There are plenty of Web sites where you can ask religious questions and get authoritative answers. But AskMoses.com goes a few steps further; visitors at this ambitiously named site can ask their questions and get answers in real time, and they can follow up if they don’t understand.
The gimmick here is simple: The site offers a big group of rabbis and others with extensive religious knowledge. To ask a question, you click on “ask now,” select a screen name and submit your question.
With luck, you’ll enter a simplified chat system and get your answer. If you want, you can follow up and discuss the issue further.
Or you can just peruse the questions others have asked. A “today’s ten top questions” lets you eavesdrop on past conversations — sort of like sitting in on an educational seminar.
So one visitor to the site asks this: “How does reincarnation work?” The answer is direct and to the point.
Most of the questions involve strictly religious matters, but the rabbis don’t necessarily shy away from controversial current events topics.
One visitor, obviously a Muslim, asks: “Why do the Israelis think they own the world?” The answer is low-key and friendly: “They don’t own the world, nor do they want to, just a tiny piece of land to exist on.”
Another wants to know the Jewish view of marijuana. The answer is nuanced; there are possible exceptions for medical use, but on the whole, Judaism’s focus on avodah — “working on your mind” — is not compatible with mind-expanding drugs, the responding rabbi says.
An obvious question for such a service: Who, exactly, are these “authorities”? The answer here is not easy to discern. But by clicking on some of the pictures that stream across a “Meet the staff” section, it becomes apparent that this is another slick Chabad cyberspace operation. So remember: The answers you get will be colored by the Lubavitch perspective.
The site is a model of good Web design; there’s no clutter, no superfluous junk and the package is unusually attractive, despite the goofy animated cartoon Moses on the bottom of each page.
One gripe: Navigation is a little buggy. When you hit your browser’s “back” button to return to the list of questions, you’re thrown out of the site entirely; instead, you have to click on “view all questions” to go back.
But that’s just a quibble. If you’re looking for Jewish answers, attractively packaged and very accessible, you may want to stop by and ask Moses yourself. It’s at www.askmoses.com
* * *
Israel is democracy with a vengeance. There are countless political parties, and they’re always in motion — forming coalitions and then breaking them, mutating into new parties and so on.
Keeping it all straight is hard enough for the experts; pity the poor shlump who’s just mildly interested in the ins and outs of Israeli politics.
A handy all-purpose political Web site can help you make some sense of this organized anarchy.
“Political Resources on the Net” is a kind of Web portal for political junkies. It offers extensive links for political information for dozens of countries around the world — including Israel.
You can get to the Israel section by going to the opening page — www.politicalresources.net — and then clicking on “Israel” on the world map, or you can go there directly: www.politicalresources.net/ israel.htm
What you’ll find is a straightforward listing of links and resources, starting with some basic information about the Israeli political system. Included are articles about Israel’s basic law, an overview of elections and political parties, and links to Israeli political portals.
Then, you’ll find links to many of Israel’s political parties. Note that many of the links are to Hebrew-only sites — and you may need a browser plug-in to make things look right on your screen.
Nothing fancy here, just a big pile of links on a plain, graphically deprived page. But politics mavens don’t need the glitz; the links here are useful and conveniently arranged.
For more information about Israeli politics and government, also check out the always-excellent Jewish Virtual Library — www.us-israel.org/jsource — which offers just about the best overview of Israeli politics for complete idiots. Click on “Israel,” then “politics” to get there.
The writer is a Washington-based correspondent who has been writing about Jewish Web sites since the early 1990s. His columns alternate with those of Mark Mietkiewicz. Besser can be reached at [email protected]