Paintings! They're Like Tv, But They Don't

I Grew Up In A Very Secular Home With No Religion At All, So I Was Starting From Zero.

This Is What The Sabbath Should Feel Like. A Pause. Not Just A Minor Pause, But A Major Pause. Not Just Lowering The Volume, But A Muting. As The Famous Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel Put It, The Sabbath Is A Sanctuary In Time.

Let Me Tell You, Though: Being The Smartest Boy In The World Wasn’t Easy. I Didn’t Ask For This. I Didn’t Want This. On The Contrary, It Was A Huge Burden. First, There Was The Task Of Keeping My Brain Perfectly Protected. My Cerebral Cortex Was A National Treasure, A Masterpiece Of The Sistine Chapel Of Brains. This Was Not Something That Could Be Treated Frivolously. If I Could Have Locked It In A Safe, I Would Have. Instead, I Became Obsessed With Brain Damage.

I’m Not A Fan Of ‘write What You Know.’ If You Don’t Know, Find Out. I Knew Nothing About The Bible Before I Started Writing ‘the Year Of Living Biblically.’ That Was Kind Of The Point – To Learn.

I Found There Were Things About Religion That I Really Loved; Things Like The Sense Of Gratefulness That It Brings.