There is a dark side to Purim – Jewish self-defense gone out of control. How do we keep from becoming Amalek in responding to those we've labeled Amalek? What if Amalek is not outside us but in us? What do we need to do to begin to wipe it out beyond memory?
Read moreWill and Skill
A vision isn't moot just because there isn’t currently the will and skill to carry it off. There will be.
A drash on Parashat Pekudei, plus a musical setting of Vihi Noam. (And an extra opening story in the audio version.)
Read moreReport Back from Israel, and the Parable of the Toyota In The Gulley
How is it that we can listen to a voice in our ear, directing us on paths that we know will lead to disaster, and still not question? Two weeks in Israel: war, rain, sorrow, and a GPS disaster.
Read moreCome-to-Pharaoh Moment
The war in Israel and Gaza has, I notice, offered to Supporters of Israel and Supporters of Palestine proof of what they already believed. And our city councils have become the proxy battleground. Righteousness is easy. Blame is easy. But empathy is hard and will break us open. If we can't manage some empathy here, what hope is there for reconciliation in the land we all love? This is a Come-to-Pharaoh Moment.
Read moreThe Trickiness of the Collective
Nations have a life of their own, behaving in ways few individuals would. Maybe remembering the angel of the collective can bring out our best.
Read more