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And God said: יְהִי אוֹר
Read more: And God said: יְהִי אוֹרI apologize for the Hebrew, but you’ll understand in a minute. And God said, “Let there be light” (“yehi’or”). There is an old mystical Jewish notion that when God created things, He did so by speaking them into existence, such that there was an exact correspondence between the word spoken and the thing created. On […]
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Getting Our Heads Back Together
Read more: Getting Our Heads Back TogetherI recall being urged by my mother to eat the vegetables on my plate. I had my favorites, though not many, and have somehow managed to survive to this point in my life. There is a very practical side to eating. Despite the fact that it can give great pleasure, it has a direct connection […]
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Shadows, Icons, and the Age to Come
Read more: Shadows, Icons, and the Age to ComeWhat will heaven be like? It is not an unusual question. Sometimes it is asked with all the freshness of a child, other times with the anxiety of the old. It is not a question that admits of easy answers, nor a question for which language is sufficient. The cynic says, “Nobody knows.” That attitude […]
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Modernity Is An Abiding Crisis – It Cannot Exist Without One
Read more: Modernity Is An Abiding Crisis – It Cannot Exist Without OneThe ideas that constitute “modernity” center around life as management. Modernity assumes that life can be managed, and that human beings are well-suited for the job. It’s greatest successes have come in the careful application of technology towards various problems with a resulting rise in wealth. The well-being that comes with that wealth is limited […]
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Thanksgiving as Mystical Communion
Read more: Thanksgiving as Mystical Communion“This is good. This is bad.” In one form or another, we divide the world into light and dark. It might take the form, “I like this. I do not like that.” What we find easy are the things we see as good and the things we like. If a day is filled with such […]
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The Communion of Friends
Read more: The Communion of FriendsYou meet someone and like them. You slowly get to know them. Conversation and sharing, listening and learning, a picture or a reality begin to emerge. You think about them when they’re away. You’re aware that you matter to them as well. The thought of anything hurting them is painful. This is friendship. We easily reduce […]
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The Ark Returns to the Temple
Read more: The Ark Returns to the TempleOne of the most devastating events in the history of ancient Israel was the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines. In scenes almost reminiscent of Steven Spielburg, however, plagues began to befall the Philistines and they sent word to Israel to please come take their Ark back. The story of its […]
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The Morality of Christmas
Read more: The Morality of ChristmasYou might be thinking that it’s too early to hear about Christmas – Thanksgiving is yet a couple of weeks away. However, for the Orthodox, the Nativity Fast began on November 15. It is already time to give our thoughts to Christmas – our Winter Pascha. This article (a reprint) reflects on a theme that […]
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Is Everyone Transsexual?
Read more: Is Everyone Transsexual?A recent case put before the Supreme Court (Harris Funeral Home v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) centers around the question of human sexuality, particularly as argued in the situation of those claiming to be transsexual. At issue is whether the Civil Rights Laws that protect against discrimination on the basis of sex should apply to […]
All – this is Simon, who prefers to use his given name – David.