Today is the first day of 2021, and every one of us prays that by that we will be done with Covid and back to normal. Some may even be so energized that they are making New Year’s resolutions. We’re full of fresh determination to be more thrifty organized, slim and buff and free of […]
Fear vs. Awe – Quote from Abraham Heschel
Recently I posted an article called, “Does God Want Us to Fear Him?” It was about the fact that the Hebrew word that we translate as “fear,” also means “awe” and “reverence.” Just now I picked up Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s classic book God in Search of Man and read a magnificent quote from him on […]
Rabbinic Wisdom for Christmas Consumerism
Right now many of us are doing our Christmas shopping, and it is easy to focus on new things we wish we could have. We live in a consumer culture that revolves around having more “stuff.” Our status is based on money, and we are expected to dedicate all our time to achieving financial success. […]
Covered in the Dust of Your Rabbi: An Urban Legend?
Some time back ago, pastor/blogger Trevin Wax posted an article called “Urban Legends: The Preacher’s Edition.” There he lists several “urban legends” that he’s heard floating around lately in sermons. Like Internet rumors that people forward on ad infinitum, these preaching illustrations don’t have much grounding in fact. One potential fallacy on his list caught […]