Six entries on ecology and the Bible, including Hebrew Bible, Rabbinic Judaism, modern Judaism, Christianity, Islam. My entry is the second one here (II. A.), pp.974-81, with other sections by Ellen Bernstein, Russell Butkus, David... more
Six entries on ecology and the Bible, including Hebrew Bible, Rabbinic Judaism, modern Judaism, Christianity, Islam. My entry is the second one here (II. A.), pp.974-81, with other sections by Ellen Bernstein, Russell Butkus, David Johnston, Gaye Ortiz.
This doc includes all the primary sources listed in the bibliography as published in Kabbalah and Ecology. A full bibliography with secondary and secular sources is also downloadable here and at neohasid.org/KAE.
The bloods of circumcision and menstruation create an imaginal Jewish body which is always male or female, not one body but two. This double body has been reduced to a single one by the priority tradition has given to circumcision. A... more
The bloods of circumcision and menstruation create an imaginal Jewish body which is always male or female, not one body but two. This double body has been reduced to a single one by the priority tradition has given to circumcision. A natural consequence of women's fuller participation in Jewish life is that this centrality of the male body is destabilized. Egalitarianism, however, cannot ultimately effect the re-creation of the Jewish body as both male and female. The neutered body imagined by the ideology of egalitarianism is not who we are inside, and it cannot connect to the body that desires. One response to this need is to lift up the rituals of menstrual taharah to the level of covenant, so that brit taharah and brit milah become equal foundations of the imaginal body of the Jew. Through the Temple cult, ancient Israel constantly re-inscribed a different order of sacredness on the human body and the body of the animal -- the first through mikveh and the the second through sacrifices. Through taharah, the sacred wholeness of the human body was not merely affirmed but actively created and renewed. If the rituals of menstrual taharah could express an understanding of the returning wholeness of the human body through its cycles, then a covenantal reconstruction of taharah would be easy to achieve. The imaginal body of the Jew, inscribed by women through embodied rituals, would in parallel to circumcision create and define the covenant of the Jewish people as a whole in relationship to God.
Starting from Judaism's inherently Creation-centered perspective, one can build a robust ecotheology by incorporating medieval ideas of holism found in Maimonides and in Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism. Details of Maimonidean cosmology,... more
Starting from Judaism's inherently Creation-centered perspective, one can build a robust ecotheology by incorporating medieval ideas of holism found in Maimonides and in Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism. Details of Maimonidean cosmology, epistemology, and ethical theory that emerge from Maimonides' holism are discussed, along with several Kabbalists whose work, though differing substantially from Maimonides with respect to cosmogony and the role of the imagination, touches on similar themes. Over the course of its history, Kabbalah has increasingly embraced the more-than-human world as divine in all its aspects. Equally importantly, Maimonides rejected anthropocentrism and embraced the whole of Creation. Both teach us to see ourselves in relationship to the whole, and to regard the whole as the ultimate ethical end.
This paper explores parallels between Native American ritual and Jewish, specifically Kabbalistic thought, from several perspectives, focusing on the very precise parallels between the structure of the Inipi or sweatlodge ceremony, and... more
This paper explores parallels between Native American ritual and Jewish, specifically Kabbalistic thought, from several perspectives, focusing on the very precise parallels between the structure of the Inipi or sweatlodge ceremony, and Kabbalistic ideas about the unification of Tiferet and Shekhinah, the divine masculine and feminine. It also examines the romanticization and commodification of tribalism and the concurrent problem of cultural appropriation with respect to both Judaism and Native American religions. The framework of this paper is in many senses outdated, but the structuralist exploration of ritual and theology remains potentially useful. Delivered at 2010 symposium on Jews and Native Americans held at Columbia University.
This paper explores parallels between Native American ritual and Jewish, specifically Kabbalistic thought, from several perspectives, focusing on the very precise parallels between the structure of the Inipi or sweatlodge ceremony, and... more
This paper explores parallels between Native American ritual and Jewish, specifically Kabbalistic thought, from several perspectives, focusing on the very precise parallels between the structure of the Inipi or sweatlodge ceremony, and Kabbalistic ideas about the unification of Tiferet and Shekhinah, the divine masculine and feminine. It also explores the issues of cultural appropriation with respect to both Judaism and Native American religions. The framework of this paper is in many senses outdated, but the structuralist exploration of ritual and theology remains potentially useful. Delivered at 2010 symposium on Jews and Native Americans held at Columbia University.
The 2019 version of the haggadah that reveals the deep structure of the seder, and how it guides us on a path toward freedom. You'll find signposts and cues indicating where important transformations of the seder's symbols take place,... more
The 2019 version of the haggadah that reveals the deep structure of the seder, and how it guides us on a path toward freedom. You'll find signposts and cues indicating where important transformations of the seder's symbols take place, helping you to follow the process of liberation. And you'll learn about different customs from different communities. The Haggadah of the Inner Seder can work as your main haggadah, but it's also a great supplement alongside other haggadot. And understanding the deep structure of the haggadah will help you create and lead your own seder.
The 2019 version includes corrections from 2018. Like 2018's haggadah, it also includes: * Torah quotes about taking care of refugees * Earth-centered kavvanot and prayers * An abbreviated but halakhically complete Birkat Hamazon full Hallel (transliteration only) * More midrash * Commentaries related to peace and Israel
The Haggadah is 19 pages long (plus cover) but does not (yet) include all the fun songs like Chad Gadya - so make sure you supplement!
The 2019 version of the haggadah that reveals the deep structure of the seder, and how it guides us on a path toward freedom. You'll find signposts and cues indicating where important transformations of the seder's symbols take place,... more
The 2019 version of the haggadah that reveals the deep structure of the seder, and how it guides us on a path toward freedom. You'll find signposts and cues indicating where important transformations of the seder's symbols take place, helping you to follow the process of liberation. And you'll learn about different customs from different communities. The Haggadah of the Inner Seder can work as your main haggadah, but it's also a great supplement alongside other haggadot. And understanding the deep structure of the haggadah will help you create and lead your own seder.
The 2019 version includes corrections from 2018. Like 2018's haggadah, it also includes: * Torah quotes about taking care of refugees * Earth-centered kavvanot and prayers * An abbreviated but halakhically complete Birkat Hamazon full Hallel (transliteration only) * More midrash * Commentaries related to peace and Israel
The Haggadah is 19 pages long (plus cover) but does not (yet) include all the fun songs like Chad Gadya - so make sure you supplement!
