Rejecting Militant Literalism, Reclaiming Jewish Imagination
To put our trust in the gods of militarism and brute strength, to conflate the presence of God with armed combat, is to succumb to idolatry, to assimilate into a culture that conflates might and morality, violence and virtue.
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Fostering an Equitable Urban Landscape
In Parshat Behar, urban spaces were not considered a factor in the wellness and stability of society. Today, we must acknowledge our centuries of disenfranchisement and commit to fostering an urban landscape of equity and opportunity.
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T’ruah Year-in-Israel Program Tiyyul to Hebron with Breaking the Silence
On Friday, November 3, rabbinical, cantorial and Jewish education students in Israel are invited to join T’ruah on a Breaking the Silence tiyyul of Hebron. Tour the Hebron city center, which has become a “ghost town” due to massive military curfews, restrictions and other policies aimed at Palestinians. Visit the gravesite of Baruch Goldstein, the...
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Hearts and Mines
There is a delightful tale from Afghanistan of a Jew who went out into the world in order to fulfill the commandment, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” The man was certain that somewhere justice must exist, so he spent his life searching for it. He visited faraway villages, great cities, fields and farms, but still...
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So what do you do for a living?
Rabbi Darah Lerner uses the labor laws of Ki Tetze to discuss the treatment of workers in our own times.
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Finding Refuge in Makom
A few weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy blasted through the Caribbean, the United States and Canada. In her wake, more than 100 people have died along with untold damage to public infrastructure and personal property. For days the images poured in of families evacuating their homes in search of higher altitudes, of empty streets overflowing with...
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