our blog

July 13, 2021
Five Ways to Improve Your Life By Improving Your Fit

Chances are, one of your key laments is trying to fit things into your busy schedule. There is only so much time, and you always have more to do than you have time for. Sometimes you get discouraged, and sometimes you even beat yourself up a little. All of this gets you nowhere. At least […]

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May 25, 2021
What is Empowered Judaism? And How Does It Compare With Today's Messianic Judaism?

Kaunfer, Rabbi Elie, Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us About Building Vibrant Jewish Communities (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights), 2010. Elie Kaunfer is the son of a pulpit rabbi. He never planned to become a rabbi himself, but he changed his mind due to following his passion to create an intense prayer-based egalitarian community […]

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February 11, 2021
Dear Rabby: I Think My Step-Father Is A Bigot

This letter and response is part of a weekly advice column featured in our Shabbat Home Discussion Guide, Shulchan Shelanu. This week's letter involves bigotry, how it looks, what it costs, and what Jews ought to do about it. Dear Rabby, I hate to say this, but I think my step-father is a bigot. He […]

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February 2, 2021
Chavurah Community After COVID – What Should We Learn From God's Time-Out?

Maybe God is treating us like petulant toddlers in his preschool, putting all of us in a time-out called COVID-19. If so, then, as with any time-out, we’re supposed to come out of this irksome experience both wiser and better behaved. Is it working?  What behavioral lessons have we learned? First we have learned a […]

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January 29, 2021
Shouldn't You Be a Food-Faith-Fanatic?

You could say I owe my salvation to tuna fish. Or maybe it was  lamb and rice. I suppose you will want an explanation. Okay, I will give it. And in the process I hope to convert you to becoming like me, a food-faith-fanatic. . I first stumbled across the bread of life in the […]

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December 4, 2020
Why Bridge From Virtual to Actual Community?

This blog is part of a series of reflections on Jay Y. Kim’s necessary book, Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age.” Here at Interfaithfulness we talk about building bridges, with our mission statement, “Building Bridges Where History Builds Walls.” We build bridges to a  better tomorrow. But […]

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November 15, 2020
What is a Havurah?

We find a variety of definitions of the chavurah/havurah in  contemporary sources. See which definition appeals to you:  “Friendship circle; a group of people who come together and form an extended family. Bonds grow through regular meetings where members celebrate, socialize, and study together” (Jewish Outreach Institute);[1] “A small group of like-minded Jews who assemble […]

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November 9, 2020
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOUR CONGREGATION GETS EVICTED?

Your messianic congregation, or for others of you, your synagogue or church meets in rented facilities. All your stuff is stored there. Your people like the place.   Then comes COVID-19. Social distancing. Temporarily you’re meeting on-line. You tell yourself it’s “just until we can go back home,” that is, to your congregational home. Meanwhile, […]

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July 31, 2020
When the Bad News is God's News and the Good News is Fake News - Of Prophecies, Politics, and Present Responsibilities (Part 3)

In previous blogs in this series I wrote of the nature and limits of prophetic gifting in our time, as contrasted with that which pertained in the Tanach (Older Testament). See here. I also wrote of the various kinds of false prophets in our day, those who are intentionally so and those who are unintentionally […]

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July 22, 2020
Some of My Best Friends Are False Prophets - Prophecies, Politics, and Present Responsiblities (Part 2)

In my prior post, I mentioned that my major goal in this series of blogs is to challenge us all to give heed to an undoubtedly valid prophetic voice challenging all of us to realize that God’s will for us and our times may well contradict our most treasured spiritual values and expectations. After some […]

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