This is a window into a world previously under examined–Hasidic Jews wearing double lives. The internet has created a more porous society in a world that once had stronger boundaries. It is a modern story of sorts, how the internet and online engagement has reshaped what affiliation looks like for many. It’s an important read that reimagines how faith and commitment have been challenged and reshaped in the modern world.

Hardly anyone has heard of this essay, even fewer have read it. And it’s a shame. Rabbi Carmy is one of the most profound writers of our generation, though he can sometimes be a bit difficult to understand. In this brief compendium written for the now defunct organization ATID, he writes to a philosophical dropout from orthodoxy. Too many other texts focus on those who leave because they weren’t loved or appreciated. Here, Rabbi Carmy masterfully addresses those dissatisfied with the philosophical tenets of Jewish life. It is presented as a real letter to a student and I have no reason not to think it is. It is a rationalistic explanation of the limits of rationalism. And, as he concludes, “the most surprising discovery you make may be yourself.”