On the Weekly Torah Portion of Bamidbar
Pierre Teilhard_de_Chardin
This week’s Torah portion, bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20), is the first Torah reading in a book of the same name (referred to in English as Numbers). The word bamidbar (במדבר) means “In the wilderness”.
Wilderness is the backdrop of most of the Torah. It is where all the drama of the people of Israel as a people, as opposed to a family, takes place. And it unfolds in the space of 40 years, after which, supposedly, our forefathers crossed the Jordan river and entered the Promised Land.
On the Weekly Torah Portion of Bechukotay
David Bohm
The opening verses of the Torah portion of bechukotai, (Leviticus 26:3 – 27:34) reminded me of the ideas of American physicist David Bohm (1917-1992). An innovative thinker, Bohm did not limit himself to physics and went further than many in trying to grapple with the implications of quantum physics on our understanding of mind and brain. He also engaged in famous conversations with J.D. Krishnamurti, one of the most significant spiritual teachers of the 20th century, and developed a system of “dialogue,” a way for people to conduct a conversation which takes the insights he has gained into the nature of mind and consciousness into account. (more…)
Only God I Saw
Interior of Tomb of Baba Kuhi in Shiraz, Iran
I am leaving for a one-week silent meditation retreat, so instead of a specific d’var on this week’s Torah portion, I’d like to offer a short reflection on the known Hassidic saying in Yiddish, alz is gat (אַלץ איז גאָט), “everything is God.” The commentary is in the form of a Sufi poem by Baba Kuhi of Shiraz, “Only God I Saw”: