Sh'ma Now

Between Two Faces

Stephanie KolinDecember 3, 2018

Martin Buber’s teaching on I-Thou; Facing others to engage in social justice work

Seeing God “face-to-face” promises intimacy but signals a complicated relationship. The Torah testifies that Moses “was known by God ‘face-to-face.’” (Deuteronomy 34:10) The medieval commentator Rashi explains that Moses was so intimate with God that he was able to call upon God whenever he wished. Nachmanides, the medieval scholar known as Ramban, understood their closeness to be so strong they needed no intermediary. And yet, despite the immediacy of one face to the other, the Torah restrains ultimate closeness. To Moses’ request, “Show me now Your glory,” (Exodus 33:18), God replies: “You are not able to see My face, for no person can see Me and live.” (Exodus 33:20) Even the sun in eclipse, already covered and obscured by another object, requires levels of filters to be observed. Seeing God face-to-face is suicidal.

Facing the Occupation

Ian Chesir-TeranDecember 3, 2018

There may be two sides to every story, but, when I escort American rabbis and rabbinical students on visits to Hebron in the occupied Palestinian territories through my work at T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, we only bear witness to one side of the story: that of the oppressed.

Face-to-Face with My Patients

David ChodirkerDecember 3, 2018

In today’s hectic world, human relationships are increasingly mediated by electronic technology. Powerful computers and data networks power the ubiquitous Internet. Mobile communications and social media platforms have transformed how individuals relate to other people, institutions, and the world at large. In the medical realm, the Affordable Care Act and the 2009 HITECH Act mandated the use of electronic health records (EHR) and, in doing so, catalyzed its widespread adoption by physicians and hospital systems.