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Torah Commentary and Spiritual Wisdom
Welcome to the Rabbi's Corner, where you'll find things to study and think about.
Beyt Tikkun reflections on Passover themes
Even if you were not able to attend the Beyt Tikkun Passover seder, you might find helpful these reflections written by Rabbi Lerner in the form of a Supplement to the Passover Haggadah, but actually presenting a rather new theological view of the world.
Healing from Post-Traumatic Abandoned-by-Obama Syndrome
Jews voted 80% for Obama in 2008, so it's not a surprise that progressive congregations like ours have been suffering from emotional depression now that Obama has disappointed so many by abandoning much of what he seemed to be offering. While we never endorse candidates or get involved in elections, we can't deny the impact of a US President who escalates a foreign war, introduces nuclear power in the US, and gives trillions of tax dollars to save the banks and corporate rich while doing little for the unemployed and those about to lose their homes. Given that, I'm putting here a bit of my thinking from the context of another organization I'm involved in leading.
Women's Daily Prayer that May be Useful to Men As Well
Andrea Kim Foster gives us an idea of how the traditional Amidah prayer for weekdays could be reconstructed to speak to the experience of older women who are refusing to see themselves as "aging" but rather as moving into a new life stage which Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi dubbed "Sage-ing." Prayer is hard for everyone (except those who do it without conscious attention to what they are saying); this attempt to make the words more relevant may or may not work for you, but might provide a model for both women and men to create your own form of daily prayer (davening). It's a path we should be exploring in Beyt Tikkun. And if you do create new prayers, please share them with me and let me share them with the rest of our community.--Rabbi Michael Lerner
@tikkun.org