An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
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August 6, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(8/6/15), דינא דמלכותא דינא The law of the land is the law Babylonain Talmud (Nedarim 28a, Gittin 10b, Baba Kamma 113a, Baba Bathra 54b and 55a) Dear Hevreh, Jews have almost always lived in lands not under their control. In such an environment, it's been incumbent upon the Jewish community to negotiate with the ruling powers to secure the Jewish population. From the very outset, Abraham had to negotiate burial rights for his wife; Joseph had to negotiate his way into power; and Moses had to negotiate for Israel's release from Pharaoh (with God's heavy hand behind him). In the times of the Babylonian Talmud, the Jews lived under control of many foreign governments including the Sassanids, who conquered Babylonia from the Parthians[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america Babylonia diaspora kingdom land law rabbi rabbi's journal Reverend Anne-Marie
November 7, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Vayera 2014/5775 (Triennial II) -- Raping Foreigners In this week's Parashah, we read how the men of Sodom came to Lot's home to demand that he release the men staying in his home so "v'neid-ah otam, so that they can rape them (Genesis 19:5). This trope of raping foreigners is echoed later in the Bible in Judges 19:22. Why are the men in both of these stories doing this to the foreigners in their midst? What can these stories teach us about the power of rape and attitudes to foreigners? Do these stories have anything to teach us today? Classes from other years: Parshat Vayera[...]
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : foreigners Genesis 19:5 home Judges 19:22 land online learning online parashah class power ramban rape sanhedrin sanhedrin 109a strangers talmud vayera weekly torah portion וירא
November 6, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Lekh L'kha 2014/5775 (Triennial II): God Has to Show Up (The Covenant Between the Pieces) In this week's parashah, we learn of the "covenant between the pieces" in which "a smoking oven" and "flaming torch" appear between divided pieces of sacrifices made by Abraham (Genesis 15:17). In the imaginations of the rabbis this is a representation of God as if to say that God appears before Abraham (in his dream) to make a covenant with him. What is unique about this appearance of God? What can it teach us about how God is supposed to appear in our lives and the nature of our relationship with God? Classes from other years: Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : covenant God land online parashah class promise relationship weekly torah portion