Julian Ungar-Sargon

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  • Theological Essays
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  • Deep Dive Ditty
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  • Dominican University
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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

People scrambling to get away from a leper, in their haste the crowd has left an infant on the roadside, the leper strolls by, ringing a bell; representing attitudes to leprosy. R. Cooper. (1885-1957)

Pesachim 14: Tuma as Contagion

jyungar December 5, 2020

For the source text click/tap here: Pesachim 14

To download, click/tap here:  PDF

Even though I am not a kohen I felt a profound inner revulsion in disturbing the sanctity of the human body when I arrived in medical school in 1969. The dissection lab was divided into groups of 8 medical student with 4 on each side of the corpse for dissection.

Clearly one had to pass this rite of passage (and pass the anatomy examinations) in order to proceed to clinical medicine.

I approached my anatomy instructor, a religious Christian who came down from Cambridge to tutor us, and expressed my concerns.

He fully understood and allowed me to observe the entire 18 months without ever touching the corpse. I felt the divine hand present in this moment.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​