Category: Uncategorized
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This Sunday, I am Fasting for Black Churches
This Sunday is the observance of the 17th of Tammuz. More than just a date on the calendar, it is a minor fast day in the Jewish tradition. [N.B.: Sunday is actually the 18th, but because the 17th falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed one day.] The day marks the beginning of a three…
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Why We Should Separate Civil and Religious Marriage. And Why We Shouldn’t.
It is my turn again at the Rabbis Without Borders blog on My Jewish Learning. Here are some reflections on last week’s Supreme Court decision on marriage. Why We Should Separate Civil and Religious Marriage. And Why We Shouldn’t.
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Why Today’s Supreme Court Ruling is a Victory for Judaism (For Reasons Not Having to do With Health Care.)
Today the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare,” will not be gutted of one of its key provisions: that federal subsidies to pay for health insurance would be available to qualified applicants who sign up through a health care exchange. The question hinged on whether or…
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Listening to Jeremiah in Charleston
Yesterday was quite a day. Yesterday was an amazing spiritual confluence: in the Jewish calendar it was Rosh Hodesh Tammuz, the first day of the month of Tammuz. For Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan began. And Pope Francis issued a major encyclical on the environment, which hopefully promises to change the way we address…
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The Mission Does Not Take Care of Itself
This is the season of graduation. Last week I was honored to attend the graduation ceremony of my rabbinical school, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, as a board member of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. Ozi had his graduation exercises from middle school earlier today before all the eighth graders went off to Wild Waves. And this…
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Is Capitalism Hurting Synagogue Life?
As I’ve shared with you, in addition to my regular blog, I blog once a month at the Rabbis Without Borders blog on the My Jewish Learning website. (My slot is usually the first Wednesday of the month). It is an honor to join a chorus of my colleagues in bringing diverse voices, opinions and…
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In the Wake of the Police Shooting in Olympia
I got behind in my usual posting, etc. because of the events in our Olympia community over the past 48 hours: the police shooting of two African American men in the early morning hours. Without getting into the facts of the shooting, it is enough to say that the fact of it happening raised a…
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Shavuot: Learn, Teach, Read Ruth, Plant, Eat Fruit, Eat Dairy, Commit
Poor Shavuot. In our Jewish calendar, we have minor holidays that get the major holiday treatment. Hanukkah, for example. It is not a biblical holiday, it does not strike major theological notes, yet since it falls in the winter around Christmastime, it tends to get much attention and observance. Then we have major holidays that…
Rabbi 360 