Mindful Torah...and more

Let us all take a moment to pray for peace throughout the world.  Let us pray for peace in the streets of Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel.  Peace between Israel and all her neighbors, as well as peace among all the residents of Israel itself.        Let us pray for peace in the streets of Paris and throughout France, as well as so many other places in Europe, where Antisemitic rhetoric and violence is growing each day. Let us pray for peace between Jews, Muslims, Christians and people of all religions - or no religion.  Let us pray for the day when we will all recognize that we all come from the same place and we are all part of the one human family.        Let us pray for peace in the streets and homes of Ferguson, MO.  Peace for the family and friends of Michael Brown and all those who have been showing their support.  Peace between people of all races and beliefs in the streets of Missouri, throughout the United States and throughout the world. Peace that will not be

The last blog post I wrote focused on the (then) new war in Gaza to the prophetic reading ( Haftarah ) from the opening chapters of the book of Jeremiah. Since then, the fighting intensified, as did the death and destruction. Sitting helplessly here in the USA, I truly felt for the first time like I was in galut /exile. But it was not so much that I was in exile from my homeland, but from my people. And I am speaking not only of the Jewish people, but of so many friends and family members about whom I care, but whose words and rhetoric disturbed or even angered me. What made this exile even stranger was the fact that it was not based on a particular ideology. It was not simply that I felt exiled from those on the “right”or the “left” because I disagreed with them. Rather, I felt exiled from everyone, because I did not know exactly how I felt or what I believed. I could see, and at times agree with, perspectives from all sides, except for the most extreme expressions of