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D'var from Friday, April 21, 2018 - Rabbi David Kosak. Recorded and edited by Ed Kraus.
It’s a misleading title, “The Defect of Our Souls.” As though we each have only one! Still, I think our defects can teach us remarkable things. In many ways, they can be our guides. The Jewish tradition has a term for such shortcomings. A p’gam is a defect or blemish, while something that is pagum is defective. For example, in the Jewish legal tradition, a kos pagum is a defective cup. It refers to a glass of wine or juice from which someone has already drunk.
As you may recall when I spoke about the subject of water on Yom Kippur, I am a terrible swimmer. Nevertheless, there is something magical about water, and being near a body of water has always been a calming force in my life.
Just this week we observed Yom HaShoah, the day of remembrance of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis. Some news outlets mentioned the results of a recent survey conducted about the Holocaust. You may have seen it referenced online. This survey was commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and it looked at the awareness of the Holocaust in the United States.
Recording from Shabbat Services, April 13-14, 2018 - Rabbi David Kosak and Rabbi Eve Posen. Recorded and edited by Ed Kraus.
Last night, Amitai and I concluded our pretty long-lasting bonding experience--watching all six seasons of Grimm to the grand finale. Yes, the series ended a year ago, but in the age of streaming that hardly matters. For those not familiar with the television series, Grimm was set--and primarily filmed--in our beloved city of Portland. It was based, rather loosely, on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
