Michel Foucault (1926-1984), French philosopher and historian. Sure, we all cite him, but have we read his work lately? And…
Category: Political
Pluralism: Does it Deserve the Death Penalty?
Religious Pluralism. Let’s say you’re an advocate. Because traditions develop all over the world. Different rituals, liturgies, and customs awaken different parts of the…
Twitter and Torah: Reading Parshat Ekev
Summer is winding down. Mine was productive and wonderful. Except for three weeks I spent on the couch hosting a…
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…
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…
Graduation! Or: Naso, A Personal Reflection
Graduation. Yes! This week, our daughter graduated from Simon Fraser University. Remember ancient rabbinic astrology? How it draws on the…
Antisemitism: Beyond Binary Thought
Antisemitism. Apocalypse. Islamophobia. Trauma. Whew! We finished the “Religion and Violence” conference. So much hard stuff! No wonder everyone wanted…
Emor: Community with room for disability
Priests and sacred offerings. Disability and defect. Also, the death penalty. These are the themes of Parshat Emor, this week’s Torah reading.…
Leviticus: Love of neighbour is love of self
Leviticus. Vayikra. Not the easiest book of Torah. Five years ago, I started to teach at the Vancouver School of…