This Week In Wisdom, Turning The Mundane Into The Sacred, Uncategorized / 20 Sep 2022
Why do we need Moses to keep talking?
According to the commentator, Nachmanides, Moses finishes reviewing the commandments and stipulations of the Torah by Deuteronomy 26:16. This already comes most of the way through a book of the Torah that some commentators view as a recapitulation of the other four books – and which some contemporary scholars view as a later addition altogether. So why are we here, three chapters after the most generous reading of the Book of Deuteronomy indicates Moses has fully conveyed the content of the Torah? Why is Moses relating a review of a review within a book of reiteration? It feels like the moment in a conversation when you might remind your interlocutor that they had already said something or that you remember what they had told you. Perhaps that is exactly what Moses is waiting for. For any number of reasons, he needs affirmation that the Israelites have heard him. From a careful reading, I intuit three possible motivations: fear that he (and, by extension, God’s message) is not adequately understood; fear that the Israelites won’t listen to him (and, by extension, God); or fear that entering the promised land will so significantly test the Israelites that there is no adequate amount to repeat, drill, practice, and internalize his message. All three are plausible, but I read Moses as giving of himself a bit more vulnerably and openly in Parshat Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20) than in other passages from the Torah He is at once preparing to shed the mantle of leadership and reaching toward the capstone of his work, which he will achieve posthumously when the Israelites enter the Promised Land with the laws they need to live in it well. He knows that his end is near and fears losing his voice (or the impact thereof), so he implores…
Spirituality & Faith / 20 Sep 2022
The Jewish Month Of Elul Reminds Us That Nothing Ever Stays The Same
Elul reminds us that change is the only guarantee in the physical world.
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Accounting For Your Gifts
The Jewish month of Elul brings a period of reflection…
Compassion for difficulties / 25 Aug 2022
Celebrating A Different Kind Of Coming Of Age
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Art & Culture / 17 Aug 2022
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah Is At The Nexus Of Faith And Doubt
The song reminds us that, despite life’s challenges and brokenness, we can still choose to send praise into the universe.
While recent labor market reports may indicate that the employment picture is improving across the country as a whole, there are still plenty of people looking for jobs.? What’s more disconcerting is many people remain “underemployed” or have simply stopped looking for a job because of the long, unanswered months or even years of job searching. This is tough stuff. The fact is, losing a job, is more like the loss surrounding death than most people will allow themselves to admit. ?This may be because doing so makes the experience that much......
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Rabbi Brad Hirschfield talks with Sean Herriott about the use of theology when speaking about natural disasters. Listen here. This content originally appeared on clal.org on November 15, 2012. ...
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News & Politics, Wisdom Warehouse |
August 31, 2013
Why America Should Celebrate Both Its Secularist and Its Religious Roots
As the old saying goes, what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.? And now people entering the Bradford County Courthouse in Starke, FL will be able to have a gander at both a monument featuring the Ten Commandments and another one which will feature quotes celebrating secularism as well.? And why not? Having lost the battle to have the original monument to the Ten Commandments removed, the national organization, American Atheists, has decided that it will simply erect an additional monument – one which celebrates its animating ideology.? The......
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Spirituality & Faith, Wisdom Warehouse |
August 31, 2013
Getting the Most Out of Christmas When You’re Not Christian
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield shares with Rev. Welton Gaddy his experience navigating Christmas while being Jewish in America and his thoughts on a deeper shared sense of purpose this time of year. Listen here. With Rev. Welton Gaddy from State of Belief, December 22, 2012.? This content originally appeared on clal.org on December 22, 2012....
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Spirituality & Faith, Wisdom Warehouse |
August 27, 2013
Does Religion Help You Flourish in Your Life?
Michael Stock interviews Irwin Kula who speaks about religion in 21st century north America and asks the question: Does your religion help you flourish in your life? Listen here. Folk and Acoustic Music with Michael Stock, WLRN (Public Radio, Miami-Dade). This content originally appeared on clal.org on September 19, 2012....
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Latest Video
Listen To The Names Of The Victims First
A video where Brad Hirschfield lists the victims names in the recent Orlando shooting. Because first we need to internalize a tragedy before we jump to speak.
