I have seen three recent references to this text and the outrage of the Bible’s requirement of having a woman marry her rapist. This would be an outrage if it were the case. Thankfully it is not. This is case however, not only of poor reading, but also of irresponsible translation. In order to understand […]
The Bible uses this phrase to encompass the land’s needing to be cleansed because of the sins of the people, the ecological effects of not keeping the LORD’s commands, and very specifically, for the weeping of the land that has soaked up the blood from the slaying of innocent people. It is the cry that […]
I have been posting these notes from my studies in the Torah in preparation of addressing an issue so horrible I hate to even speak of it. However since the issue has come up in the news and on my newsfeed twice in one month I feel like I should say something. In a news-piece […]
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 A New Bride Accused This text is often described in terms of what should be done in the case of a woman who is married and found not to be a virgin. In fact, it is about what to do when a private matter is dealt with in a public and inappropriate way. […]
The Case of Divorce, Remarriage, Divorce and Returning to the First Husband Deuteronomy 24:1-4 Deuteronomy 24 since it is often used as the definitive case regarding divorce. Ironically, it is in the section regarding theft, and it is about a very particular circumstance: A man takes a wife and marries her.She finds no favor in […]
The cost of mis-interpreting the Bible has been largely borne by women. Women’s voices have been under-represented in many of the loudest conversations about the sections of Scriptures that impact them most. This has further left women out of the conversation, as their very right to speak has been called into question. This is not […]
“Teach your sons” in Deuteronomy 6:7 (Reposted from my previous blog) Deuteronomy 6 is the beginning of a sixth chapter exposition of the command, “you shall have no other Gods before Me.” The major idea of the chapter is that learning, remembering, reflecting, and acting upon Torah will keep the community’s heart firmly planted and […]
It amazes me both how much Torah has shaped Western culture and how much misinterpretation of Torah has shaped Western culture. A recent reading of Jane Austen got me thinking about the fact that even in the last century English women could not inherit land, and the kind of desperation that caused. I don’t know […]
Growing up, I learned that Hanukkah, Passover, and Purim spoke of the need, motive, and way of social justice. Keeping the feasts and telling the stories kept us focused on the need to see and lift the oppression of others. We were moved to do so because we ourselves had suffered. We were compelled to […]
Julius Sprauve Elementary School was an all-black school, until my brother Aaron and I arrived. We were not well received. It got worse when the mini-series “Roots” came out. The vivid depiction of slavery raised deep feelings in my classmates. Their anger was leveled at my brother and me. I learned that time does not […]
