bible
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A Letter to an Unknown Person
Suffering and mourning are aspects of the human condition. Suffering is an aspect of our “spiritual personality” and awakens us, if we allow it, to place greater value on our worth, and that of others, and the preciousness of our… Continue reading
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Freedom and Responsibility: What is Asked of Us
Our Jewish life is both a personal and a communal journey towards Mount Sinai in freedom, and then with a conscious commitment of responsibility moving into the world to bear witness to the blessing of a meaningful life—one of respect… Continue reading
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Two Voices, Different Moralities and the Choices We Make
What do we mean by “the right and the good?” How should one differentiate between the two? How we answer these questions has broad implications for our lives, whether we are Jewish, Christian, or secular in our values. Continue reading
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Time and Time Again
A Poem On the third day, when morning comesOn the breath of songs birds sing,Three women enter the lower gardenTo cleanse their dead, but discover an empty tomb.The grave is what holds us, not thoseWomen who found the courage to… Continue reading
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Food and Remembrance: The Parallels of Faith
Do you eat with intent? In my parents’ house, our evening meals were served precisely at 5 o’clock. We gathered at the table, recited a blessing, then dined together as a family. There was an understanding that my father’s employment… Continue reading
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Searching with a Lantern
The summer of 1966 was a difficult time for me. In the spring, my father had died suddenly. My mother had decided I should attend Boy Scout camp for a week. In the weeks leading up to it, I had… Continue reading
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Chanukkah and Advent: Dialogue and Hate in the Trumpian Age
Mixing Apples and oranges (or pomegranates). Readers may think I have been doing just that in these reflections on Advent and Chanukkah. Jews and Christians have distinct faiths and teachings. I firmly believe in ecumenical dialogue. Dialogue, to reach an… Continue reading
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Dreams and Expectations
Tomorrow morning, I will be giving the D’var Torah (a sermon) on Genesis chapters 25:19-28:9. I am honored to have been asked. Below is the text. Derasha: Tol’dot, 22 November 2025 The words of the Torah are like fragments of… Continue reading
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A PERPLEXING QUESTION
Perhaps I have been asking the wrong question. Ben Azzi used to say: “Despise no man and consider nothing impossible for there is no man who does not have his hour and there is nothing that does not have its… Continue reading
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THE SALT OF INDIVIDUAL ACTION:
PART THREE: THE POSSIBILITY OF ANSWERS THE SYNAGOGUE, THE CHURCH, AND THE MOSQUE I am a proponent of ecumenical dialogue. In the past, I participated in meetings, assisted others in preparing their conferences talks, and taught in various denominational settings.… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 