Moses dies. People grieve. Writers praise. That’s how the Torah ends. “No other prophet arose in Israel, as great as Moses, who was known by God face to face…for the mighty hand and great terror that Moses performed.” (Deut. 34:10-12) So beautiful. And so confusing. Because I would expect Torah’s conclusion to summarize. Not to…
Month: September 2018
Believe in Forgiveness: A Yom Kippur Reflection
I believe in you. That if you set your mind and heart to do something, you can do it. I believe in God. That God can…what? Today is Yom Kippur, so I suppose I believe that God can facilitate forgiveness. But how? In our liturgy, God is a character. A superhero. The seer of consequences.…
Argumentation for Theological Scholars
A slide lecture for research students at the Vancouver School of Theology. This was a fun project! A great opportunity to revisit my foundations in philosophical thought.
Anonymous said the rabbi is...
Anonymous was upset with me. No, not the hacktivist collective. But an anonymous individual. Not someone afraid I would harm them in any way. Just someone who…well, actually I don’t know. For a decade, I worked as rabbi of a wonderful congregation. Once, only once, I received an anonymous complaint. About me, I mean. No story was…
Hannah's Child: Spirituality for a New Generation
The Biblical character Hannah abandons her son. This should shock us. Hannah does not take mothering for granted. Instead, she prays passionately for a child. So passionately that our tradition’s founding sages tell all of us: pray like Hannah. Like Hannah, we should focus our hearts, move our lips, and make no sound as we…