He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
I’m your typical oldest child, fitting many of the characteristics that psychologists love to identify: a natural leader, a people-pleaser, a perfectionist, and so on.
Together Wherever We Go
I had the incredible honor of portraying the character "Mama Rose" in my synagogue's production of Gypsy this past spring. I'm a "theatre person" at my core, and it's my secret identity.
Is this Burning an Eternal Flame?
Have you ever gone through your iTunes collection and done a search for the word, "light?" Give it a try-I'll wait. I wouldn't be surprised if you had at least a dozen songs there that use the word light in the title.
The Holy or the Broken
Hi, my name's Marci, and I'm a recovering perfectionist. I say this with a smile, but it is very much true. As a child, I had many early elementary school successes and very little early failure.
Words Not Spoken . . . Words Not Heard
Words are powerful. In Genesis, chapter one, God creates through words: “God said, ‘Let there be light!’—and there was light. . . . God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters,’. . . . God now said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image,’ ” (Genesis 1:3, 6, 26).
The Challenge of Righteousness
The wording of the verse gives rise to this debate. The text states that “Noah was a righteous man,” but immediately follows with the phrase “in his generation, he was above reproach. . . ” All of us, including the ancient Rabbis, are left to wonder if Noah is exceptional or not, if his righteousness would be universally righteous or simply righteous in his time.
Listening for the Voice of Homelessness
While most readers of the Torah consider Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac as his most troubling deed, his treatment of his firstborn son, Ishmael and Ishmael’s mother, Hagar, is also deeply disturbing.
What’s Love Got To Do with It? Everything!
Do you remember the first time you laid eyes on your beloved? Do you recall your feelings the moment you saw the love of your life?
Isaac: Why Is This Patriarch Different from All Other Patriarchs?
This week's Torah portion begins with the phrase, V'eileh toldot Yitzchak ben Avraham, "This is the line of Isaac son of Abraham" (Genesis 25:19), indicating that the text is now going to focus on Isaac, the second of the Patriarchs of our tradition.