Our Holy Toolbox
In my garage, I have a box of tools. I even know how to use one or two of them.
Passion Without Compassion = Pinchas. (Pinchas)
Pinchas’s passion, however, is quite problemetic, and God’s adulation is even more so. Pinchas took it upon himself to kill a fellow Israelite and his Mideonite partner, essentially murdering them for being in an interfaith relationship.
A King, a Prophet, and the Western Wall (Balak)
18 months ago, I was excited to stand on this bima and talk about the Western Wall agreement that would give men and women the chance to pray at the Western Wall together, free from the shackles of ultra-Orthodox governance that has dominated much of Israeli religious policy. Although it was not a perfect agreement, it was a wonderful symbolic step toward acceptance, pluralism, and tolerance. It was a move toward Shalom Bayit, peace in the home, as Jews would acknowledge the legitimacy of other Jews, regardless of gender or halachic observance.
What would Balaam say Now?
In this week’s Torah portion, a king named Balak hires the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelite people. But upon seeing the Israelites living peacefully, opening their homes and their hearts, building community, his curse turns into a blessing …