Animals in the Bible
One of the things I have noticed and commented about as I have read the Torah story about animals is that they progressively lose stature in relation to human beings: “Gone are the days in the Garden when animals, as much as
Category: Bible/Torah
Hierarchies and the meaning of “in the image…”
Part of what I want to understand as I read the Torah is how it rationalizes hierarchical relationships when its creation accounts share such an extraordinarily inspirational non-hierarchical vision, a vision in which no creature kills another for food and all of
A new practice for Yom Kippur
Jewish tradition teaches that G-d can only forgive transgressions bein Adam l’Makom, those transgressions we commit against G-d. G-d cannot forgive transgressions bein Adam l’havero, between us and our fellow human beings. Therefore, before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we apologize for ways in
Two Models to Feed the World: IFS & Torah
“Much have I learned from my teachers, more from my colleagues, but most from my students.” – Rav Hanina ( Talmud: Taanit, 7a) I finished teaching a class at McHenry County Community College this past week called “Conscious Choices: Thinking About Food.”
Modesty
I happened to see a short segment on Asian Muslim women creating fanciful hijabs. I started to think about Jewish modesty, which requires married women to cover their hair and all females to dress modestly — skirts well below the knees and
There’s The Ideal…And Then There’s The Real
Sometimes when I study Torah these days I get a little lost in the details of animal sacrifice and numbering and valuing people and animals. My original purpose in this study was to try to understand what the Torah says comprehensively, pervasively,
Torah: Why I Don’t Like To Call It (Written) Law
Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) is most often translated “law.” Strong’s points out that the word “derives from yârâh (Strong’s #3384) meaning ‘to shoot out the hand as pointing, to show, indicate’, ‘to teach, instruct’, ‘to lay foundations’,
A Goat For Azazel? Really?
I’m teaching a short four session class on Bible. So far my focus has been on the first chapters of Genesis and the middle section of Leviticus, especially chapter 16, the Yom Kippur ritual. In our last week, we will examine the 10 Things
Cooking, Pulling Weeds And Resisting
I never thought I’d hear myself say this: Trump gave me a huge gift when he was elected. It’s hard to imagine myself saying that because my inspiration usually comes from very different kinds of sources. Yet perhaps it’s just the mind-
Another Take On The Garden Of Eden
I often say that translation is interpretation. There is a powerful example of this fact in the creation stories of Genesis. I can’t help but wonder how history would have played out had two words been translated differently. ADAM IN GENESIS 1-3