Judaism for the Thinking Person

The Building of the Tabernacle through the Lens of the Black Church

Given that some of the most influential narratives and Torah legislation are but a few verses long, why is so much of the book of Exodus chapters and chapters of detailed, repetitive descriptions of the instructions and building of the Tabernacle (Mishkan), the priestly uniforms, the utensils, the hundreds of curtain rods and hooks?  I answer this question through my reflecting on the observations of Henry Louis Gates in his PBS Series (during Black History month) on the history of the Black Church in America.  

Making Sense of the Most Disturbing Statement in the Bible

No statement by God seems more morally challenging than the prophet Samuel's demand for the complete annhilation of the Amalekites and their animals, followed by his condemnation of Saul for failing to kill King Agag and the choicest of the animals.  The Amalekites are equated with the nature of evil itself, and so the resurgence of evil and especially genocidal anti-Semitism throughout the rest of time is somehow linked to the failure to "complete the job" of vanquishing them earlier on.  In this very brief teaching, I try to learn a lesson we might otherwise resist from this troublesome piece of Tanakh:  the tendency to fail to complete the job, often through unacknowledged selfish interest that hides beneath the seemingly noble action of "moving on."

"God, Let me receive good counsel!" The 5 minute practice that will change your life

In this 5 minute teaching, I read a poem by Zbigniew Herbert and then share a seriously short spiritual practice that involves receiving the deepest of advice.  In that, I connect the prayer Hashkiveinu to the Mourners Kaddish to my own experience of practicing it.

Jonah versus Moshe: When Do We Hold the King Accountable and When Do We Move On?

As America faces what to do and think about impeachment, I reflect on the dramatic difference between the book of Jonah and account of the final plagues in Exodus where God hardens Pharoah's heart.  In the former, God is so anxious to accept an apology, move on, and look to the future that Jonah wants to refuse God's service, and in the other God prevents the moving on that Moshe is so anxious to get to.

Zikaron and the Filibuster: The Memory of Slavery and Dreaming God's Dream for America

Parashah Bo repeatedly connects the memory of slavery to the establishment of Jewish rituals for all time, from the main features of the Passover seder to the First Fruit offerings in the Temple to ones we forget to associate with the memory of slavery like tefillin.  (Later, even Shabbat will be firmly connected to the memory of slavery.)  We in America have done the opposite by divorcing our institutions from the memory of slavery:  case in point, the Filibuster which was not a patriotic institution of the founding fathers but rather an attempt to preserve slavery by Southern senators, and then to preserve Jim Crow laws.  So should we destroy our American institutions because of these connections?  Are we to be anarchists?  No, the Torah tells us to connect the memory of slavery to taking action in this world to make God's dream for us come true.  That's our imperative.  Reconnect our institutions to their roots so we can be open to what it is God is dreaming for us, what God is dreaming for America.

Geneivat Daat: The Theft of Subjectivity by Media and its Pull Upon Us in the name of Justice

I examine the sin of Geneivat Daat -- theft of another's consciousness through words that might be parse-able but lead another to think something is true which isn't-- as the prevalent sin in a world of fragmented media tailored to incite us, and I relate this to former Jewish Theological Seminar chancellor Arnold Eisen's insight that we readers cheer Moshe on in his riotous act in the name of justsice, only to wonder how we found ourselves in that dubious moral place. 

The Dreams of Genesis and Our Dreams: Our Alignment with the God World

The saga of Yosef is about dreaming beginning to end, with the parashah of Miketz as itself operating according to dream logic.  Are dreams special in the Torah, unlike ours, as some kind of prophecy?  Or is much of Genesis calling our attention to the God world all around us, the one we only know through "knowledge by inacquaintance" (Abraham Joshua Heschel)?  Is it telling us that our conventional "common denominator" way of processing and understanding the world is flawed, limited, one of not knowing God is in this place, that other souls are in this place?  How do we get there?   And how could we possibly when we deprive our teenagers, our children, ourselves of sufficient sleep to even align ourselves with the world our dreams teach us to enter in Torah consciousness?

Reuniting Religion and Psychology: Jacob's Dreams and the Therapeutic Uses of Psilocybin

I relate Jacob's dream of the stairway to heaven and his dream of God-wrestling to the therapeutic uses of psilocybin to treat PTSD, depression, addiction, and end-of-life fear.  

"It's Their Money!"- The Ketubah, Traditional Jewish Marriage, and the Defrauding of Rachel and Leah

The stories of Jacob being defrauded by Lavan are taken to be the plot of the famous period of Jacob working for Lavan for 20 years before fleeing in the middle of the night.  In this teaching, I show that this is a misunderstanding.  Jacob has worked for 20 years for Lavan without being paid, but only 6 of those years are for Jacob and his arrangements with Lavan!  The first 7 years are to earn money that goes directly to Leah, and the next 7 years are for the money that goes to Rachel!  The story is about THEIR being defrauded!  Why does everyone miss this?  The reason is that we misunderstand Jewish marriage:  when we read a Ketubah, when we read the literal meanings of the Jewish ceremony, we presume this is an acquisition of the woman like she's property being transferred from father to husband.  But that's a misreading:  the dowry --which comes from the father or from the woman herself-- is added to the "bride price" (money paid by the man), and the sum of these are then given to the woman in a kind of "lockbox" that cannot be touched and belongs to her.  When we understand this, the Biblical story, the nature of the ketubah, and the mutuality of the covenant of marriage (which is not a form of acquisition) are transformed into their proper perspective.   

Two Types of Fear: Avoiding "Ideolatry" in our Political Divide

Does our system -- oaths of office, public promises, judicial decisions-- depend on fear of punishment or a different kind of fear [a reverence for God]?  Why do I not cheat on my taxes?  Why do I make excuses for policies that benefit me, and even double down on them?  The commentary on the lying of Isaac (and Avraham) written by Rabbi Yitzchak ben Moshe Arama, the "Aqedat Yitzchak," from late 1400's Spain, gives us a clue how to proceed forward in repairing out broken system.