It’s easy to preach causality: take enough precautions, you’ll stay healthy. Keep divine commandments and you’ll be rewarded, or punished if not. “If you listen to the Voice of God… I will not strike you with the plagues of Egypt. I am God the healer.” The first part is a simple reward-and-punishment formula. But ‘God […]Read Post ›
The Law given at Sinai set a new rhythm to life, a rhythm later called ‘religion’, but the deep existential anxiety remains the same as before. In modern battles between ‘religion’ and secularism, both sides lost: they asked the wrong questions. Those who ignore the Law are not free; those who follow it gain nothing […]Read Post ›
The miraculous redemption is forgotten in a moment of existential fear: life becomes bitter. The place where the Israelites experienced this fear of death is named Marah, ‘bitterness’. Physical suffering can sometimes be healed – we are commanded to attempt this whenever we can. Doctors do divine work in a much clearer way than priests […]Read Post ›
120 words of Torah 