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193 results total, viewing 21 - 30

Not all small ‘things’ are just tchotchkes

Edmund de Waal’s “The Hare with Amber Eyes” is about many things. Towards the very end of the 350-page book, the author confesses, “I no longer know if this book is about my … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 11/4/22

Thoughts on mortality and immortality

It was as a high school sophomore, in 1960, that I first encountered “Ozymandias,” a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). In the first line of the 14-line poem, Shelley tells … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 10/7/22

The wonder of Rosh Hashanah

Toward the end of this month, as the sun sets on Sunday, Sept. 25, Jews throughout the world will be welcoming the new year of 5783. Like all major Jewish holy days, our Rosh Hashanah … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 9/8/22

A better tomorrow for America?

My favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra, is said to have quipped, “Predictions are hard to make, especially about the future.” Another, related, alleged “Yogi-ism” is: … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 8/5/22

Responding to Uvalde

Tuesday, May 22, 2022, is yet another day of infamy in the life of our nation. This time the place is Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, 80 miles or so west of San Antonio. You know the toll: … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 7/4/22

Darwin’s Jobian perspective

Rabbi Rosenberg has been away from his desk. He has requested that we reprint his well-received column from April 3, 2009, which appeared in what was then the Jewish Voice & Herald. Ever … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 6/3/22

‘The Prison Minyan’

The Jan. 22, 2021, issue of The New York Times includes an article by Corey Kilgannon titled, “Michael Cohen’s Prison of Choice: Well-known to Jewish Offenders.” The article … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 5/6/22

Revisiting ‘Walk on Water’

I first saw the Israeli film “Walk on Water” on a rainy weekend afternoon back in May of 2005, at the Avon, on Thayer Street in Providence. I left the theater somewhat confused, but … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 4/1/22

Poet Wallace Stevens’ quest for meaning

Complacencies of the peignoir, and late Coffee and oranges in a sunny chair, And the green freedom of a cockatoo Upon a rug mingle to dissipate The holy hush of ancient sacrifice … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 3/6/22

‘Do the Right Thing’

I did not see Spike Lee’s widely acclaimed but profoundly controversial film, “Do the Right Thing,” when it first came out, in the summer of 1989. I finally did get around to seeing … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 2/6/22