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A Mathematical Reevaluation of the Prohibition on Counting Jews

JL;DR SUMMARY Mark Glass delves into the halachic and mathematical complexities of the prohibition against directly counting Jews, tracing its roots and interpretations across various Jewish texts. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish TraditionTorah StudyHalachaBiblical InterpretationJewish CommandmentsRabbinic AuthorityCensusCounting JewsIntermediary MethodsExodus 30

Places mentioned

Israel
"Davids failure to heed the command to count Jews via a half-shekel (or any other medium) led to a plague descending upon Israelthe very consequence explicitly stated by God to Moses."

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Retrieved 2025-05-28 05:30:25 UTC
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