So, I read a disturbing report in the Washington Post. Because I think it speaks volumes about America- and maybe even the world.
Continue reading Is your religious denomination “Football”?
Tonight is the first night of Chanuka. For those of you who follow the Gregorian calendar, you would say the holiday is arriving early. It won’t fall this ‘early’ again for some 80,000+ years. (Chanuka always falls on the 25th day of Kislev, though, in our calendar.)
Thursday, 26 September 2013 (or Friday, depending where you were in the world) was Simchat Tora- the rejoicing of and in the Tora. On that holiday, we read the last section of the Tora and immediately start anew with the first. From Zot HaBracha (Deuteronomy 33-34) to Breishit (Genesis 1-6:8).
Continue reading A little perspective?
Today is another holiday. This one is really a festival. One we get to celebrate without being in synagogue all day. But by the end of next week, I’ll have taken off a total of 6 whole days (Yom Kipur was on a Saturday) and three half days for the Jewish Holidays in September- plus the secular Labor Day. Recognizing that there also were 9 weekend days, you can see that means only 12 working days this whole month .
Continue reading Another holiday? Yup!
If I were able to work on the 7th day of Pesach (Passover), I would have posted this then. But, that day is one of the days where work is proscribed. So, this post was scheduled for today, the first day back to work after the holiday.
Continue reading The Song of the Sea
Today is a very special day. Believe it or not, this day is celebrated by more Jews than those who celebrate Rosh Hashana (almost 3:1). Yes, even those who consider themselves “Secular” Jews.
Continue reading Wait until dark…
The third book of the bible, Vayikra (Leviticus), has an interesting pronouncement. This book (with its ten parshiot- weekly readings, 27 chapters in all) is concerned with priestly duties (hence Leviticus, of the Levi tribe, of which a select portion were the Kohanim- priests), sacrifices, and the laws. And, no, sacrifices are no longer effected. (They stopped with the destruction of the Great Temple.)
Continue reading What a difference a word makes…
Less than 40 days after the Israelites had their compelling encounter with the Supreme Being, they did something foolish. They constructed a golden calf, an idol, an affront to that very Supreme Being that got them out of slavery and let them cross a sea- unscathed- while the Egyptian army perished in that self-same sea. What leadership lessons can we learn from this?
Continue reading Do you allow golden calves?
True confessions? Yes, that’s how I will start today. (But, I probably will end with a wonderful happy dance. Twice or so.)
Continue reading Many of you are not going to like this..
I saw a wonderful play the other day. “New Jerusalem” performed at the Theater J. (Kudos to Ari Roth, the creative Artistic Director, who is often attacked for taking non-traditional stands.) This is a retelling (of sorts) of the interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza (1656) that led to his excommunication; a discourse between traditional belief and modern thought, faith and philosophy- in other words, a very modern dilemna.
Continue reading Was Spinoza Wrong?