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May 27, 2023 – 11:40 pm | 60 views

The kohen (priest) plays many central roles in this week’s Torah portion. Primary among them is the priestly blessing. G-d endowed the kohen with the power to confer blessing. It is a potent power. Imagine holding the keys to another’s fortune and happiness. If you choose, you can endow them …

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Bestow Blessing

June 8, 2022 – 8:15 pm | 564 views
the priestly blessing innerstream

Every Jew has the power to bestow blessing. If you see a friend in need of a blessing, bestow blessing and don’t hide behind the illusion that you are too ordinary. Don’t be too humble and don’t be too stingy. Bestow blessing and let G-d worry about how to deliver …

Naso: Implicit Bias

May 8, 2021 – 11:04 pm | One Comment | 1,424 views
implicit bias

Implicit bias is the idea that we all harbor prejudices and stereotypes without our conscious knowledge. It rests on theory that since most of our actions are governed by our subconscious, implicit biases are more accurate predictors of our behavior than conscious values.
In other words, we don’t need to behave …

Naso: Give Your Fellow A Lift

June 11, 2019 – 7:27 pm | 1,574 views
lift-innerstream.ca

Lift is an interesting word. In America, you give someone a lift, when you drive them to their destination. In England, it refers to an elevator. The British meaning makes more sense. A lift should lift you vertically; not transport you horizontally.
The concept of vertical lift is the subject of …

Naso: To be Lifted

May 24, 2018 – 12:22 pm | 1,795 views
mobilizing the force - innerstream

To celebrate the inauguration of the tabernacle, the Jewish tribal princes made several key contributions. Among them were four wagons and eight oxen to transport the sacred vessels across the desert. When the Jews would travel in the desert, the Levites would disassemble the tabernacle and transport it, using these …

Naso: Self Imposed Confinement

May 25, 2014 – 11:44 am | 2,400 views
confinement - innerstream.ca

Isolation
We live in self-imposed confinement. Our world is confined to ourselves and to the people we love. Tell us about a tragedy elsewhere in the world, we cluck our tongues and move on. For some, the world is even smaller. It extends only to themselves. At every turn they ask …

Naso: The Priestly Blessings of Growth

May 12, 2013 – 5:38 am | 3,040 views
the priestly blessing innerstream

Three Parts
A while back, someone in my congregation noticed that the Kohen, during the priestly blessings, repeated the cantor’s errors, when echoing his intonations. He inquired with the Kohen, who replied that he hadn’t noticed. He explained that when offering the blessing he tries to empty his mind and make …

Naso: Judaism Is Egalitarian

May 29, 2012 – 2:05 pm | 3,521 views
judaism is egalitarian innerstream

Equal Access
When the words religious egalitarian are spoken they usually refer to gender equality, but I have something entirely different in mind.  I am referring to the absence of a caste system in Judaism. Jews don’t subscribe to a pyramid scheme that requires the laity to access G-d via priests …

Naso: The Recovering Addict

May 29, 2011 – 5:08 am | 2,510 views
The Recovering Addict innerstream

The Dilemma of the Blanket
Have you ever laid yourself to sleep with a short blanket? You cover your toes, but your shoulders are cold. You pull up the blanket to cover your shoulders, but now your toes are exposed. Your sleep is restless and fitful, what do you do? Finally …