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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Will the gender pay gap ever disappear? Ashland Recycling Center hits quarter-century Louie’s Restaurant hosts fourth annual Equal Pay Day Police Reports 10 things to know for Friday Education Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning Environment Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Mt. 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Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Jeffrey Gillespie: Buying the presidency Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Go to the poetry reading at the library on Sunday Community blog: Poems for parenting A tale of two plays at OSF Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Five picks for entertainment this week Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability A tale of two plays at OSF Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director Backstage: 'Poof: Something that wasn’t there is there' Music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: Based-on-fact ‘True Story’ asks, ‘Who’s fooling who?’ Movie review: Lots of monkey business in ‘Monkey Kingdom’ Russell Crowe discusses WWI and being a first-time director 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Ben Steelman: Big-screen showings to mark anniversary of ‘Sound of Music’ Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories App Finder: Best Earth Day apps Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Looking Up: Watching for the next big comet Adelante! Gallery showcases Zenga Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination ... Ticket Availability ... Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination ... Ticket Availability ... MOCHAS, MIDRASH AND MYSTERIES Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Meeting G-d in the middle Comment By Joshua Boettiger DailyTidings.com By Joshua Boettiger Posted Apr. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Joshua Boettiger Posted Apr. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News There’s a teaching in the Jewish tradition that when two people sit down to study sacred text together, G-d is also present. The trick, though, is to not lose track of the primary text — which is the person sitting in front of you. If one studies with another person and gets swept away in ideas and captivated by the discussion, it’s obviously not a bad thing. But if that causes one to lose track of one’s study partner, to not ask them about who and how they are — it is a missed opportunity. When Daniel Murphy and I began our learning together, I was struck by his capacity to intuitively get this, and to approach our interfaith dialogue with great presence, compassion, and awareness. In short, he knows that the medium is the message! As Daniel wrote last month, he and I have been meeting regularly to study a book called On Heaven and Earth, which itself is a record of a great interfaith encounter between Jorge Mario Bergoglio (now Pope Francis), and Rabbi Abraham Skorka. The “mochas” part of the working title of our meetings refers to our joint commitment to sample the best mochas in the area, and have them inspire our learning. Daniel has a custom of making a l’chayim at the beginning of our study and saying, “May we be more awake to the needs of others.” The chapter we just explored in the dialogue between Cardinal Bergoglio and Rabbi Skorka is the one on G-d. Rabbi Skorka begins the chapter by noting a paradox: He believes that the thing that brought him and Pope Francis together was, and still is, G-d — yet the two of them never explicitly speak about G-d. “Of course,” Rabbi Skorka writes, “It was always understood that He was present.” In this vein, it’s worth explaining the Jewish custom of writing “G-d” the way we do. It is traditional to not write out the name of the Divine in Hebrew or English — as a reminder, among other things, that G-d is always somewhat beyond the pale of what we can grasp or understand; and that none of us or no one tradition has a monopoly on who or what G-d might be. How does one speak, then, about something that is often absent, yet ever-present; about something that is ultimately mysterious and beyond description? How do we, in the words of another rabbi, Benjamin Barnett, “eff about the ineffable”? Cardinal Bergoglio writes beautifully about the idea of two paths converging: “I would say that one encounters G-d walking, moving, seeking Him and allowing oneself to be sought by Him. They are two paths that meet.” It seems to me that this is also a way of navigating the paradox: If G-d is about a path and not a definition or a thing — G-d can stay more a verb than a noun. Often people will say that religion is the most divisive thing in our world. I’ve never agreed with this. Without question, religion can be hijacked for destructive means and ends, but often the conflict itself is around the ethnic, the political, or the geographic — religion is just an easy stone to pick up to throw at one another. But if we remember that none of us — no matter how deep and committed our faith — have a sure-fire knowledge of the truth; if we remember, in Cardinal Bergoglio’s gorgeous image, that G-d is a way of moving and being moved towards rather than a destination — perhaps religion can be more part of the solution than part of the problem. Together through respectful dialogue, we can move toward G-d, knowing that G-d is always moving toward us — a dynamic, not a static, truth. L’chayim! Rabbi Joshua Boettiger serves Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland.   By Joshua Boettiger DailyTidings.com By Joshua Boettiger Posted Apr. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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