Animals in Deuteronomy. How does Moses, the narrator, see them? As Other than human, mostly. And mostly not in a…
Magic Snakes (Chukat)

Magic. Sometimes the Torah condemns it. But sometimes the Torah condones it. Like in Parshat Chukat, for example. Magic in…
King: You Don't Want One

YOU DON’T WANT A KING At least, the Hebrew Bible doesn’t want you to want a king. Not a human…
Dayenu: A Spiritual Practice

Dayenu! Enough for us! You may know piyyut, the liturgical poem, Dayenu. Normally we sing Dayenu at the Passover Seder. Dayenu says things like, “If God…
Global Read: Animals, Compassion, Spirituality

Watch a fantastic book discussion, sponsored by the Charter for Compassion. Thank you, everyone, for asking such thoughtful questions about…
Leviticus: What's the Story?

Leviticus (Vayikra) is a book for our time. It is full of wisdom for creating spiritual community. And for dealing…
Chochmah: Wisdom or Skill?

Chochmah. Wisdom. A wonderful Hebrew word sprinkled all around the Bible. But what does it mean? Who has it? How…
Was the Golden Calf Black Magic?

The Golden Calf. How exactly did Aaron make it? Our medieval commentators liked precision. This is their kind of question.…
Peace Prayer Israel/Palestine

A prayer for peace. Holy One of Blessing, we turn towards you to pray for the people of Israel and…