Is it possible both religion and politics can be discussed at dinner? Can there be such a thing as “breaking bread” diplomacy? King Hezekiah, in the Second Book of Chronicles, masterfully engineered such a meal. This meal, for the purposes of this blog, amounts to a Ten Commandments’ moment. While it is intimately related toContinue reading “The Politics of Breaking Bread: A Second Chronicles’ Ten Commandments’ Moment”
Tag Archives: god
The Book of Chronicles’ Ten Commandments’ Moment
“…one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” The United States’ Pledge of Allegiance What does it mean to be a nation “under God”? In Book of Chronicles, the Israelite Kingdom’s political structure was further defined. In the first book of Chronicles, the nation is abuzz. A Temple in Jerusalem was toContinue reading “The Book of Chronicles’ Ten Commandments’ Moment”
The Keys To Going Postal in February
Damn my keyboard! Software gremlins, spellcheck, auto-fill, failure to save, and utter carelessness enrages me. No matter what, every post is stained with a mistake, a typo, a missed word, or an inappropriate one. Sometimes you do things out of joy and not perfection. Bull puckey! “Keys” are needed to address the technological difficulties ofContinue reading “The Keys To Going Postal in February”
True Religion? Tetzaveh
“And Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once per year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once per year through your generations. It is holy of holies to the Lord.” Exodus 30:10 Atonement is a central aspect to many religions. Alexander Pope’s “to err isContinue reading “True Religion? Tetzaveh”
Intelligent Design? Terumah
“According to everything that I show you: the design of the Tabernacle and the design of all of its equipment”
Setting Things In Stone? Mishpatim
“And he took the scroll of the covenant and read in the people’s ears” Exodus 24:7 The Torah Portion Mishpatim illustrates the challenges of legal literacy. In antiquity, was it possible for a fledgling nation to disseminate the concepts of societal boundaries and affirmative duties upon its citizenry? If so, what methodology could be employedContinue reading “Setting Things In Stone? Mishpatim”
The Top Ten? The Big Ten? Yitro
“As horrible as this is (especially in light the Aqedah), it conveys the seriousness of this commandment and of the principle that the Ten Commandments outweigh other laws.” Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on The Torah In legal systems, some laws override others. For example, the United States essentially has two forms of law- State andContinue reading “The Top Ten? The Big Ten? Yitro”
Bo: The Legacy Project
The people of the exile brought the pesach-offering on the fourteenth day of the first month. Ezra 6:10 In the throes of the Exodus, the Torah Portion Bo commands the Children of Israel to celebrate Passover. Not only was this meal to be of the moment, it was to be something for the future. BoContinue reading “Bo: The Legacy Project”
The Book of Daniel’s Ten Commandments’ Moments
“Being in Lion’s Den” and “Seeing the Writing on the Wall, ” are common phrases coming from the Book of Daniel. This imagery likely cemented the book’s inclusion in the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Daniel, however, is controversial. As a result of the controversies, some have opined that it is the least worthy ofContinue reading “The Book of Daniel’s Ten Commandments’ Moments”
Attention Getter? Va’eira
Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? Rush Hour A large part of my four decades of lawyering is doing deals. Despite ample amounts of money on the table, in rare instances, a deal cannot be done. My client’s lack of capacity to agree is the reason. The client eitherContinue reading “Attention Getter? Va’eira”
The Ten Commandments Project 