April’s lunacy was thick with karma.
Years ago in Santa Rosa on a spacious vineyard dotted highway, an immortal battle of wills erupted. It began as a clash of titans- Attorney versus Wild Turkey.
It wasn’t the spirit, it was a real bird; and it wasn’t talking. Rather, the ornery wild thing was blocking the pathway to justice on a country road; an impediment!
An attorney playing chicken with a wild turkey seemed like a fair match. This barrister, powered by a subcompact rental car, won out. From then on, however, my road dominance would be challenged by the entire animal kingdom.
About a year ago, on an early pitch dark morning, a deer ran straight across a four-lane highway in front of me. An impending collision was averted by milliseconds. This deer was so fast; it wasn’t even caught in the headlights.
For years, there were the menacing ducks- the two dummies- whose annoying road blocking antics of waddling and quacking away from confrontation. The daily battle of wits versus nitwits were documented in the Lost Book of Mallard Wars aka this blog.
This April, on the way home from work, the inconceivable occurred. “Why did the turtle cross the road?” was no longer joke prompt. It was an existential question. Would we be eternally trapped in our car impeded by a middle-of-the-road footlong reptile?
Should we get out and pick it up? Or, should we just hope that it would hare-y up? The debate got a little crazy. I lost it; shellshocked, I went postal!
Something happened, however. After a “serenity now” or two, matters resolved. The emboldened turtle sprinted in turtle-like fashion across the road and went into the bushes. Patience matters! Patience…patience…patience.
With those remaining precious moments of patience, there were some April posting.
Monthly Posts
April’s blog production was challenged by both professional obligations and the Passover holiday. Further compounding the matter is the commitment to quality over quantity.
Quality is beyond the mere writing and editing. Material matters. Thus, this was the month of purchasing a number of academic books in search of great content.
In an interview, Professor Joshua Berman recognized Passover’s unique role in politics. While Israelite origins date back to Abraham, it is Exodus’ collective experience of bondage which all the Children of Israel shared.
Thus, irrespective on one being a Tribal Chieftain or an ordinary tribal member, with the Exodus, everyone shared slavery as a characteristic. The national origin had a shared this commonality as much as Americans may share the concept of a creator- “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaration of Independence. With that in mind, the Passover Seder offers up to serve as an egalitarian experience.
Metzorah: The Common Thread on Societal Needs Revealed
In modernity, many social programs fail. Food stamps, subsidized housing, homeless assistance all seem to fall short of their goals. What are the reasons for these programs’ shortcomings?
The Portion Metzorah and other Torah sections tackled matters involving matters of social strata. Did the Pentateuch succeed in its attempt to address this issue?
Tazria: Medicine’s Trajectory?
What has influenced modern medicine?
Before modern medicine, illness was treated in a variety of manners. In the Torah Portion Tazria, Priests treated certain skin conditions’ treatment. Also, within scripture, Prophets played a role in medical care and healing. Finally, there were real medical practitioners in antiquity.
Given this, one must ask the question: “does scripture impact or influence present day medicine?”
Beyond checks and balances, there is the political representation. Without the benefit of Joshua A. Berman’s Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought (which will be addressed in further writing), this post discusses how the Priestly Class, despite the lack of a direct election, was obligated to represent the Children of Israel before the Lord with respect to atonement. The post explores the concept of representation within scripture.
A Secular Ten Commandments’ Takeaway
Taking two issues that come your way and combining them into one post, is the intellectual version of the Reese’s Pieces. Recently, a Federal Court of Appeals’ State Law favorable ruling on the public school posting of the Ten Commandments was issued. At the same time, I was reading William Schniedewind’s How the Bible Became a Book. (2004).
Within How the Bible Became a Book, the esteemed UCLA Professor discussed an early Israelite writing on a broken pottery shard. The writing’s content, when combined with the Ten Commandments’ values, provided a brief insight into how an early Ten Commandments’ society functioned. The takeaway what that the Decalogue may have injected respect as a value to all societal stratum.
Conclusion
Despite the month’s obstacles, in the passing moments of serenity, I hope that some educational and stimulating posts have been achieved.
Whether productivity will continue is now, however, in doubt. From a reliable source, I was told that the turtle has laid eggs!
Be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 