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Navigating Faith Without Visible Signs

JL;DR SUMMARY The 18Forty newsletter reflects on Parshat Behaalotcha, highlighting the tension between certainty and faith. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

MosesIsraelitesSpiritual GrowthTorah StudyFaithUncertaintyHuman AgencyCertaintyParshat BehaalotchaDivine Guidance

Places mentioned

Israel
"The longing underneath that phrase is ancient and serious, a craving for direction that removes all ambiguity.Parshat Behaalotcha describes a world where that sign was real. A pillar of cloud descended on the Mishkan each day, and at night it took on the appearance of fire. When the cloud lifted, the Israelites traveled."
Egypt
"Within a few chapters, the people with the clearest divine direction in human history will exhaust themselves waiting for it to move, beg a human guide for help, and weep for the garlic they ate as slaves in Egypt."
New York, United States
"This project is made possible with support from the Simchat Torah Challenge and UJA-Federation of New York."

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