In Ashkenazi Jewish culture much wisdom and (often irreverent) humor is conveyed by the antiphony of the Hebrew and Yiddish languages—the first carrying the enormous solemnity of Torah, its sacred words antedating the creation of the universe—the latter an idiom of common sense, often employed by women and others of lesser education. For example, there is this Yiddish joke: “How can you make God laugh?” – “Tell him your plans!” Since my last communication with the readers of my blog, I have sort of lived this bitter-sweet joke. I had announced taking a vacation from my blogging. My plan had...