In Genesis 1, on the sixth day, God creates man and woman after having created all the rest of Planet Earth. In a gracious effort to provide some guidance, some instruction to these bewildered, befuddled neophytes on how this novelty of life could possibly work, God says, “Look around. All this grandeur is there for you. Read More »

In Genesis 1, on the sixth day, God creates man and woman after having created all the rest of Planet Earth. In a gracious effort to provide some guidance, some instruction to these bewildered, befuddled neophytes on how this novelty of life could possibly work, God says, “Look around. All this grandeur is there for you. Read More »

While the philosophers and rabbis of old lost themselves in labyrinths of logic like: “Can we have free will if there is an All-Knowing God,” mothers of old (or so I imagine) struggled with the very real question: “How can I raise my child to strive Read More »

We are deep into the season’s darkness, hurtling toward the shortest day of the year. Our days will continue to shorten and our nights will continue to lengthen until the welcome solstice (Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 12: 30 AM here in Baltimore). Then, the sun will cease its southern recession, pause and begin its northern trek again. Read More »

(This is my column, written for the Bay Journal News Service, that appeared in the Baltimore Sun earlier this week: ) Ever since Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple, we have been haunted by Desire, that shape-shifting seducer who promises us beauty, understanding and fulfillment if only we chase after More. On the one hand, that is a blessing. Read More »

There is a wonderful teaching in the Jerusalem Talmud which reads: “Rabbi Yohanan, speaking on behalf of Rabbi Yossi, says: ‘Just as they (the other rabbis) believe that civilization depends on cisterns, so I believe that civilization depends on trees.’” The work of blending civilization and nature has always been a challenge. Read More »

You would hardly know that in Durban, many of 194 party members of the United Nations Framework for Climate Change are meeting for the 17th COP (Conference of the Parties) to continue to explore how to save the planet from itself. Read More »

The Maryland Chapter of the American Jewish Congress is developing a Green and Just Celebrations Guide for the Jewish community of Baltimore. Read More »

I love Thanksgiving, perhaps because it is so different from Judaism’s standard, classical, biblical holidays. All our pilgrimage holidays, for example, happen away from home, toward home, longing for home. They teach us how to create a sense of place, of pride, of belonging in the midst of wandering and dislocation. Read More »

In the mid-19th century, Calvert Vaux created the iconic images of the American urban landscape, including the grounds at the White House, the Smithsonian Institute and (with his newly hired young recruit, Frederick Law Olmsted) Central Park. Read More »

I recently purchased and viewed Gasland . It is a documentary exploring the hazards that come in the wake of hydraulic fracturing (aka, fracking) to loose natural gas from pockets within shale formations around the country. One of those formations is Marcellus Shale. Read More »

If ever there were a time for the faith community to raise its voice about what we are doing to the environment, how we conduct business, and the mean-spirited incapacity of the government, now is the time. Read More »

Economist Tim Jackson, in a Ted Talk, offered the following “koan” of sorts: We are people being persuaded to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need to create impressions that won’t last on people we don’t care about. This is one version of the modern story of consumption that helps explain how we got in our current mess. Read More »

When we lived in the northern hinterlands of New Jersey (in what now seems lifetimes ago), we knew that summer had arrived when Gene, our gentle next-door neighbor, opened up his above-ground pool. He would clean and remove the leaf-laden cover, wash off the sides, and unshock the water. Read More »

We can learn a lot from Dr. Seuss, or a local CSA, or a child’s coloring book. That is: there’s a lot more variety in the world than we think. Not all carrots are orange; not all potatoes are white; not all watermelons are red; not all bananas are yellow. According to Plants for a Future, there are 20,000 edible plants in the world today. Read More »

This is the city of Antwerp, circa 1572.  It was one of the most cosmopolitan, creative, commercial cities of the 16th century, and home of some of the era’s most impressive engravers and printers. I found this particular map in a charming book called Imagined Corners: exploring the world’s first atlas. Read More »

In the run-up to the New Year, a bit of news may have escaped noticed: “Wangari Muta Maathai died on September 25 (1940–2011). She was a Nobel Peace Laureate; environmentalist; scientist; parliamentarian; founder of the Green Belt Movement ; advocate for social justice, human rights, and democracy; elder; and peacemaker. Read More »

In the run-up to the New Year, a bit of news may have escaped noticed: “Wangari Muta Maathai died on September 25 (1940–2011). She was a Nobel Peace Laureate; environmentalist; scientist; parliamentarian; founder of the Green Belt Movement; advocate for social justice, human rights, and democracy; elder; and peacemaker. Read More »

When the rabbis-of-old mused about the nature of the universe, their telescope was the Tanakh (the Bible), their philosophical society the pathways of Yavneh and Babylon. Read More »

When the rabbis-of-old mused about the nature of the universe, their telescope was the Tanakh (the Bible), their philosophical society the pathways of Yavneh and Babylon. Read More »