Aliens were trending on twitter yesterday. No, not terrestrial aliens like the ones in the picture. (However, I’ll talk about them below). But EXTRA-terrestrials, the kind from another planet. Apparently, the New York Times reported on them yesterday. Well, on efforts to learn more about them. The US Office of Naval Intelligence is studying UFOs.…
Category: Animals
(Don)key to Redemption
The Biblical donkey is here, to talk about redemption. Especially about our role in it. So, let’s hear what the donkey has to say. Balaam’s Donkey King Balak of Moab hires the seer Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam is a dedicated follower of Hashem. So, when God comes to him in a dream and…
Crow: Talking the Talk
The CROW EXPERIMENT worked! I SPOKE CROW and the CROW LISTENED. There’s a highly sensitive, easily agitated crow on our street this spring. I’ve been watching it since April, when it bashed the back of my head. Yesterday it shrieked and flapped at me. When I paused to scold back, it flew at my head…
Sing a New Song
Spoiler alert: you can scroll right down to the video, without reading. Lockdown has its own odd rhythm. So, I’m surprised to realize: I haven’t blogged in weeks! Not because I’ve had no thoughts. But because I’ve been busy. Creating the conference advertised at the bottom here. Singing in virtual synagogue, as in the video…
Jacob: Shepherd or Sheep?
There’s a sweet medieval Jewish work of eco-spirituality called Perek Shira, Nature’s Songbook. The author describes creation as a choir. Every animal sings a different Biblical verse. Sheep chant mi chamocha ba’eilim HaShem – who is like you among the princes, HaShem? Why? The Artscroll edition offers a theory. Sheep are prey. They have no…
Donkey Facts for Prophet Balaam
Donkey week. On the Jewish liturgical calendar, that is. We read the story of Balaam’s talking donkey. Yes, the one that knows the way better than her rider does. She’s more spiritually attuned. More awake. She sees more dimensions of reality. Thus, she’s no different from other donkeys in the Torah. (Read about donkeys in the…
Elijah and the Ravens: An Activist Faith
Elijah is a miraculous character. From his first show of mastery over the rain, to his final ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire. And, in the middle, his crazy, zealous faith. What kind of story is this is? If it weren’t in the Bible, we’d call it “magical realism.” Meaning: the story mostly…
Light of Nature: A New Way to See
Light of Nature. Remember that old philosophical phrase? Descartes uses it in Meditations on First Philosophy. He does not define it, but we can figure it out. It’s a kind of intuition or insight. A special shift in perspective. When it shines, we see clearly. Last week, I saw something new by the light of…
Red Heifer: Who speaks for her?
Ritual of the red heifer (Numbers 19:1-22). A biblical response to grief. But what does it mean? Many of us have seen others die. Maybe in a hospital. On a battlefield. Or on the street after a fight or an accident. It’s a big deal. We might feel awe, grief, shock, horror, anger, or fear.…
Eye of the Animal: Kallah Class Poem
Want a ride to the other side of your vision of me so you can see who I really am? Beyond a fanciful procession of animals entering the ark bathed in light? I’m a head that’s one-third eyes a winged body that can soar power hides within I’m eyes of the horse round and profound…