The words of HaShem came to Moshe: “I am The Source of That Which Was, Will Be, Is – your ancestors knew me as a Sheltering Mother; they did not come to this Awareness which is now Yours.” Exodus 6.2-3____________________________________________________ This period of time, the week that was and the one that will be, are … Continue reading
Shabbat Shemot: Listen and See that All Is One
we have met the enemy and they are us – cartoonist Walt Kellly in the comic strip Pogo What is the cause of uprisings? the seed of violence? what did we see on Wednesday in Washington D.C., and all spring and summer in Portland? Others will turn to political scientists and sociologists; to these sources … Continue reading
The Face of Evil at the U.S. Capitol
The foolish do not knowthe ignorant to not understand thisthough evil seems to flourish like weedsspringing up, vigorous, in every cornerit will not lastGod is above all; God is what lasts.That which hates truth and light will fallall that is the enemy of goodnesswill perish, and crumble away into dust.– Psalm 92 Shalom Shir Tikvah … Continue reading
Shabbat VaYehi: Update Your Priors
“One should always be as soft as a reed, and not as hard as a cedar.” Ta’anit 20a-b Parashat VaYekhi is the final parashah of the first book of our Torah, the book of beginnings called in Hebrew Bereshit, “with beginning”(in English, “Genesis”). It’s appropriate that it falls on this Shabbat as we end the … Continue reading
Shabbat VaYigash: Stepping Away from the Past, Shaping the Future
“The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.” – William Faulkner The denouement of the Joseph saga occurs at the beginning of this week’s parashat VaYigash. The great dramatic moment comes when Judah courageously steps forward. He does so to accept the burden of the family’s great hidden sin: that of the brothers’ selling Joseph … Continue reading
Shabbat Miketz: Survival Tip for 2020 – Remember Who You Are
s/he was bullied by siblings. s/he was terrorized by being thrown in a pit and ignored. s/he was sold into slavery in a strange society. s/he knew neither the language nor the customs. s/he was accused of crime s/he had not committed. s/he was thrown in a dungeon and forgotten. In parashat Miketz, Joseph models … Continue reading
