Rabbi Michael Leo SamuelThe just man knows the soul of his beast, but the heart of the wicked is merciless.
—Proverbs 12:10
The author of Proverbs stresses an important ethical lesson: a humane person considers the needs of his animals and acts kindly towards them.[1] The world of Creation is full of sentient beings, which also experience many of the joys and blessings that people commonly enjoy: like humankind, these creatures also experience pain. Suffering is a common language that ...
Learn More ShareAbraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) posits that the Sabbath is an “architecture of sacred time.”[1] He poignantly argues that while it is true that all peoples of antiquity venerated certain places as holy, the Torah places a far greater emphasis on the sanctification of time versus the sanctification of space. It is no coincidence that the word for sanctity is first associated with the Sabbath. When God blesses the Sabbath day (Gen. 2:3), it literally becomes, “a sanctuary of holy ...
Learn More ShareThe Scarab’s Tale of Death and Renewal
Here is the story how Jung arrived at this original concept. One of Jung’s patients had a strong rationalistic bent to her personality. Indeed, she challenged and may have even frustrated Jung on many different levels. Jung describes her rationalistic temperament:
Learn More ShareMy example concerns a young woman patient who, in spite of efforts made on both sides, proved to be psychologically inaccessible. The difficulty ...
A Bridge Across Time?
You have probably heard of this story before. Every time I come across this citation, it makes me pause and wonder. American presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were both tragically assassinated during their terms in office. Despite the difference in time, both of these men share a number of unusual circumstances-or more precisely, coincidences. Consider the following.
- Lincoln’s name has 7 letters
- Kennedy’s name has 7 letters
- In Lincoln’s & Kennedy’s names the vowels & ...
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Haredi Rabbis “declare war” on the Internet (Part 2)
Understanding the “Real” War Against the Internet
Strangely, Rosenblum neglects to mention the most important aspect about the Haredi war against the Internet-they fear its self critiquing and self-examination much more than the erotic websites. Banning the Internet promotes the conspiracy of silence it desires. Ynet news uncovered a document where the rabbis denounce the websites – the majority of which are daily news publications unsanctioned by the ultra-Orthodox ...
Learn More ShareCategories: American Jewish Issues, Contrarian wisdom, Current Events, ethics, good and evil, Israel, Political Commentaries, The Future of Judaism, Theology and Philosophy