Displaying 1 - 10 of 11
What’s Jewish About These Laws?
By Rabbi Josh Weinberg
May it be Thy will, my God and the God of my fathers, to protect me against the impudent and against impudence, from bad men and bad companions, from severe sentences and severe plaintiffs, whether a son of the covenant or not.
He's a Sexy Guy
When you're as good looking and as "sensual" as Joseph, temptation and seduction are going to find you (see Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 35b). The Torah tells us, "Now Joseph happened to be fair of form and fair of appearance . . .
What Parashat Vayeishev Teaches Us About Going Green
By Cantor Ross Wolman
In this week’s parashah, Vayeishev, we read the story of Tamar’s struggle in the house of Judah (Genesis 38). Tamar marries Judah’s eldest son and he dies. Through the biblical law of levirate marriage, she is obligated to marry his younger brother so that his name may continue. When that brother dies, Tamar must marry another younger brother but Judah is reluctant to send her to him as two of his sons have died while married to her.
Time passes, Judah’s wife dies, and Tamar takes cunning action. She hears Judah is away from home and she dresses seductively as a prostitute, disguising her identity. Judah lays with Tamar and she becomes pregnant. He gives her his seal and cord (like an ID) as collateral until she receives payment.
Joseph and Potiphar: The Named, the Neutered, and the Neutralized
When we last encountered our hero Joseph, he had been sold to traders from the pit his brothers threw him in, had been brought to Egypt as a slave, and had suffered greatly due to his supposedly salacious interactions with Potiphar's wife, all to end up moldering in an Egyptian jail.
The Red Tent: An Interview with Dinah
The following fictional conversation with Dinah, the biblical daughter of Jacob and Leah, is based on an interview with Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent and a preview of the two-night miniseries by the same name airing this December 7 and 8 on Lifetime. The cast includes Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen) as Dinah, Minnie Driver (Return to Zero, About a Boy) as Leah, Morena Baccarin (Homeland) as Rachel, Iain Glen (Game of Thrones) as Jacob, and Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment) as Rebecca.
Ensuring our LGBT Advocacy is Truly Trans-Inclusive
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Center for American Progress’ event, “We The People: Why Congress Must Pass a Comprehensive LGBT Non-Discrimination Act,” where Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the lead sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the Senate, announced his intention to introduce comprehensive LGBT non-discrimination legislation. While the speakers at the event were captivating, the part of the event that stood out to me the most was during the question and answer section when Diego Sanchez, Director of Policy at PFLAG National, spoke about the importance of trans-inclusive advocacy.
"Great Is Penitence, for It Brings Healing to the World"
Great Is Penitence, for It Brings Healing to the World (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 86a)