(M)oral Torah

Although makhlokot (disagreements) stem from forgetting the Torah, Torah thrives and expands as we argue, trying to uncover its truths. When we have different truths, we increase the Torah in the world, and thus beautify it.

The Chanukah lights are intended for people on the “outside” — those on the margins. The internal practice of Chanukah is to turn outward and examine how we help illuminate God’s holiness for people on the outside of our society.

"More and more I begin to believe that we are as defined by those calls for help we do not answer as by those calls that we do."

In this moment, when our communities carry fear, grief, and uncertainty, the identity of wrestling feels especially urgent. Wrestling is a powerful metaphor for faith. It means to hold on — even when understanding feels out of reach.

Laban is happy to use Jacob as a worker and use his own children as tools to extract more value from Jacob, all while telling himself a comforting narrative that he is just doing what is right in his country.

Refusing to abandon each other means being willing to push one another and to be pushed. It requires the bravery and softness of revealing our hurt and our anger, and being open to receiving the hurt and anger of others.

We’re connected to each other in surprising ways, even during this time of disruption and loss.

The other side of the religious voice on reproductive health issues is clear: It’s a woman’s choice, her life comes first, and we should do all we can to honor her as the living image of God.

If the tent, our home, is truly open on all sides, there is an understanding that each person is continuing onward on a different journey. Our Torah is blessing us to be just as supportive in saying goodbye as we are in saying hello.

What does it mean to be righteous or blameless? In a time of rampant corruption and injustice, surely [obeying God] was not enough. Surely, the times called for more than being a good person and quietly following God’s ways.