Wandering Through the Desert: Sifting Through Our Past on our Way to Revelation
During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we cast our sins in to the desert, freeing ourselves from their oppressive burden, unshackling our hearts and minds so that we can begin the year anew. Six months later another new year arrives (Exodus 12:12). After a period of enslavement we find ourselves once again loosening our chains and opening our souls, ready to reencounter that which we cast away.
The Truth, So Help Us God?
In a world that bombards us with information from every side, it can be surprisingly difficult to find truth. This past weekend many Jews celebrated Shavuot, the holiday commemorating God giving the Israelites the Torah at Mt. Sinai. While I don’t believe this happened in the way it’s vividly described in chapters 19 and 20 of [...]
Shavuot and Taking Hold of Torah
The end of the Counting of the Omer is nearly upon us. We have spent the past seven weeks eagerly, anxiously, perhaps, counting up to Shavuot–to receiving the Torah anew. Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, is one of the three pilgrimage festivals annually observed–the other two are Passover and Sukkot. Each of these festivals [...]
Why Count the Omer in Sadness?
After the joyful Seders and family gatherings have ended and we have entered more deeply into the Passover holiday, I often feel jarred by the Counting of the Omer. Traditional Jews mark this time before Shavuot through abstinence: foregoing weddings, cutting one’s hair and even listening to music. Instead, they devote themselves to internal work [...]
A Journey Step-by-Step: Counting the Walk
We are walking now. Together, in the wilderness, walking. It’s hot, and dry. Sometimes there’s no water, or the water we find has a bitter taste. We haven’t always known where our next meal will come from. Some people wish we’d never left Egypt. There’s a lot of complaining. Some days are really hard.
Contributing Scholars
SujatoBhante Sujato is a Buddhist monk from Australia. He ordained and practiced in the Thai forest meditation tradition before setting up Santi Forest Monastery near Sydney, Australia. He is a historical scholar of early Buddhism and has published a number of books, which may be found at santipada.org. He is deeply involved in the interfaith and environmental movements in Australia, and is well known as an advocate for women's rights, especially the full ordination of women in Buddhism.
Damien ArthurI am a Husband, Father, Citizen, and Ph.D. Candidate. I do my best to think critically, analytically, and rationally about difficult questions of faith, justice, and truth as well as our responsibilities to one another.
Tiffany BuchananTiffany is a Master of Divinity student at McCormick Theological Seminary. She has a Master of Arts degree in Sociology specializing in Organizations and Institutions and Social Psychology. She founded and is the Executive Director of a non-profit Education Outreach firm, Love Learning Empowerment. She is an aspiring author and poet. You can follow her @ twitter.com/Radiant_Blossom