The Shofar Blasts as a Metaphor for Life
If, as the Talmud tells us, the blasts of the shofar are meant to remind us of crying, (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 33A – specifically of Sisera’s mother – but that is another subject!), then I would offer the following.
Galilee Diary: Justice, Justice
No, if you really mend your ways and your actions, if you execute justice between one man and another; if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place, if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt - then on
Galilee Diary: Taxidermy
The house of Israel named it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and tasted like wafers in honey. Moses said: 'This is what the LORD has commanded: Let one omer of it be kept throughout the ages; that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.' And Moses said to Aaron: 'Take a jar, and put one omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD, to be kept throughout the ages.' As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Pact, to be kept. -Exodus 16:31-34
Galilee Diary: And a Happy New Year
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts.
Congregational Life: Why I Joined, Why I Stayed
I was recently asked by someone I very much respect to address "the" question. So I started to write the answer in a post... about five times without any luck. The "Why does a 20-something join a Reform Congregation" question.
A Prayer for the Start of School
I offer this prayer for the beginning of the school year... And so begins a new year.... May it be
Galilee Diary: You are what you eat
Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall bring an offering by fire to the Lord.
Galilee Diary: Native tongue
...the whole landscape sang in ancient Sephardi Hebrew, which seemed to have been preserved here in its purity.
Galilee Diary: Fade to Black
The Lord, the Lord is gracious and compassionate, patient, and abounding in kindness and faithfulness, assuring love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon. -Exodus 34:6-7
Galilee Diary: Power
Picturesque Arabs sat upon the ground... Here was a grand Oriental picture which I had worshiped a thousand times in soft, rich steel engravings! But in the engraving there was no desolation; no dirt; no rags; no fleas; ...no sore eyes; no feasting flies; ...