It used to be The ones who lived close In one’s village Near one’s farm Who used the same well These were one’s neighbors The others The strangers The different The frightening The not to be...
Learn MoreHow easy to be Pharaoh Merely Look At the Other Repeat the magic words He is less than I Why She is not Even Human Those Other folks They Are not The same As us We are Special Because they Are not The same...
Learn MoreThe High Priest’s garments, a robe of purest blue, Golden bells along the hem, Graven lapis with the symbols of the tribes, How pure the priest How fine. A fringed tunic of purest linen, The finest yarns of...
Learn MoreA poem for Steve Silvern and inspired by a reading of Hasidic texts on Yom Kippur I am a shuttered lantern My shutter Closed Frozen Rusted Shut Stuck Frozen By the coldness of my heart Rusted by tears Mine...
Learn MoreA sermon preached on Rosh HaShanah Evening, September 4, 2013 This is the birthday of the world. Among other things, this day, Rosh HaShanah, is the commemoration of the creation of the world by G-D. One does...
Learn MoreI drive through town Going to my office Catching up on what was not done This past silent Friday The trees on the roadside In yards I pass Heavy with blossoms Purple Pink White The Easter flowers leave their...
Learn MoreFor Sandi Cohen, who asks difficult questions We ask What is the mask you wear? What is the mask I wear, What is the mask we show , Only each to herself. The scholar said, We never show our face To another...
Learn MoreIn the darkness We have a choice We can choose to succumb to the darkness We can choose to bring forth light In suffering We have a choice We can choose to become embittered We can choose to bring healing In...
Learn MoreSome scholars asked why, when we take eggs from a nest, must we send away the mother bird? (Deut. 22:6-7) Some answered (e.g. Maimonides Guide 3, 48) that even though the mother bird cannot reason, she can...
Learn MoreThe narrative of last week’s portion, which included the binding of Isaac, ends with Abraham returning home with his servants, Note, returning home with his servants and not with Isaac. This week’s portion’s...
Learn MoreI did not want to be king. I hid in the midst of the baggage, I knew the lot would fall on me; Samuel had said so. I did not want to be king. But, when it was unavoidable, I vowed, I would be a good king. And...
Learn MoreI once thought I had made an error, but I was mistaken. It is an old joke. The point is not just that the speaker is confident in the perfection of his or her actions, but that he or she clearly states his or...
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