Guest Columnists

Adam and Eve were at a loss, not only about what to do with Abel’s body, but they had a much deeper question: how to respond to absolute evil? How could they continue to live after witnessing the depravity of which humanity was capable?

Aside from an account of their birth, their bringing an offering to G‑d, and Cain’s horrifying murder of Abel, the Torah’s description of their lives is brief and cryptic.

Why is it thus named?

What is our responsibility toward the environment? To what lengths must we go to protect open spaces or endangered species? And are we at fault for natural disasters?

It is not easy to understand how a world view that leads nowhere and ultimately explains nothing became so rooted in the human psyche

"In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth." To discover the mystical light hidden within these words, we will have to re-read them in a new way

Those who refer to the biblical story of Eve as a Divine endorsement of sexism are overlooking a simple truth: a curse is not something that should to be the way it is -- it's something that should not be the way it is...

Being direct descendents from Adam and Eve, some of us may have inherited this tendency to look for others upon whom we can place the blame.

Beneath the façade, the Oneness reality has never changed; it has simply receded. We, conscious human beings, can reactivate the Oneness reality. That is our destiny. Our privilege. And our duty.

Apparently, sibling rivalry is as old as siblings themselves. Consider Cain and Abel. You have to wonder how Cain, reared by parents who spoke to G-d Himself, went so extremely off the rails and murdered his own brother!

Really! Have you ever heard of carbon dating? Aren't there stars a millions light years away? Have you ever heard the word "dinosaurs"?

Since leaving the Garden of Eden, human impulse is an admixture of both good and evil. Our task is not to squelch the impulse but to mine it, by toning down the “mine” aspect.

I'm incredibly grateful that we have food to eat, clothing to wear, and a roof over our heads. Nothing is lacking as I carefully budget, trying to maximize every penny; but I still can't stop worrying and stop the anxiety from creeping into my heart...

From the serene perfection of the Garden, they had been plunged into the fearful reality of galut (exile) – a world where something was terribly wrong...

When G-d created Adam, at the moment Adam opened his eyes, what was his psychological profile? He had no Oedipus complex because he had no mother. He didn't have a birth trauma, because he wasn't born. He had no sibling rivalry... What was this man like?

People have become so sophisticated that they no longer believe in or understand anything anymore. Basic words, such as "friend", "enemy", "land" and "life" become totally incomprehensible