@KitFox Many bar mitzvah boys get books, and many don't appreciate them. (Of course, some do. I did.) Bear in mind he's only 12. :-)

@MonicaCellio Yes.

@MonicaCellio You may have forgotten about this, but I think I remember you asked Jake in a comment about an English translation of Abarbanel (I couldn't find the comment in a search). Maybe I should call to your attention a new translation (reviewed by Rabbi Gil Student on his blog), in case you didn't see it.

(Though his review only briefly and uncritically discusses the omission of his questions from the translation, while I think it's kind of big, because the questions — and his answers and step-by-step discussion of what answers what — are the part by which I best recognize him.)

@DoubleAA I recommend that you avoid confessing to murder in SE comments. Regardless of your theology of cause and effect, investigators are very likely to opt for an interpretation that emphasizes the free will aspect.

@ba thanks for the pointer! I had not seen that.

Any objection to me expanding this comment slightly into an answer, with no evidence presented other than my own life experience and the WP entry?

@IsaacMoses Who better to comment about how Jews feel about the word than a Jew?

@DoubleAA I dunno. A linguist/sociologist who studies Jews and their attitudes toward words?

@IsaacMoses if one of those comes along, sure, but meanwhile, I think an experience-based answer is appropriate.

@MonicaCellio @DoubleAA OK; thanks. Answered and deleted comments.

@ba I actually just found out about this yesterday as well (independent of R' Student's blog). While I have yet to see the book, I think I would agree with Gil when he writes "Purists will probably rebuke Bar Eitan for his simplifications but non-specialists will find this aspect of the book fascinating and digestible." Bar Eitan deletes most of the questions/analysis-of-earlier-commentators/grappling -with-the-facts and just retains Abarbanel's conclusions.

I imagine that someone like me would be frustrated to no end reading through this book. On the other hand, it is a great contribution to those who would otherwise never see Abarbanel's point of view.

@MonicaCellio ^^

Anyone remember the URL of the Google Docs form that SE has for suggesting links for them to feature on the SE social media feeds?

@jake yeah, sounds like -- ideally someday I'll "graduate" past the point of needing this book, but right now it sounds like it would be a win for me.

@IsaacMoses I don't even remember such a thing existing.

@DoubleAA There might be starred reference to it in the mod chat room

@IsaacMoses Don't see it. Unless you mean the general one?

@DoubleAA nope. thanks for looking

@IsaacMoses docs.google.com/spreadsheet/…

(I had it bookmarked, but only at home because google docs is blocked at work.)

@MonicaCellio Thanks!