This month's conversation:
Elu v'Elu | אֵלוּ וָאֵלוּ
These and those are the words of God
How do we hold paradoxical moments?
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Alive in Paradox
As I thought about elu v’elu, I rather quickly turned to Ecclesiastes, perhaps the most enigmatic and unsettling book of the Bible, riddled with paradoxes. The book’s absurd contradictions read like an existentialist’s stream-of-consciousness on nearly every question of purpose: marriage and money, work and play, love and hate. Even the famous poem of chapter three, popularized in the song “To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn,” suggests polar swings of emotion and activity. Should there really be a time to hate and a time to make war? Is there any occasion on which one should throw stones?
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Smuggling Dynamite
Two-hundred years ago, the Hasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov said: “There is no despair at all.”
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Privileged and Vulnerable
Here’s the paradox: Antisemitism and Jewish privilege are, and have long been, two sides of the same coin. Hatred toward Jews has been deeply intertwined with the notion that Jews have had unique sorts of advantages for around a thousand years.
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Our Moral Obligation
As the CEO of a Jewish Community Center in the Bay Area, my job is to create healthy communities inspired by Jewish values, culture, and tradition. We are an expansive place defined by inclusivity and accessibility. During my tenure, I have learned that community centers are expected by many to be neutral spaces — not defined by denomination and welcoming to everyone.
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NiSh’ma: Elu v’Elu
A simulated Talmud page with three commentators exploring a blessing to our God of Secrets, that each of us has a unique intellect.
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Consider and Converse: A Guide to Paradox
Consider and Converse: A Guide to ‘Elu v’elu’ — ‘Paradox’
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