How Blessing Children on Shabbat Models Unconditional Love
Like the paradigmatic blessing for rain, the Shabbat practice of blessing children offers the gift of love in exchange for nothing.
Like the paradigmatic blessing for rain, the Shabbat practice of blessing children offers the gift of love in exchange for nothing.
This prayer recited as day turns to night helps to acknowledge moments of transition we often miss.
The enhancement of human life across the board and across the globe is a story that takes decades or even centuries to unfold.
How good are we? And how can ritual help us become better?
In today’s society, ideas have transformed into identity.
Every mammal, big or small, has the same number of heartbeats in its life. I wondered whether the same laws of “scaling” would apply to the Jewish community.
Meaning is contextual. It allows us to change the story. And that, too, is a source of power.
Human beings have long wondered about the extent to which we truly have free will, or whether the path we travel is pre-ordained.
If you see someone wearing a cross, or a hijab, or a kipah, don’t assume they are anti-science. And if you hear someone works in a lab, or does experiments, or simply loves science, don’t assume they are anti-religious.
Most Jews are probably more likely to read the New York Times science section or watch “Cosmos” than to engage in Talmud study.