In recent dialog with Christian friends over prayer, I was struck by something that is probably not profound, but is certainly meaningful. In prayerful petition, we have very common phrasing. We pray for peace, we pray for healing, we pray for our country. We pray for our communities, we pray for an end to war.
In egalitarian Judaism, some of our siddurim (prayer books) have introduced references to the Matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah) in prayers that mention Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Reform’s Mishkan Tefillah and the Conservative Movement’s Siddur Sim Shalom are two examples of this. Leah is referencing Siddur Sim Shalom. Leah: Page 156a or 156b. That’s
In Jewish Law, issur yichud (איסור ייחוד) is the prohibition of a man and a woman who are not married to one another being secluded together. I follow that in the same way I try and keep all of the mitzvot. It’s not because my wife demands it or I’m afraid of extramarital affairs. It’s
We’re on the exciting precipice of our strategic planning at Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine. After our friend, Dr. Amy Milligan, came in and spoke about her experiences with Temple Mishkan Israel in Selma, Alabama, it resonated with more than a few of us, I think, of the consequences of not taking a considered and
From time to time, certain realities punch me in the face. A recent Tweet by Tom Nichols this week caused a firestorm for a variety of reasons. It didn’t upset me so much as it did others; in many ways I think Tom Nichols is an admirable and very smart dude, and in the age
We’ve been living in Maine for three years now. Our house search culminated around this time three years ago when we found our Winterport acreage and perhaps one of the most unique A-frame layouts imaginable (that’s three stories, with second and third story lofts). We put Pennsylvania Amish country, which is itself a unique place
The shooting this past Shabbos at a Chabad shul near San Diego is a harsh reminder of the reality we now inhabit. I’m not a security “expert.” I’ve been in the military for over two decades, as an infantryman, and I worked as a civilian for nearly a decade for a security products manufacturer. I
I ended Part I talking about the low personal worth many veterans struggling with moral injury suffer. Just as you are often told you go from “zero to hero” when you enlist or commission, you go from “hero to zero” in a manner I would equate with driving a car into a concrete wall when
Moral injury refers to an injury to an individual’s moral conscience resulting from an act of perceived moral transgression which produces profound emotional shame. The concept of moral injury emphasizes the psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of trauma. Wikipedia Definition for “Moral Injury” I’ve been reflecting of late on my work, now a few years
Or anyone else, for that matter. A few years ago, Microsoft made a chatbot using an Artificial Intelligence farm, called “Tay,” designed to make Tweets from the perspective of a teenage girl. Within 24 hours, Internet trolls managed to subvert the chatbot AI into racist and antisemitic, claiming Jews caused 9/11 and that Hitler was
Writer, President of Bangor's Congregation Beth Israel, soldier, programmer, father, musician, Heeb, living in the woods of Maine with three ladies and a dog.
Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine, special educator and former school board member, mother to Amelia and Nezzie.
