by Ram ben Ze'ev Caring for Parents, Dwelling in the Land, and the Cost of Language Creep An English reader encountering the phrase “honouring one’s parents” is already standing on unstable ground. The Hebrew commandment is not about ceremonial honour, reverence, or emotional esteem. It is about responsibility, provision, and care. The Torah speaks in the language of action, not sentiment. When we translate this obligation as “honour,” we unintentionally soften it, moralise i

by Ram ben Ze’ev America First—or Empire First? Trump’s Venezuelan Rubicon Full Disclosure I write this as a long-time supporter of President Donald J. Trump. I voted for him in 2016, again in 2020, and once more in 2024. My support has always been grounded in his rejection of endless wars, globalist interventionism, and the idea that America should act as the world’s policeman. Precisely because of that support, what follows matters. If the future leadership of the Republica

by Ram ben Ze'ev When Protection Is Withdrawn: The Halakhic Meaning of the Tenth of Tevet The fast of the Tenth of Tevet is not a historical reenactment nor a gesture of mourning directed outward. From a halakhic perspective, it is an inward act, rooted in responsibility rather than accusation. The siege of Jerusalem that began on this day is remembered not because of the cruelty of our enemies, but because of what was revealed about ourselves when Divine protection was withd

by Ram ben Ze’ev Christmas and the Invention of a Birth Date Christmas is presented to the world as a celebration of a birth said to have taken place on 25 December. That claim is repeated so often that it is assumed to be historical fact. Yet when examined carefully—using the very text relied upon by its proponents, alongside historical, agricultural, astronomical, and Jewish considerations—the December birth narrative collapses entirely. What remains is not history, but con

by Ram ben Ze'ev Reclaiming the Language of Revelation Language is never neutral, and within Judaism it is never accidental. Every word we use either preserves the inner truth of Torah or subtly reshapes it. When foreign terms are introduced, normalised, and repeated often enough, they do not merely translate our tradition; they reframe it. Over time, that reframing alters how Torah is understood, taught, and lived. The phrase עשרת הדברים (Aseret HaDibrot, Ten Utterances) sta

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Illusion of Profit: Why Strategy’s Bitcoin ‘Gains’ Cannot Be Realised There is a dangerous misunderstanding spreading among retail investors, and it centres on one word: profit . In recent months, Strategy’s public filings and presentations have increasingly framed Bitcoin price movements in terms of operating income, net income, and earnings per share. To the untrained eye, this implies something intuitive and reassuring: that Strategy is generating prof

by Ram ben Ze’ev Dilution Without Delivery: When Compensation Becomes a Shareholder Tax The reinstatement of Elon Musk’s 2018 compensation package by the Delaware Supreme Court has been widely framed as a victory for performance-based pay. That framing obscures the real issue. The question is not Musk’s personal wealth, nor the speculative figures attached to it, but the concrete cost imposed on Tesla and, by extension, on its existing shareholders. At its core, the 2018 pack

by Ram ben Ze’ev When Words Are Corrupted, Meaning Is Lost Language is not a cosmetic choice in Judaism. Language is the vessel of truth. The Torah does not merely describe reality; it creates it. G-D spoke, and the world came into being. When we alter the words, we alter the world they shape. Today, our message is in crisis, not because Jews have forgotten how to speak, but because we have grown careless about what  we speak. Even within Jewish publishing houses, educational

by Ram ben Ze’ev Hanukkhia I have written at length about assimilation within the Jewish Community, both within Israel and throughout the Diaspora. Language is never neutral. Accents, borrowed phrases, and careless substitutions are the first steps a person takes when trying to blend in, to avoid standing out, to be accepted. This subject has reared its head again because we are in the midst of Hanukkah. As we celebrate the festival and light a growing number of candles each