Category: Learning
An Essay on Love, Democracy, and Personality
If I am finally honest, I admit I am unhappy. I am uncomfortable with the way things are currently in my life. And I rise every day to a simple task of reform: removing brick by unhappy brick, those f... Read More
Repealing the Ban Against Sikhs in the Military
Originally published on The Huffington Post. A few weeks ago, the British Army and the Scots Guard broke centuries of tradition by allowing a Sikh soldier, Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar, to wear his turba... Read More
Shabbat Shira and the Power of a Nigun
In addition to being Tu Bishvat—The New Year for the Trees, a minor holiday which has been increasing in significance due to its environmental and Kabbalistic themes, this past Shabbat happened also... Read More
Teaching Heschel and King by Leslie Hilgeman
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – quote used by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I don’t often write about classes I take at rabbinical school. But every so... Read More
What I Learned About God by Ice Skating with My Boyfriend
My boyfriend and I live 307 miles apart (thank you, Google maps, for your precision). Long distance is not the easiest way to start a relationship, let alone to maintain it. When we manage to sneak a ... Read More
“The Problem of Nation-State in Democratic Politics” by Yi Shen Ma
The meaning of nationhood is a hotly debated issue in Western political theory. Despite its intrinsic ambiguity, however, most scholars agree that the idea of a “nation” is real enough to impact t... Read More
To Work the Earth of My Heart: Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount
I just returned from my last final of the semester. It was…unconventional, to say the least. Instead of sitting in a wood-paneled classroom for three hours getting intimate with a blue book, I spent... Read More
The Challenge of “Amen”: A Young Rabbi’s Reflection on Taking Part in an Interfaith Prayer Service
Last week I had the opportunity to take part in an interfaith prayer service to support my town’s re-elected mayor who would be inaugurated the following day. It was an incredible moment for fai... Read More