BE HAPPY! THAT’S AN ORDER!!
BE HAPPY! That’s an order. Especially on Sukkot. The Torah repeatedly commands Israel to rejoice, although “rejoice” is more precise than simply “be happy.” “You shall rejoice before the LORD your God.” —Deuteronomy 12:12 At the pilgrimage festivals, the command becomes especially explicit: “You shall rejoice in your feast.” —Deuteronomy 16:14 And after presenting the […]
ONE FLESH
Love, Life, and the Biblical Marriage Arc By Jonah Ritter Abstract Marriage forms one of Scripture’s great unifying arcs. Genesis begins with Adam and Chavah becoming basar echad—one flesh—beside the Tree of Life. Revelation concludes with Messiah, His Bride and humanity’s restored access to that tree. Between these two bookends, Scripture reveals marriage as both […]
THE GLORIOUS 92
The Turtle and a Signature An overlooked story of liberty connecting John Wilkes, John Hancock, two turtles—and America’s 45th and 47th president. By Jonah Ritter Preface: My Grandfather’s Turtle My grandfather, Philip Ritter, was a dentist. In his day, he was the youngest graduate of Columbia University’s dental school. He died in his early sixties, […]
I WRITE TO THINK
The Writing Process Helps You Think When I was in my twenties I had a friend say to me that I should get involved with a public speaking group called “Toastmasters.” My reaction was that, I am a terrible speaker. And I would be very uncomfortable in such a group. My friend explained to me, […]
SEMANTICS
Perspective Is Context There are all sorts of ways Islamists and Jews define and see a situation or action differently. Words can frame the same conflict in opposing ways. That is one way to describe semantics. Here is an example: When Islamists kill Jews and seek to destroy Israel, they call it “Jihad.” When Israel […]
THE END OF AN ERA
My Room, My Life And Yom Kippur I started the new Jewish year, 5787, with my first goal: emptying the red room. More than fifteen years ago, our daughter Sarah decided to paint the walls of our den a deep red. She wanted to turn it into a sort of “man cave” for me. I […]
LOOKING BACK: REMEMBERING SONGS LONG AGO
A Song Carried Forward Preface I write to think. That is why I blog, and it is how this series began. I was reading Ha’azinu, Moses’ final song in the Torah, when I wrote The Song That Saves. Writing it led me to more questions about Moses’ final days, and those thoughts became After the […]
AFTER THE SONG
What Moses Leaves, and Who Stands Beside Him A follow-up to “Ha’azinu: Listen to the Song. Let the Rock Speak”. In my reflection on Ha’azinu (Deuteronomy 32), I was listening for the Song and the Rock. Afterward, I found myself looking back one chapter. Why did God give Moses a song at precisely this moment? […]
THE SONG THAT SAVES
Ha’azinu: Listen to the Song. Speak to the Rock. How can a song save? Moses’ song preserves words Israel needs to hear and return to. Preface This week’s Torah portion is Ha’azinu (Full text of Deuteronomy 32), Moses’ final song to Israel. We read it on Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return, between Rosh Hashanah […]
THE EYES & HANDS OF GOD
“And God created man in His own image.” — Genesis 1:27 I love Starry Night. About five years ago I stood in front of it at MoMA and just stared. The sky seems to move: coils inside coils, each turn drawing my eye into the next. Van Gogh had made something still feel alive. An […]