The Psalms tell us, even ma'asu habonim, haytah l’rosh pinah: the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. We must do the hard work of redeeming, reclaiming, those parts of our essence that we have scapegoated, that we have sent away. We need them to become whole, to be who we are meant to be and become.
Read moreIn the Wake
But we don’t as easily tune into our other ways of remembering. You see we are still riding the wake of the Shoah. We are still in the water, bobbing up and down.
Read moreBlessings and Bugs
It's funny how on a planet of 9 million species, we can so readily think of ourselves, and no other creatures, as the ones. As the Earthlings. Imagine how insulted we'd be if aliens finally landed and, calling out, "Hello Earthlings," they breezed right past us to speak with a rosebush.
Read moreThe New Year and the Doorposts of Freedom
The ways in which we are enslaved, each of us, are often invisible to us. Our narrow-mindedness about who knows what, our blindspots - whether they are political, personal, religious, familial - these are so commonplace to us that we sometimes don't see them.
Read moreVayikr(a) - Where Moses and Esther Meet
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.
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