This one is in response to Larry Kaufman… In building their tower to the sky The “Babelites” learned on the fly That they can’t be immortal, and Their heavenly portal Caused language to multiply
Two Noach Limericks
You think you know the story of Noah. the Ark and the flood? A nice story for little kiddies, right? Not really. If you read it closely you can find all kinds of disturbing character traights including drunkenness, hints of incest and sexual acting out…….. Whether by chance or design Noah, by God was assigned […]
Torah Commentary – V’zot Hab’rachah
For a variety of personal reasons, I haven’t been able to post commentaries on the last few Torah Portions. Torah Study demands mental focus and dedicated time. Torah Portions aren’t for skimming or speed reading. They don’t include bullet-point summaries. Key words aren’t hi-lited. Torah Portions aren’t compatible with multi-tasking! All the while that I […]
Two Bereshit Limericks
The Cycle Begins again. God creates – not once but twice – in 6 days and in the Garden. We are tested. We fail. So what else is new? Preceding the act of Creation There was darkness and desolation The Divine spirit hovered Over depths that were covered By the promise of new population “just […]
V’zot HaBracha Limerick
Moses dies on Mt Nebo – some say that God kissed him before he died. Moses was the only prophet who knew God Panim el Panim – face to face. I’ve always been intrigued by what that means….. V’zot HaBracha Moses got a divine embrace Then God gave him his burial place And all through […]
Steve Jobs, the Consumer, and Inventing the Jewish Future
Of all the recent retrospectives of the late Steve Jobs, the one that has had the most impact on me contained the observation that he “hated traditional market research”. It was a comment made by one of the guests (advertising consultant, Cindy Gallup) on the public radio show “The Take Away” on Friday, October 7. […]
Getting High for the High Holidays and Other Helpful Hints
The Ancient Greeks didn’t worry about whether God loved them. They didn’t wring their hands over the fact that God allowed evil to thrive in the world and didn’t struggle with the way that God permitted the righteous to suffer while the wicked prospered. That’s because, in Ancient Greece, the Gods were a bunch of dicks. Zeus was particularly nasty- he lorded over the universe like an omnipotent frat boy with lightning bolts. He was far less concerned with the meek inheriting the earth than he was in changing into a swan and fucking the meek’s wife (they had a pretty loose grip of zoology, as well.) The rest of the gods were no better- just a bunch of mean spirited, petty, vindictive, narcissistic, spiteful bastards who absolutely didn’t give a shit about humanity. It must have been wonderfully liberating in a way- like having a Republican president. After all, when Bush and co. were in power, we didn’t wring our hands and wonder WHY they were leading us into one pointless war after another for the sole benefit of their rich cronies or WHY they were making disastrously short-sighted fiscal policy decisions. We knew perfectly well why- they were dicks. They did irresponsible, self-centered, evil, destructive, selfish things because they were irresponsible, self-centered, evil, destructive selfish cocksuckers- plain and simple. All we had to do was fear them, loathe them and mock them. With the advent of Judaism, though and the election of Obama, things became more complicated. Now we have to wrestle with thorny and difficult philosophical questions like WHY does God allow bad things to happen to good people, WHY does God turn his back on his supposedly chosen people a
Exploring The Binding Of Isaac
I imagine myself as Avraham, up early one morning, before the sun has risen from the horizon. I quietly touch my son, my beloved, Isaac, and tell him he must wake. We get ready to go in silence, he in half-sleep, half-haze, me in terror, following instructions to take my son to the land of […]
Embracing Beginnings
This Rosh Hashanah I have asked myself the question: What do our children know about Rosh Hashanah that can help to make our celebration more meaningful or relevant? This question, focusing on new beginnings, seems especially appropriate given the alignment of our new school year and the New Year in the Jewish calendar. This convergence of beginnings […]
Torah Commentary – Ki Tetze
Although the Torah Scroll is gloriously dressed, repeatedly blessed, and read in a ritually prescribed manner, the Torah is not a divine relic. It’s a part of our ongoing reality. The Torah teaches us God’s commandments for everyday living. Even though our concept of reality changes with time and maturation, we remain humanly flawed and […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- …
- 55
- Next Page »