When I was in graduate school, working part time in the Jewish community, I belonged to an informal, traditional, egalitarian, lay-led minyan that was part of a Conservative synagogue in Philadelphia. There were two separate minyanim meeting in this shul, in addition to the service led by the rabbi in the main sanctuary. The vast … More »
One might find it odd that the rate of infertility in the Bible seems out of proportion. To start, there are the three matriarchs right in a row: Sarah, Rebecca and the beloved Rachel. Rival sister Leah is fertile but unloved. Then there’s the beloved wife of Elkanah, Hannah of Rosh Hashanah fame, mother of … More »
How fitting it was for the Sh’ma editors to open this month’s edition with Shoshana Olidort’s piece, “On First Encountering Doubt.” Doubt seems to be one of several leitmotifs that weave through these articles. While it may seem odd, what first comes to my mind is Pope Francis. About a year ago, a papal interview … More »
How fitting it was for the Sh’ma editors to open this month’s edition with Shoshana Olidort’s piece, “On First Encountering Doubt.” Doubt seems to be one of several leitmotifs that weave through these articles. While it may seem odd, what first comes to my mind is Pope Francis. About a year ago, a papal interview was published … More »
Much of what is written and said about the unetaneh tokef prayer revolves around the discomfort felt by many contemporary, presumably enlightened Jews. The notion of a divine royal judge sitting on a throne, reading from a book and deciding who should live and who should die through the unspeakable tortures that this text expresses … More »
Change, transformation, renewal, the overcoming of personal foibles and shortcomings—these are all good things, and they can all be viewed in strictly human terms. But the idea of sin is an entirely separate category. A Jew cannot speak of sin without taking into account the place of Torah and covenant that constitute the Jew’s relationship … More »