Scholar Meir Soloveichik notes, “[T]he careful reader of the Bible and the Talmud cannot but conclude that the spirit of the law, if not the letter, is quite clear: Jewish men are encouraged to have beards.” Why? It has to do with a visible rejection of pagan hopes for immortality apart of the Lord of creation.

“By forbidding Jews to destroy their hair, the Bible warns them away from seeking the siren song of eternal youth. By encouraging Jews to grow beards, it reminds them that they will not be young forever, that they must prepare the ground for those who come after, just as their fathers did for them.” Is that why you wear your beard? (Thanks to Abe Greenwald)

The historical angle in this column by Tony Blankley is pretty interesting. He describes the men in the current GOP nomination process and looks at McCain’s potential nomination in light of the Goldwater campaign in 1964. No, no, it’s not that boring. Read it.

We were losing the decisive California primary until a few days before the vote, when Nelson Rockefeller’s new young second wife, “Happy” Murphy Rockefeller, gave birth to little Nelson Jr. — reminding social conservatives of his previous, presumed adultery. Goldwater won by a thin 2 percent.

We went on to the Cow Palace Convention in San Francisco, where we Goldwaterites and Rockefeller exchanged vulgar, angry epithets. Rockefeller, Mitt’s dad, George Romney, and other moderates refused to support Goldwater. Some moderates formed “Republicans for Lyndon Johnson.”

Will history repeat itself with the sides reversed?

I’m feeling low tonight. I think I may be suffering from chicken soup fatigue. And the whole thing’s frustrating. All winter I’ve been trying to get on a workout regimen, using my Nordic Track, and every time I get to where I’m starting to feel the benefits, I come down with another cold. And by the time I’ve recovered I’m back to square one.

Also I suppose I’m feeling guilty because I won’t be attending the Minnesota caucuses tonight. I’m staying away out of principle, you understand. The caucus system is a transparent attempt by The Man to disenfranchise the Avoidant-American community, and I refuse to prop up such an unjust system.

I’ve been listening to talk radio, too, and the calls have convinced me that both of the Republican frontrunners are probably Communist moles. Possibly alien pod people.

Anyway, if you haven’t checked Joe Carter’s Evangelical Outpost today, he has a great post on the true story of Galileo and the Inquisition. It’s not what they told you on the Discovery Channel. The reality was a lot more complicated, and Galileo wasn’t any martyr to science.

He’d have probably caucused, too. The sellout.