How Do You #Keep the Sabbath?
–”The Pharisees said, This man is not from #God, because He does not keep the #Sabbath” -#John 9:16 It was a Sunday morning in April when a man named Tagg uploaded a picture of his father onto Twitter. “Busted!” the tweet read. “#mitt2012 sneaking a peek at twitter [sic] during Sunday school.” The attached image displayed a [...]
A Drash on this week’s Parsha, Parashat Pinchas
The daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah—are first mentioned in the 27th chapter of the Book of Numbers. Their bold and necessary petition to Moses changed the laws of inheritance so that they would be more just for women. Zelophehad’s daughters have served as an inspiration to many and their tenacity and determination [...]
The Wronging Of Alan Turing: Sex, Shame, and the Complexity of a Human Being
Are you reading this on a computer? Then thank the guy on the left. The prosecution of computer science pioneer Alan Turing for homosexuality under Great Britain’s indecency laws is a modern example of what the Talmud refers to as “verbal wronging.”
In Defense of an Undergraduate Education
Bill Bonner’s diatribe against undergraduate education at UVA in the name of Thomas Jefferson and Rabbi HIllel demonstrates the same lazy habits of thinking and writing that I try to drill out of my first year undergraduates. Here’s what he could learn from reading R. Hillel more closely.
“Rules By Which They Could Not Live:” My Bat Mitzvah Drash
How can I publicly commit to a faith whose sacred texts explicitly condemn an important part of my life? I address this in my Bat Mitzvah drash, on parshat K’doshim-Acharei Mot.
Holiness and Removing the Stumbling Block — Parashat Kedoshim
Parashat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:1-20:27) is read this week as part of the annual Torah reading cycle in the synagogue. As is the case most years, it is read in conjunction with the parsha or Torah portion which proceeds it—Parashat Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16-18) which is also read on Yom Kippur. Parashat Kedoshim is a parsha [...]
Building Hedges: What the Rabbis Taught Me About Managing ADHD
For the vast majority of my improvement since being diagnosed with ADHD, I have to credit drugs and therapy. However, learning Rabbinic texts has helped me understand the way my brain works–and the ways to manage that–much better.
Contributing Scholars
Martha SchwehnMartha Schwehn Bardwell is an MDiv student at Luther Seminary and is pursuing ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband, Sam.
Alex WeissmanAlex Weissman is a community organizer, performer, and rabbinical student. In addition to his rabbinical studies, he works as a hospice chaplain and a mentor to teenagers involved in multifaith dialogue. He has worked with Jewish and queer communities over the last ten years around issues of HIV/AIDS, domestic workers' rights, substance use, partner abuse, and queer youth homelessness. He believes deeply in sacred listening as a practice for healing, building relationships, and pursuing justice. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Alex has returned after ten years away to attend the Reconstrucionist Rabbinical College.
Charlotte DandoCharlotte is an interfaith activist and self-confessed Religious Studies geek currently undertaking a Masters at SOAS, University of London. Charlotte’s interests include religious diversity, pluralism, multiculturalism, Quakerism, equality and blogging: all fueled by oolong tea. @CharlotteDando