Posts Tagged: Rabbi Pini Dunner
Aleph and Beit
This week, an article in The Atlantic grabbed my eye. It described the enigmatic sacoglossa sea slugs that harvest energy from the sun’s rays, by photosynthesizing ingested algae cells....
The Greatest Act in the World Is to Do Someone a Favor
There is no question that the primary focus of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as the intermediate days, is “teshuva.” Usually translated as...
As Jews, Our Fate Is in Our Hands
The noted American gossip columnist Earl Wilson (1907-1987) was the author of countless pithy one-liners — far too many to quote. But just to give...
Korach and the Arguments of Destruction
If you’re British and of a certain age, you are probably a fan of the irreverent 1970’s comedy sketch show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. I...
A Torah Quirk, and a Tale of Jewish Sustenance
A couple of weeks ago, during our Torah reading on Shabbat, the Torah reader suddenly stopped in his tracks and bent down towards the parchment...
A Rabbi Becomes an American Citizen
I became an American citizen this week. Over the past nine and a half years, first there were visas, then there were green cards, and...
Parshat Ki Tissa and the Meaning of Jewish Community
Earlier this week, we moved back into our synagogue after a full calendar year of being unable to gather for services in our beautiful building....
The Jewish Nation: Proof That the Impossible Is Possible
William L. Rowe (1931–2015) was a distinguished professor of philosophy at Purdue University, who specialized in the philosophy of religion. Although he discovered and embraced...
The Power of ‘Thank You’
The 19th-century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) is best remembered for his very focused personal ambition, coupled with his ability to allow political expediency...
Goodbye to 2020, and Looking Hopefully Ahead
On the first night of Pesach, we begin our Seder by asking Mah Nishtana Halayla Hazeh Mikol Haleilot? -- “why is this night different from...
Why Today’s Pathological Lying Harms Us All
The iconoclastic social philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), in his book Beyond Good and Evil, made a pithy observation about lying and how it affects relationships:...
Knowledge Is Key, Opinion Is Ignorance
Allen Saunders (1899–1986) was an American writer, journalist, and cartoonist, best known for his syndicated comic strip Steve Roper and Mike Nomad. Less well-known is...
Running Away Won’t Solve Your Problems
One of my yeshiva rabbis once told me: “there are two types of people in this world -- those who have problems, and those who...
Esau’s Callous Ambivalence in 2020
I love this quote from Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821): "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." (Though I expect he wasn’t happy that...
