Vayikra, at the top of Leviticus, takes place during the Wandering in the Desert. It introduces us to the system of sacrifices. The Book of Esther is as different as can be. It combines hints of Scheherazade with elements of suspense thriller. These texts don't seem to speak to each other at all. But each of them has a famous quirk. And their quirks are oddly in dialogue.
Read moreTrump & Shamelessness, Muslims & Complexity, and Don't Forget Love
American Muslims are now experiencing public questions about their loyalties, verbal harassment, threats of vandalism and violence, and proposals of special legislation directed at them. If this reminds you of the situation of Jews in 1930s Germany, it should. And if so, it then becomes our job, our duty as Jews, to intervene - to do now what we wish people had done then. To give our best and our holiest gifts to this task.
Read moreIn the Mosque: How Good, How Pleasant
On my way there it occurred to me that I hadn't thought through the question of whether I would participate in any of the prayer or just be an observer. Would I get down? When I'm in a church, I sit respectfully, I listen for points of connection, but I never kneel. But that's different - in a church it is either an image of Jesus or a symbol representing his divinity that is the thing people are kneeling before. That is a way of understanding God that I cannot share.
Read moreI saw God walk by in the shape of a deer.
I saw God walk by in the shape of a deer
But I didn't have my glasses on
So I couldn't even be sure of the deer
Let alone God.
Return from Brigadoon (Report from Rabbi Land)
I just got back from Brigadoon. That’s how I’ve begun to think of the annual Ohalah conference. It’s the winter jamboree of Jewish Renewal rabbis from around the world. The week felt like being at a yeshivah, not of the old kind, but a yeshivah as you might imagine it in Olam Haba, in Paradise. Rabbis and students of all ages and genders. All of them with a hand in the old texts and an eye on the future of the planet. Progressive people, creative people, mystics and musicians.
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