Rachel
@rachelneedsanap.bsky.social
Religious Studies & Hebrew Bible PhD student📚/Jewish✡️/ADHD & Autistic🎧/Mythology Nerd🏺/Recovering Attorney ⚖️/Perpetually Sleepy💤
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Rachel
@rachelneedsanap.bsky.social
· Oct 18
A little about me:
I’m an #Autistic #PhD student in #ReligiousStudies, researching myth & ritual in the Hebrew Bible. I was an attorney for 10yrs, until I hit autistic burnout & decided to build a new career around my special interests in myth & religion. Nice to meet you all!
I’m an #Autistic #PhD student in #ReligiousStudies, researching myth & ritual in the Hebrew Bible. I was an attorney for 10yrs, until I hit autistic burnout & decided to build a new career around my special interests in myth & religion. Nice to meet you all!
Reposted by Rachel
I think a lot of Christians tend to think of Judaism as essentially pre-Jesus Christianity and so see it as this static unchanging thing, when in reality Modern Rabbinic Judaism is almost as different from Second Temple Judaism as Christianity is.
Judaism having its own independent heritage, traditions and thoughts distinct from the other Abrahamic faiths is something a lot of people seem to miss out for some reason. They end up treating it as a mirror for Christianity (in the West) not its own thing.
I think the thing that a lot of Christians and atheists miss is that, while Jesus's Jewishness is relevant to Christianity, it's irrelevant to Judaism
August 26, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I think a lot of Christians tend to think of Judaism as essentially pre-Jesus Christianity and so see it as this static unchanging thing, when in reality Modern Rabbinic Judaism is almost as different from Second Temple Judaism as Christianity is.
Reposted by Rachel
I think the thing that a lot of Christians and atheists miss is that, while Jesus's Jewishness is relevant to Christianity, it's irrelevant to Judaism
August 25, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I think the thing that a lot of Christians and atheists miss is that, while Jesus's Jewishness is relevant to Christianity, it's irrelevant to Judaism
Reposted by Rachel
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Cultural History of American Television
2. History of the Holocaust
3. Historicizing American Literature
4. Irrational Media
5. Analysis and Performance of Literature
(radio/tv/film & history dual major)
1. Cultural History of American Television
2. History of the Holocaust
3. Historicizing American Literature
4. Irrational Media
5. Analysis and Performance of Literature
(radio/tv/film & history dual major)
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Creative Writing - Poetry
2. Modern Art
3. Shakespeare
4. Contemporary Fiction
5. Topics in Religious Studies
1. Creative Writing - Poetry
2. Modern Art
3. Shakespeare
4. Contemporary Fiction
5. Topics in Religious Studies
January 31, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Cultural History of American Television
2. History of the Holocaust
3. Historicizing American Literature
4. Irrational Media
5. Analysis and Performance of Literature
(radio/tv/film & history dual major)
1. Cultural History of American Television
2. History of the Holocaust
3. Historicizing American Literature
4. Irrational Media
5. Analysis and Performance of Literature
(radio/tv/film & history dual major)
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Creative Writing - Poetry
2. Modern Art
3. Shakespeare
4. Contemporary Fiction
5. Topics in Religious Studies
1. Creative Writing - Poetry
2. Modern Art
3. Shakespeare
4. Contemporary Fiction
5. Topics in Religious Studies
January 31, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
1. Hesiod’s Theogony, Works & Days
2. Oral Literature & History of Folkloristics
3. Old Norse Language & Literature
4. Epic, Romance, & Saga
5. Intro to Historical Linguistics
And then I went to law school 🙃
Reposted by Rachel
Once you’ve realized that you don’t feel the same feelings as other people, it becomes difficult to accept over-generalizations about “humanity.”
January 31, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Once you’ve realized that you don’t feel the same feelings as other people, it becomes difficult to accept over-generalizations about “humanity.”
Reposted by Rachel
Relatedly: Every once in a while, I have to read some theorist arguing that there are universal religious tendencies in all humans, or worse, universal myths. And I think: Neurodiversity is just too complex for that.
January 31, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Relatedly: Every once in a while, I have to read some theorist arguing that there are universal religious tendencies in all humans, or worse, universal myths. And I think: Neurodiversity is just too complex for that.
Reposted by Rachel
More of you should be autistic and then you will never ever mistakenly assume that someone else will behave like you
January 31, 2026 at 5:40 PM
More of you should be autistic and then you will never ever mistakenly assume that someone else will behave like you
Reposted by Rachel
People do mean well
January 31, 2026 at 3:45 PM
People do mean well
Reposted by Rachel
Reposted by Rachel
love the autistic urge to just keep explaining
January 30, 2026 at 5:21 PM
love the autistic urge to just keep explaining
Reposted by Rachel
Jews have our own biases when we interpret Torah, but we tend to stay closer to the words of the Hebrew text. Most Christians are working exclusively from translations, so they necessarily lose things.
January 29, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Jews have our own biases when we interpret Torah, but we tend to stay closer to the words of the Hebrew text. Most Christians are working exclusively from translations, so they necessarily lose things.
Reposted by Rachel
Just me repeatedly mimicking random sounds I find pleasing.
January 30, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Just me repeatedly mimicking random sounds I find pleasing.
Fun Fact: English translations of the Torah/Old Testament usually describe baby Moses being placed in a “basket” and sent down the Nile. In Hebrew, the word used is actually תבה (tevah), the same word for Noah’s “ark.”
January 30, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Fun Fact: English translations of the Torah/Old Testament usually describe baby Moses being placed in a “basket” and sent down the Nile. In Hebrew, the word used is actually תבה (tevah), the same word for Noah’s “ark.”
Reposted by Rachel
The kicker on the NYT coverage of the new IACC is embarrassingly bad.
“The chelation vaccine hyperbaric oxygen gluten people represent us more than ASAN or Autism Society” is just brain worms. How is that the last word on a panel filled with kooks and quacks?
“The chelation vaccine hyperbaric oxygen gluten people represent us more than ASAN or Autism Society” is just brain worms. How is that the last word on a panel filled with kooks and quacks?
January 30, 2026 at 1:41 PM
The kicker on the NYT coverage of the new IACC is embarrassingly bad.
“The chelation vaccine hyperbaric oxygen gluten people represent us more than ASAN or Autism Society” is just brain worms. How is that the last word on a panel filled with kooks and quacks?
“The chelation vaccine hyperbaric oxygen gluten people represent us more than ASAN or Autism Society” is just brain worms. How is that the last word on a panel filled with kooks and quacks?
One thing I wasn’t prepared for as a scholar of religion: People assuming that because I study the Hebrew Bible, I must be a religious fundamentalist. They can’t imagine any other reason someone would study it. It says “myth” right in my bio & pinned post, guys!
January 30, 2026 at 3:37 PM
One thing I wasn’t prepared for as a scholar of religion: People assuming that because I study the Hebrew Bible, I must be a religious fundamentalist. They can’t imagine any other reason someone would study it. It says “myth” right in my bio & pinned post, guys!
Reposted by Rachel
The detainment of Liam Ramos brought national attention to the family detention center in Dilley TX. But advocate Javier Hidalgo, said he's not an anomaly. “That’s very much the norm,” Hidalgo said.
Our previous analysis found that ICE booked at least 3,800 children last year...
Our previous analysis found that ICE booked at least 3,800 children last year...
January 29, 2026 at 9:20 PM
The detainment of Liam Ramos brought national attention to the family detention center in Dilley TX. But advocate Javier Hidalgo, said he's not an anomaly. “That’s very much the norm,” Hidalgo said.
Our previous analysis found that ICE booked at least 3,800 children last year...
Our previous analysis found that ICE booked at least 3,800 children last year...
The autism IS moving along nicely today, though, if I do say so myself.
I’m gonna go eat my samefoods & read my little books now.
I’m gonna go eat my samefoods & read my little books now.
TRUMP: And the autism -- that's moving along?
RFK JR: We've commissioned now dozens of studies, maybe over 100, and we're gonna get those done for you
TRUMP: Good. That's so important.
RFK JR: We've commissioned now dozens of studies, maybe over 100, and we're gonna get those done for you
TRUMP: Good. That's so important.
January 29, 2026 at 8:28 PM
The autism IS moving along nicely today, though, if I do say so myself.
I’m gonna go eat my samefoods & read my little books now.
I’m gonna go eat my samefoods & read my little books now.
Reposted by Rachel
The existence of autism is only a problem if your believe in eugenics.
TRUMP: And the autism -- that's moving along?
RFK JR: We've commissioned now dozens of studies, maybe over 100, and we're gonna get those done for you
TRUMP: Good. That's so important.
RFK JR: We've commissioned now dozens of studies, maybe over 100, and we're gonna get those done for you
TRUMP: Good. That's so important.
January 29, 2026 at 5:35 PM
The existence of autism is only a problem if your believe in eugenics.
Whenever you say anything about the Tanakh or Bible online, there’s always a few of these replies!
"I enjoy teaching people about the dirty puns Hamlet makes in Act 3, Scene 2."
"Umm actually, Hamlet never said anything, because he's fictional! 🤓 Please clap for me."
"Umm actually, Hamlet never said anything, because he's fictional! 🤓 Please clap for me."
January 29, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Whenever you say anything about the Tanakh or Bible online, there’s always a few of these replies!
Reposted by Rachel
Antisemitism in the U.S. is at historic levels. At the same time, the term antisemitism has been increasingly weaponized in ways that exploit Jewish suffering and fear to advance anti-democratic agendas.
January 29, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Antisemitism in the U.S. is at historic levels. At the same time, the term antisemitism has been increasingly weaponized in ways that exploit Jewish suffering and fear to advance anti-democratic agendas.
Reposted by Rachel
I’m so thrilled that @nexusproject.bsky.social is building an antisemitism research center. We need research & leadership from Jewish orgs dedicated to Jewish safety & solidarity with other targeted groups rather than prioritizing Zionism & Israel
NEW: Today, we’re excited to announce the creation of the Nexus Center for Antisemitism Research (NCAR), which will work to improve the quality of research, data, and analysis available to advance the broader mission of confronting hate and promoting Jewish safety.
Senior ADL antisemitism researcher leaves to lead competing effort at watchdog Nexus - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Aryeh Tuchman will direct a new Nexus research center focused on improving data, definitions and public understanding of antisemitism.
www.jta.org
January 29, 2026 at 7:36 PM
I’m so thrilled that @nexusproject.bsky.social is building an antisemitism research center. We need research & leadership from Jewish orgs dedicated to Jewish safety & solidarity with other targeted groups rather than prioritizing Zionism & Israel
Apparently people on bsky like Torah lessons! As I do my reading this term, I’ll see if I bump into any other fun facts for y’all.
But yeah, in Hebrew it’s “yam suf,” Sea of Reeds!
But yeah, in Hebrew it’s “yam suf,” Sea of Reeds!
I love seeing Christians’ first reactions to the Hebrew text of the Torah. Today, my Catholic classmate learned for the very first time that Moses split the “Reed Sea,” not the “Red Sea.” It blew her mind! #Jewish
January 29, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Apparently people on bsky like Torah lessons! As I do my reading this term, I’ll see if I bump into any other fun facts for y’all.
But yeah, in Hebrew it’s “yam suf,” Sea of Reeds!
But yeah, in Hebrew it’s “yam suf,” Sea of Reeds!
Reposted by Rachel
But if you lose the word “suf” (reeds), you lose the connection to the story of Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moses in the “suf” of the Nile! So correct translation makes the themes & metaphors clearer & stronger.
January 29, 2026 at 3:30 PM
But if you lose the word “suf” (reeds), you lose the connection to the story of Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moses in the “suf” of the Nile! So correct translation makes the themes & metaphors clearer & stronger.
I love seeing Christians’ first reactions to the Hebrew text of the Torah. Today, my Catholic classmate learned for the very first time that Moses split the “Reed Sea,” not the “Red Sea.” It blew her mind! #Jewish
January 29, 2026 at 1:15 AM
I love seeing Christians’ first reactions to the Hebrew text of the Torah. Today, my Catholic classmate learned for the very first time that Moses split the “Reed Sea,” not the “Red Sea.” It blew her mind! #Jewish
Reposted by Rachel
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free