I was driving with my son in Cape Town last week, listening to a local radio station, when they had a "name that tune" contest. "In a Big Country" came on.
I didn't call the station in time, but my son was impressed that I could name the song after just a few seconds of music. Of course, it's one of those ubiquitous 1980s tunes that I grew up with; how could I not have known what it was?
South Africa is big and geographically diverse (not to mention diverse in other ways). But the U.S. is big, and wonderful, and I'm celebrating that today, as I'm on a flight to Iowa to check out some local races -- and the prospects for 2024.
Right now it looks like Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. Ironically, the January 6 hearings have probably made that more likely. But Trump's brand is disruption -- and I'm not sure the electorate wants that. People want stability.
The GOP field is more open than it seems. Florida Gov. Don DeSantis is seen ...
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
