If you want to understand Jewish theology, Jewish ethics and perhaps Judaism as a whole, a good place to start is Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 27.
January 05, 2013
Blessed are the Introverts
Occasion(s) / Sh’mot
In this season of college admissions, I found myself speaking the other day with a congregational parent about the two very different worlds of campus life that I have experienced. I did my undergraduate work at the University of Michigan, a classic college town if there ever was one.
December 22, 2012
La Clemenza de Joseph
Occasion(s) / Va-yiggash
In the annals of our people’s history, there are few figures considered so wicked, so worthy of our contempt as Titus.
December 08, 2012
Cells Without Numbers, Prisoners Without Names
Occasion(s) / Va-yeishev
Given the multiple “New Years” observed by Jews throughout the year – Rosh Hashanah, Tu BiShvat (the Jewish Arbor Day), the first of Nissan – it is not surprising that another such Jewish New Year, Yud Tet b'Kislev (the 19th of Kislev) came and went last Monday, December 3, without much fanfare.
November 10, 2012
Zerizus
Occasion(s) / Hayyei Sarah
If you really want to appreciate the kind of person Rebecca was, then you need to know two very important things about the Near East. First, a thirsty camel will, on average, drink up to one hundred liters per watering session.
October 26, 2012
Israel's Promise and Challenge
Occasion(s) / Lekh L’kha
Pop Quiz: what is the very first sentence spoken by a man to a woman in the entire Hebrew Bible? Give it some thought From the Garden of Eden to Noah and the flood, all the way through Genesis … when was and what was the first line of dialogue on record shared between a man and a woman?
October 13, 2012
Foundational Questions
Occasion(s) / B’reishit
According to the armchair economist Steven Landsburg, there are two great mysteries of the universe. The first, not surprisingly, is “Why is there something instead of nothing?” Why do we – why does anything – exist at all?
October 07, 2012
Nothing “Just Happens”
Occasion(s) / Shemini Atzeret
There exists in each of us a certain character trait, as understandable and pervasive as it is problematic, that inclines us to believe that things in this world “just happen.” We have a tendency to go about our business, seeing our laundry folded, the dishwasher emptied and dinner cooked and not
October 05, 2012
Keep Moving
Occasion(s) / Sukkot
“Baseball,” said the late great baseball player and manager Leo Durocher, “is like church.
September 28, 2012
The Convergence of the Twain
Occasion(s) / Ha·azinu
Next month, Americans will take note of what is probably the most significant thing that never happened in our country’s history. At the time, the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 brought the world to the very brink of Armageddon.