Book Club Rescheduled...

Our book club has re-scheduled for Thursday, March 27, at 7:00 pm. We are discussing BEHOLD THE MANY by Lois-Ann Yamanaka.

video worth watching

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Last year, I did a sermon about this count the basketball pass exercise and people wanted to know where they could see the video. This was not the original I referred to, but one just like it. Take a look.

The sermon had to do with Boaz's ability to see Ruth even though he was not accustomed to seeing her. Josh Millstein had pointed out how Ruth was also shocked that he paid attention to her, not surprised by his kindness but that he had even taken notice-- in the verse where she experiences his kindness, the verb "to see" is repeated as if to emphasize that this was the miracle that had befallen her. Boaz was in a position himself, having taken care of everything in his world, to be able to reach out to others. But he first had to have trained himself to see the opportunities to do so. There are some who try not to look at things that they don't want to exist in their world, and there are others who look for places to extend their kindness.

Moses

Of course, this casting of Moshe at the burning bush is impossible.  The Torah relates that Moshe had already mortally struck the Egyptian and confronted the two warring Israelites and met Tzipporah at the well.  But it certainly is fun to imagine the innocence of this Moses transposed to the one in the Chumash.  And it is fun to imagine Moshe in the Chumash getting excited and giggling when he is told to take off his shoes, so as to not tread on holy ground.

Jeff Tweedy's lyrics are like a challenge: "Theologians don't know nothin' about my soul" and I admit that at times it feels like the poets, musicians, and artists seem more in touch with whatever that soul is than the theologians who try and describe it.  Especially to we modern  Jews who seem to have lost our metaphysics.  But that block we find when we want to talk about doesn't mean we should stop trying to touch the soul-- or touch deep emotions that one might describe as "ensouled."  Perhaps "soul" is not a thing, but a destination.  As theologians we can create art too, if that is the language that helps to us get there.