I want to start with a big disclaimer. Rabbi Amy misspoke.
On the episode she stated that she was the first woman to be ordained a Rabbi
by the Masorti/Conservative movement in Israel but she actually was the second.
Our apologies to all who failed that round of trivia because they got the name
wrong. This shows how raw and uncut and unplanned the whole show is. It is
organic, it is natural, and it is prone to have errors from time to time.
All that said, we are excited to have the Rabbi Amy Levin join us for this episode! She was right a good 98% of the time. Amy is the Rabbi of Temple Torat Yisrael in East Greenwich, RI.
Speaking of errors, how wrong was Jonathan to think that his
understanding of Jesus might lead to problems with the good Rabbi? As he found
out, as long as he doesn’t go and hurt others he is free to think whatever he
wants. The conversation was focused on supersessionism which basically says
that Jesus fulfills God’s covenant with the Jews. This is a basic premise of Christianity
and is a very real reason why Christians can enjoy the salty goodness of bacon.
Yet being a good, progressive minded Protestant, Jonathan lives with a little
bit of guilt because of such a stance. He wants to be nice to everyone, or at
least hold up appearances of being nice. According to Amy it is ok. According
to Amy Jonathan is free to believe what he wants even though he is wrong
(according to Amy, we all know that he could never be wrong).
The conversation took a number of very different, very
interesting turns. Perhaps the one point that should be lifted up is connection
with the covenant with Abraham. This covenant goes before Sinai, before the
law, and reminds us the God is the God of Isaac and Ishmael. There is a
universal connection with such a covenant that can open things up.
And… try to avoid a cult of personality when looking at
scripture and the people within it.
Railage
Jonathan is tired of Facebook pictures that are supposed to
make you feel good, that are supposed to be moving, and that are supposed to be
powerful but are so prevalent and abundant that they seem meaningless and
empty. Stop posting the pictures and lists and other things that will “change
my life.”
Amy is angry at the “Holiday” tree. It is a Christmas tree.
Call it a Christmas tree. Stop trying to be nice to everyone!
Opening
the Word
Exodus 13:17-17:16 – the whole thing! If that is a little
too much, try Exodus 15:1-18 every morning for a week. Or try it every morning
for more than a week. It is a great, powerful song proclaiming who God is in
the Exodus story.
Watcha
Into!
Jonathan is actually reading fiction! And not any fiction,
but Agatha Christie’s Murder on the
Orient Express. He did finish the book a has a blog post about it here
where he takes what was a fun read and makes it dull.
Amy is listening to Salman Rushdie’s Joseph Anton: A Memoir. Before you decide to dismiss someone for
something they did without actually learning about watching or reading the
thing that has caused such offense, read (or listen to) this book. It is not
fun to be labeled and condemned.
As always feel free to rate us on iTunes – your comments
make a big difference. Feel free to send your thoughts to us: 12ecast@gmail.com
Coming up – worship, with Jeff Olsen!
