Life is complex. Decisions are complex. Torah is complex.

This is one of the mottos or slogans of our blog's parent, Nishma.org - founded By Rabbi Ben Hecht


Slogans usually should be taken with a grain of salt.

Yet this slogan advances the notion that things are not always so simple. And is a very "unslogan" slogan!


Reducing Judaism to a slogan was tried By Hillel HaBavli. Yet even he added the caveat "zil g'mor" Go Learn!


Talmud Torah k'neged Kullam is perhaps another simplified slogan with a complex implication.


Slogans and Dictators:

Lenin came to power by sloganeering:
"All Power to the Soviets". But it was a dishonest ploy. He actually meant to say "All power to the Bolsheviks"

Hitler gained power with slogans such as "the Jews are our misfortune". IOW get rid of the Jews and utopia will ensue.

Stalin monopolized power by stating "It's all Trotsky's Fault". A simple slogan

Both Hitler and Stalin were particularly evil - in part because their over-simplified slogans were founded upon demonetization of "the other".


A Hypothetical Hareidi version might sound like "it's all the fault of the Zionists". Strangely, and ironically the Palestinians would probably have a similar slogan. Overly simple demonetization of "the other"


Beware of the overly simple slogan - especially when it involves a demonetization and always remember:

"Life is complex. Decisions are complex. Torah is complex."



Shana Tova

RRW