Thinking about Karma in the Torah by Michael Zamir 

In the transition from East to West, Karma received a utilitarian interpretation of “Do good, receive good”. We have received an incentive that pushes us to do good deeds, and also warns us from less good deeds, because all things come with a price tag. There is a “good” deed and a “bad” deed. There are “good” people and “bad” people. Our desire to catalog everyone as either “good” or “bad” is a trap. In this imaginary separation, we place ourselves, without a doubt, with the “good”, and protect ourselves from the “bad”. This separation, exists in our mind from the beginning of time, but it’s not connected with reality.

Reflections on the urgency of our situation by Rabbi Michael Marmur

“Hope I am Crying Wolf” From Rabbi Marmur’s TOI Blog this week

The new government will strip Israeli democracy of its assets, in the name of tradition and security. It’s going to be ugly, unless we do all we can to stop it!

Within the next few hours or days, negotiations to form a new government in Israel will be concluded. The government was elected by a democratic process, and the results must be respected. That does not mean, however, that they should be welcomed (they shouldn’t), or that we should assume things will work out well (they won’t). It seems most likely that democracy, pluralism, fundamental human rights, and the rule of law will be under relentless attack.

Read the full D’var Torah HERE

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