Sublime

To make a true sea change in American Jewish life, we need to foster an entire generation of Empowered Jews.

Marc, a San Francisco ophthalmologist, was the first person to ever describe himself to me as a JUBU—a Jewish Buddhist. I’ve since learned that he is one among many, in a long line that goes back at least one hundred years.

as Jews we have a responsibility to work across the borders of faith and be a blessing to humanity as a whole, seeking neither recognition nor reward.

Reflect on the world in which your grand-parents lived. Imagine the world you would like to bestow on the next generation.

become Judaism’s most controversial proposition: that since mankind in its diversity cannot be reduced to a single image, so God cannot be reduced to a single faith or language. God exists in difference and thus chooses as His witness a people dedicated to difference.

Living according to the Torah means, in this view, aligning yourself with the forces that make for human flourishing, especially if you are a tiny people surrounded by enemies.

I find it striking that so many different religious traditions work to expose this sense that “I am the center of the universe” as a dangerous illusion.

and guides us in valuing what is difficult, what is different