Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland
Beit Polska The Union of Progressive Jewish Communities, together with the European and World Reform Movement, as part of the Jewish Family, stands in solidarity with the Nation and State of Israel.
The criminal attack by Hamas terrorists and the cruelty against Israeli civilians is a challenge not only to Israel.[…]
Why do we read the Book of Kohelet, the most ‘existentialist’ book of the Hebrew Bible, on Sukkot – the most joyous among the Jewish holidays? It seems to contradict the spirit of Sukkot! Did the rabbis want to put limits on our joy and happiness? Were they afraid that we might have become too happy? That’s exactly one of the (many) answers! Rabbi Azaryah Figo (1579-1647) in his Binah L’itim (published in Venice in 1648) connects the[…]
Dlaczego czytamy Księgę Koheleta, najbardziej “egzystencjalistyczną” księgę Biblii hebrajskiej, w Sukkot – w najradośniejsze ze świąt żydowskich? Cz nie wydaje się to sprzeczne z duchem tego święta? Czyżby rabini chcieli ograniczyć naszą radość i szczęście? Czy obawiali się, że możemy stać się zbyt szczęśliwi? Taka jest dokładnie jedna z (wielu) odpowiedzi! Rabin Azaryah Figo (1579-1647) w swoim Binah L’itim (opublikowanym w Wenecji w 1648 r.) łączy lekturę Kohelet z radością Sukkot:[…]
How much control did we have over the world when we were children? Very little. The whole process of growing up, learning and so called socialization is about gaining control over our own behavior and the close environment that surrounds us. Over time we gain more and more control over ourselves and our close environment; this makes us able to create small worlds of our own, like our own family, our own business or any kind of structure, like an organization or a religious community. In this way we change the world and participate in the process of its creation.[…]
