Kuala Lampur
My piece on Heschel and the Dalai Lama was just picked up by The Buddhist Channel — a Malaysian web-zine. It runs with a lovely photo of His Holiness.
Union Theological Seminary NYC
Delivered by Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner at Union Theological Seminary, Noon Chapel, October 20th, 2005. The Zohar, the foremost book of Jewish mysticism, explains that the Sukkah generates such an intense concentration of spiritual energy, that the divine presence manifests itself in this fragile earthbound tent. During Sukkot we are told that the souls of the seven ancestral shepherds of Israel leave Gan Eden to partake in the divine light of the earthly festival (Zohar – Emor 103a). These transcendent…
Thanks for the Feedback
It is good to know that the scribbles I am making on this laptop are reaching screens far and wide. First off, I got a very nice email from Ambassador Reda Mansour, Bureau For Jewish & Inter-Religious Affairs, Israel Ministry Of Foreign Affairs – who read my Dalai Lama piece. He’s doing some incredibly challenging work — reaching out to Muslim communities in Europe. He also happens to be a poet. Then I got a Google Alert that someone named…
Heschel and the Dalai Lama
My latest article appears in today’s Jewish Week (10/07/2005)The Dalai Lama Traces Heschel’s FootstepsDaniel S. BrennerAs Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman, the rabbi who leads the Kol Haneshama community in Jerusalem, spoke from the lectern, I watched Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, as he clasped his hands in meditation and cracked a quiet smile. Sitting a few pews back in the interfaith service at the Upper West Side’s Riverside Church, I could see how Swami Agnivesh ties his turban, how Geshe…
A Poem for Yom Kippur
Stains Stains, sins, impurities,He searches for a liturgy with deep scrubbing action,All-purpose cleaner,Not for use on delicates. But everything is delicate,A broken zipper over the heart exposesa balled-up handkerchief soiled with blood, tears, feces, gin spilled from the flask his mother kept in her denim purse after the great unraveling.Residue.Memory plays tricks,But residue retains the stench of it all. You’d think that the smell would go away as the years stretch on,the fir trees grow tall as the house, the…
Religious Re-runs
Beliefnet is running one of my Rosh Hashannah reflections — from 5763 — on its High Holiday special….check out: http://www.beliefnet.com/features/jewishholidays/index.html Nice to see that these things stay fresh.
5766 Poetry Special
This Unit Has Been Refurbished Teshuvah does not work. Beat your heart, confess your sins, reflect on your life for ten days straight if you want – but the statistics are convincing –people do not make significant changes to their personality after the age of thirty.Your four-valve sack of nature/nurture hardened long ago.You got what you got.Deal, cope, manage.And the distance between you and everyone else grows two kilometers each year. Self reflection?Stare deeply into an empty Pringles can.Personal transformation?Change…
Imams and Rabbis for Peace in Print
I got word today that the book from the Brussels conference I participated in is now available. I contributed a little piece. I’m sending off for my copy today. www.hommesdeparole.org
Peace is Possible
I had a wonderful meeting today with Geshele Sopa, the Tibet Monk who has been charged to carry out the Dalai Lama’s work in the United States. He was a professor at my Alma Mater the Univ. of Wisconsin. This afternoon I’ll be with the Dalai Lama and the other Peace Councilors at Riverside Church. For more, see: http://www.deerparkcenter.org/NewFiles/sopa.html
Alpine E-mail
Few times in my life has an e-mail forced me to stop in my tracks and rejoice over the crazy/beautiful wired world we live in. This one did just that: Dear Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner With a double reason I get in contact to you: Firstly, we share almost the same name. Secondly, we share some interest in spirituality and health. Your work as director of the Multifaith Educational Center is very impressing. I wish you God’s blessings to all…