy — have confused people. Is Judaism ultimately a fairy tale? Does the Torah belong on the same shelf as Aesop's Fables — some nice moral lessons, but with no greater verisimilitude than any other mythology?

To respond to these attacks, I'm pleased to announce a new book - Restoring the Exodus: The Rational Case for the Biblical Narrative

Hardcover
Kindle version
iBooks version

You don't need to wait long for the paperback (pocket-size)... it should be available on Sunday. Just in time to order a stack for your Seder.


Shabbat Shalom


PS - You can now get our free Passover download at TorahHealth.org.

You'll Never Believe These Numbers...

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Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

March 6, 2026 • 18 Adar 5786 • Ki Teitsei (Exod 30-34).

So much has happened since last week's Clothes Encounters of the Jewish Kind message, it's hard to wrap your head around it.

(In case you don't follow my podcasts, here's one on the theme of the war and Purim: What Can YOU + I Learn From ʞǝlɐɯ∀?)

The language of numbers is a useful tool for helping think about big things.

Try asking this at your table: How much money would you guess that the nation of Iran has invested over forty years in the singular effort to destroy Israel? How many people would you guess have been involved - full time - in this "Project" ???

I put these two questions into an AI-bot to crunch the numbers. Here are some results:

Category	Estimated Direct Cost (1982–2026)
Proxy & Regional Militias	$45 billion – $55 billion
Missile & Drone Programs	$25 billion – $35 billion
Nuclear Infrastructure (Direct)	$30 billion – $45 billion
TOTAL DIRECT SPENDING	$100 billion – $135 billion

For comparison, that "investment" represents the sum of three years' wages for every Iranian family. It could have fed every Iranian for six years.

How many people have been working on this "Project'?

Category	Avg. Full-Time Personnel	Total Man-Years (Estimated)
Quds Force / IRGC Leadership	8,000	352,000
Hezbollah (Core Regulars)	12,000	528,000
Hamas / PIJ (Militant Wings)	15,000	660,000
Strategic Weapons (R&D/Mfg)	25,000	1,100,000
Regional "Axis" Militias	10,000	440,000
TOTAL	~70,000	~3,080,000

The effort spent on the Project is roughly equivalent to running the entire Iranian healthcare system for nearly a decade, or providing a full year of education for every child in the country for several cycles. The human capital diverted into clandestine warfare has created a reality where there is one full-time "proxy/agent" for every two nurses in the country.

Here's another comparison chart:

Category	Cost Per Family	What it could have bought instead
Proxy Funding	~$1,800	High-speed internet and a modern laptop for every student.
Nuclear Program	~$1,400	A state-of-the-art regional hospital in every major district.
Missile/Drone Dev	~$1,587	A 10-year supply of drought-resistant irrigation for every farm.

The economy has reverted to "pillow" wealth - Iranian households hold around 250 tons of gold coins and jewelry - more than the official gold reserves held by the Central Bank. Rumors of nationalization of private gold has triggered chaos in the streets. This week there has been a surge bartering gold directly for essentials like medicine, satellite internet terminals, and fuel. The gold sections of the major Bazaars in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz have effectively shut down. Merchants are refusing to open their shops, fearing that the "Interim Council" will send security forces to seize their inventory.

So their 40-year national "Project" has now reached its final irony: the state is asking the people to hand over their gold to pay for the very drones and missiles that triggered the Israeli/American strikes now destroying the country’s infrastructure.

According to traditional Jewish sources, when a country - like Nazi Germany or Shia-Iran - becomes singularly focused on killing Jews, it is by definition "Amalek."

Seeing that being dismantled before our eyes is joyous. The job isn't yet complete, but there is every reason to be happy and grateful to have lived to see this moment in history.

The Jewish People have made many mistakes in the past 3,300 years, not least of which was (in this week's Torah Portion) building the Golden Calf. We are far from perfect. Our greatness comes out when we (a) admit and fix our mistakes and (b) unite under the banner of "love your neighbor."

May we continue to hear and share good news.

Shabbat Shalom

PS - You can now get our free Passover download at TorahHealth.org.

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