Category Archives: Jewish History/Culture

Can you hear me now?

Can you hear me now?
The story of Balaam’s donkey makes me laugh. Balaam seems completely unruffled by the fact that his donkey just talked to him. In fact, he has a conversation back with it. It’s actually the donkey that brings up the strangeness of the situation. Balaam’s actions serve as a caution to me. He was intent on…
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Just asking

Just asking
A friend and I were debating a historical event. We each would let our mind race to the next piece of information without really hearing what the other was saying. Talking past each other, we were convinced of our own correct opinion, and not even realizing we were using the same words to mean something…
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Render unto God

Render unto God
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Mark 12:17 Several years ago at tax time I posted a blog entitled Render unto Caesar. A friend that works in the tax industry commented that it might be fun to come up with a God 1040 Form, in…
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Know thy God

Know thy God
‘“Know thy God” rather than “Know Thyself” is the categorical imperative of the Biblical man. There is no self-understanding without God-understanding.’ This statement from Heschel’s Prophet resonates with me, and yet I also find it rather counter-cultural for today, even within the Christian community. What do you think? Do you agree with Heschel? Where do…
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