with Rabbi Lee Bycel
What is tikkun olam and why is it particularly important now?
If you have a question for our experts about family life and relationships between people of different faiths, please email us at bridges@sfjcf.org.
I would translate the Hebrew words tikkun olam as “fixing the world.” It’s a notion that goes back a long way in Judaism – to the Torah or the Jewish bible – and it deals with how you treat the poor, the hungry, and the needy. The Torah gives us imperatives, not options. It is very specific, for example, about leaving a certain quantity of crops in the field for the poor and not withholding wages.
In the past century, tikkun olam has taken on a contemporary meaning of employing our skills, abilities and wealth to enable the poor, hungry and needy to get food, water, shelter and hope – what every human being is entitled to... [continued]
When Chanukah and Christmas collide
It doesn’t happen every year because Jewish holidays are based on a lunar calendar, but this December Chanukah and Christmas will coincide. Chanukah begins at sunset on December 21 and Christmas Eve occurs just three days later, in the midst of the eight-day festival of lights.
What’s the best way for interfaith families to deal with this unusual convergence? Bridges consulted two experts who have worked with interfaith families for many years: Dawn Kepler, founder and director of Building Jewish Bridges, and Rosanne Levitt, founder and past director of Interfaith Connection... [continued] |
