Carlton Pearson was an Evangelical preacher turned heretic for preaching that hell is a human invention—one we don’t need any help creating for ourselves. He began preaching of a loving God of inclusion. I wonder how this lesson applies to me, or to us. I wonder how we as Jews are becoming the haters we accuse others of being.

Is it possible to be too generous? To give too much? In this episode, I tell the funny and fun story of a Ukrainian Jewish/interfaith Muslim wedding ceremony I officiated recently, and ask those questions. (Please leave a blessing in the comments section after you listen—or a comment will do as well; it will help more listeners find my podcast! And thanks!)

I heard a heartbreaking yet heartening story of a family from Kibbutz Be’eri on This American Life (Family Meeting is the name of the episode, released just this week). It gave me hope that, despite the trauma and fear, we can resist giving in to the hatred and anger, and maintain our ideals for a world where we can support each other and live together peacefully—where we don’t have to give in to the false gods that are the political forces that seek to keep us trapped.

Have you seen the show Resident Alien on Netflix? It’s really funny. It’s about an alien from outer space living among humans who thinks he is far superior to us. But he learns a thing or two about what makes humans special—our compassion—which we often forget to have, especially when we’re frightened. But politics capitalises on our fear for its advantage. The question yet again is how do we keep our compassion? And doesn’t the future of our species and our planet depend on it?

I did my first funeral last week! What a difficult situation it was. But it was full of gifts as well. So is this week’s parsha.

Last week, in anticipation of a meeting with an artist who’s been in Israeli counterterrorism his entire life, I had a panic attack. How could it be God’s plan for me to work with someone so opposite to me, my experiences, my history, my worldview? What I discovered is the answer to this question. I found sapphires!

The far religious leaders of Israel in favor of settlements on Palestinian land as agreed upon in the past, had a conference this past Sunday. They’re now pushing the idea of resettling Gaza. Meanwhile, in Torah this week, the Israelites receive the Ten Commandments. How are these connected? Listen and find out!

It’s been a while. But I’m back and ready to talk about the real issues -again. Uvalde mass shooting from 2022 and the justice department’s report, plus Gaza war…they have something in common as a lesson for us connected to Torah! Listen to find out, and leave a comment if you wish. I love to hear from my listeners!

When I recently watched the show Six Feet Under from the early 2000’s, I saw many similarities in the energy, plot, and lessons to what is happening today in the world and in Israel and Gaza, and the spiritual demands of our time. Listen to find out. I love dark humor, but this got very dark. Still, I was obsessed.

I’ve been stuffing down my feelings with food—tried and NOT true way to deal with difficult things. What is the right and righteous thing to do with the Israel/Gaza situation? How does Torah reflect our struggles? What side of history will we be on?