Chester Hollman III Has a Lot of Torah to Teach Us
Chester Hollman III understands what it means to endure the trials and tribulations of the wilderness while dreaming of the Promised Land.
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Peering Outside the Camp
“Joseph’s master had him put in prison…but even while he was there in prison, God was with Joseph.” -Genesis 39:20-21 Bulletproof glass separates me and my congregant. David [not his real name] and I sit opposite one another, in identical, soundproof, cinder-block visiting cubicles at a prison an hour’s drive from my home. He’s wearing...
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Follow Your Heart (Parshat Terumah)
Commentary on Parshat Terumah (Exodus 25:1 – 27:19) Not so very long ago, I was an attorney with an environmental law practice when I heard a rabbi teach that to find one’s true calling, perhaps one should be working on the thing that they felt was most in need of repair in the world. I...
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A Trauma-Informed Reading of Parshat Devarim: Advice to Activists on Building Resiliency
In this week's commentary on Devarim, Rabbi Francine Roston reflects on the need to understand and process trauma before moving forward.
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Be the Window
The window – where the dove returns with an olive branch – is about hope and connection. The window is an escape from the crushing waves of the endless news cycle of fear and violence. The window is a possibility of change – of redemption.
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Hearing and Hearing Out
If you’re like me, the intractable status quo between Israel and the Palestinians is really getting you down. Ever since Yitzhak Rabin’s handshake with Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn nearly 24 years ago, my heart has been given over to the Oslo accords. An Israel and a Palestine, existing side by side in...
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