- In 1885, nineteen Reform rabbis gathered in Pittsburgh to formulate the Pittsburgh Platform. It urged a strong commitment to social justice, but rejected all the mitzvot that once differentiated us from our neighbors in food, dress, and many other realms. The rabbis argued that these mitzvot were given for use at Sinai and the immediate wilderness wanderings that followed, and were rendered obsolete by modern culture. Since then, the Central Conference of American Rabbis has issued statements -- Columbus (1937), San Francisco (1976, and the Centenary Perspective) --which have moderated the Pittsburgh Platform by encouraging greater observance. (page 20)
- Family Purity. According to Rabbi Richard Levy, a Reform response to this traditional requirement might encourage the development of a covenant among family members concerning mutual care and the sexual and emotional loyalty that each person owes the other. (page 22)
- The opening lines of the Torah reading on Rosh Hashanah speak of life -- Sarah giving birth to her son, "and his name was Yitzhak -- laughter." On Yom Kippur the first sentence of the Torah reading deals with Aaron's sons, Nadav and Abihu, struck down for bringing strange fire onto the altar. According to Rabbi Harold Schulweis, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are contradictory and complementary. There is a dialectic, a tension between them that may guide us to greater balance and yield a reconciliation expressed in the posture of worship. (pages 24, 26)
- Rabbi Akiba. Even as late as the second century C.E. the rabbis debated whether or not to include the Song of Songs in Scripture. Rabbi Akiba insisted that the book is not a collection of erotic love poems but an allegory of God's love for Israel; God is represented by the shepherd and Israel by the maiden. Rabbi Akiba's opinion prevailed, and the Song of Songs entered the canon. (page 28)
- Medieval Jewish poets (medieval Spain): Yehuda Halevi, Shlomo Ibn Gabriol, Moshe Ibn Ezra, Shmuel HaNagid. Modern Jewish poets: Yehuda Amichai, Leah Goldberg, Adrienne Rich, David Meltzer, Leonard Cohen. (page 28)
- Shmuel Yosef (or S. Y.) Agnon was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1966. His first story, "Agunot," written when he was only nineteen years old, is reprinted in this Fall 1997 edition. (pages 35-36)
- Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. Situated at the edge of the Sahara and Arabian deserts, Eilat forms the only land bridge between Europe, Asia, and Africa, providing a rest area for nearly 300 different species of birds en route to distant nesting sites. After an exhausting flight over hundreds of miles of inhospitable desert, they land in Eilat, finding critical nourishment to complete their journey. (page 66)
- Rosh Chodesh -- the celebration of the new moon. The new Rosh Chodesh Guide, published by Women of Reform Judaism, offers advice and materials for congregational celebration. (page 75)
- The interpretations include: scaring demons who frequent celebrations, bringing revelers back to the reality of daily living, and recalling the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. The shattering of glass also reminds us of tikkun olam-- that it is our task to repair this shattered world. (page 92)
- The shofar calls are: The single blast of Tekiah. Then Shevarim -- three short blasts. Then stacatto of at least nine blasts. Then Shevarim Teruah -- a combination of three short blasts and staccato. And finally the Tekiah Gedolah. By most standards, this powerful blast lasts at least 15 seconds -- often longer -- and can leave the blower flushed and winded. (page 95)
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