People think that things are impossible. Upstairs, there is no such word.

One of my favorite stories from the Talmud involves an old man planting date seeds. I had never eaten a date as a child, but on my first trip to Israel in 1989, I had Medjool dates near the Dead Sea, and I was hooked. As the fellow was planting his seeds, a Roman officer came and chided him for his efforts: “Old man, you will never enjoy the fruits of those trees you plant. Why waste your time?” The old Jew smiled and said that if God wishes, he will also eat from the fruit of the trees. Years passed, and an even older man came to Rome to see Caesar. He brought with him a hat filled with dates. “Do you remember me?” he asked the Roman emperor. It took the latter a second, but then he recalled their first meeting so many years earlier. He spilled the dates on the floor and ordered that his hat be filled with gold. “If his God honors him, then I shall do no less.”

I previously wrote that the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York gave a highly technical opinion that effectively returned a $655.5 million judgment against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and PLO and in favor of the Bauers and nine other American families harmed during the second intifada. The original announcement by the court was like a wife telling her husband that she is pregnant and he didn’t catch it. Then, 10 minutes later, he finally understands and reacts accordingly. On Monday, the story made it to the Israeli news, both in English and Hebrew. The story was identical in both languages, and I was identified as a biologist instead of a biochemist, and my feelings are still hurt. The articles explained that after 11 years, our original victory in district court was affirmed by the appellate........

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