Florida Teens, Shushanites and Two-Way Wordlessness: Two Mini Blogs for Purim First Blog: Florida Teens and Shushanites: The Power of the Moment is Sometimes Felt by the Most Unlikely While we were cooking for Shabbat last week, my wife said, “Maybe Emma Gonzalez is the next Rosa Parks.” And while I sort of laughed that off, maybe I shouldn’t have. In a world where fighting and bickering among politicians has led to an increasingly frustrating lack of progress, Emma Gonzalez, the survivor of the tragic shooting in Florida, has stood up and said “enough.” Calling out adults and telling them that they are behaving “like children,” this teenager has been the one that has moved people from both sides of the aisle to realize that we have to make change. She has become representative of the movers of this moment, the youth that has to identified this moment and seized it. Something similar happened in Shushan. In his thoughts about Purim, R. Zevin quotes Tehilim 98:3 which states
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Showing posts from February, 2018
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The Great Big Sort: The Wonderful Blessing and Terrifying Danger of the Time in Which We Live They gave out lettuce. Yes, one time, someone I know, got lettuce from a neighbor as a trick or treat food. Not owing to make lots of friends and not the most neighborly thing to do. There is a Chinese proverb that says that “A good neighbor is like a priceless treasure.” Well, lettuce on Halloween, may not be so priceless, but we all know how priceless a good neighbor can be. From the big moments in life, to the day-to-day routine, supportive people who share your life and neighborhood make a big difference. And Rebbi Yose feels the same. In Pirkei Avot 2:9 he tells us that the good path of life is being a שכן טוב --a good neighbor. R. Lau, in his commentary, tells us that this means that we should choose where we live with great care, making sure we are surrounding ourselves with a proper environment. He shares the famous quote: “You can give me gold and silver, but I would