Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a political, theological, legal or interpersonal disagreement with someone? Don't feel too bad - the rest of us have as well. Whether it's with a friend, a co-worker, a family member, or an acquaintance, each of us can think of times when we have gotten into heated arguments or debates. The Rabbis of the Talmud called such a disagreement a makhlokhet - a separation. Read more...

The headline-all capitals-spanning eight columns of page one of the Greensboro (North Carolina) Record for "Tuesday Evening February 23, 1960" reads: "New Sitdowns Bring 24 Arrests." The article records that "Police in Charlotte and Winston-Salem arrested both whites and Negroes today as Negro students resumed sitdown demonstrations against segregated lunch counter service." Read more...

"The first issue of the womb of every being, man or beast, that is offered to the Lord shall be yours, but you shall have the first-born of man redeemed... Take as their redemption price, from the age of one month up, the money equivalent of five shekels by the sanctuary weight, which is twenty gerahs. (Numbers 18:15-16) Read more...

We live in an age that is afraid of compassion. During election season, our politicians compete with each other to demonstrate who is tougher, more hard-nosed, and less willing to make exceptions because of extenuating circumstances. Read more...

A poignant episode of The West Wing (“Constituency of One”) highlights Josh Lyman, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Bartlet Administration, for being heralded by a major newspaper as the “101st Senator”. Lyman, a master advocate for the President’s agenda, gains recognition for his ability to influence Congress single-handedly on almost any given issue. As an accomplished campaigner and activist, he deserves this overdue attention, right? But Josh’s co-workers and superiors reacted negatively to the story. Read more...