Try persuading today’s university students that making money is both dignified and moral. That’s what I did last week when I addressed 13,000 students at the Liberty University Convocation in Virginia. I not only told them that making money was a virtuous activity but I proved it. And they whooped, hollered and cheered. But remember,...
This Musing may not be what you expect. Abraham Lincoln is my guest, but I am not reprinting his proclamation setting the precedent for a national observance of Thanksgiving. That proclamation is well worth reading, with its call, “…to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and...
Some classmates at the Jewish elementary and high school I attended were the children of Syrian refugees. On Shabbat, my family ate gefilte fish while they ate kibbeh. I pronounced the Sabbath day ‘Shabbos’ while they said ‘Shabbath’. I was blonde and blue-eyed while their hair was black and their eyes brown. Some of our...
Question: Sadly, we’ve all heard numerous accounts of pedophile priests, with some explaining away their sickness as being a result of forced celibacy and inability to “connect” with a loving wife. But just today, the news from the east coast of a rabbi accused of filming young women, as they undressed for the mikvah (ritual...
You know those Rube Goldberg complicated contraptions that employ a long chain of mechanical levers and other devices to do something mundane like striking a match? We love watching them, partially I think because so much in life tends to camouflage cause and effect. When we watch a three minute process of rolling balls, falling...
For a few years now, I have been dodging Ben Carson supporters at political conservative events. I’m talking about long before this primary season started—it seems that wherever I went there were perky young people encouraging me to join the, “Run, Ben, Run” movement. I wasn’t very interested. Not only did I really not want...
Question: I understand that God warned in Deuteronomy 28 that He would disperse the Jews throughout the world “from one end of the earth to the other”. Did this happen? Are Jews in every country; for example Chile? Iceland? Korea? South Africa? How far were they dispersed? ∼ Kate S. Answer: Dear Kate, Chile –...
Our recent move from a huge home to an apartment seemed like a good time to embrace the ‘only keep what you need and love’ movement. The cynic in me is sure that once enough people have discarded their excess clothing and general stuff the culture will encourage a resurgence of the ‘you deserve a...
Question: Many years ago, you could go to church and might notice the large numbers of cigarette butts in the parking lots. Today, in most Christian circles, smoking and use of tobacco is said to be sin. I have searched the Bible for an answer and clarification to the question about tobacco use. Is there...
