Barbara Pfeffer Billauer

integrating law, policy, religion and science

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Nov 18, 2024, 7:03 AM

Parshat Vayera: Seeing the Vision God Has for Us

The Lessons from the Akeda are mired in the cobwebs of old think, conjuring an Alfred Hitchcock movie, where Abraham eagerly proceeds on a mission to slaughter and roast his “only” son. His alacrity in performance (he can’t even...

Oct 2, 2024, 11:25 PM

The Lesson of the Akeda: It’s Not Necessarily What We’ve Been Taught

Spoiler Alert: It’s really about learning lessons and Gd’s Forever-Forgiveness on doing Teshuva. Today we are on trial for our lives- praying before the Lord of Justice, of mercy, seeking forgiveness. But, soon we read the Akeda, the binding of...

Jan 15, 2024, 1:49 AM

The Redemptive Message of Parshat Va’era

Some people think some Jews have a shetl mentality. Others think some Jews have a slave mentality. Looking at the aftermath of the Hamas Pillage of October – two very different reactions surfaced: Some voiced the shtetl-victimhood, hand wringing...

Dec 21, 2023, 8:13 AM

Joseph, The Zaddik: Parshat VaYigash

Of our iconic founders, only Joseph is graced with the aggrandized moniker: “Sainted” or “Righteous.”. Moses is “merely” the teacher; David is the King; Abraham, Issac and Jacob are our forefathers, not even the “founders”; their wives are our...

Nov 14, 2023, 3:37 AM

The Acts of Our Forebears Are Signs for US

Illustration of a Abrahams Well at Beersheba

Toldot: The Acts of our Ancestors Are Signs for Their Descendants Nachmanides opines (Ramban on Bereshis 12:6.), that the acts of our ancestors are signs for their descendants. There are two possible understandings of this maxim: The actions that our...

Nov 1, 2023, 7:05 PM

The ‘Binding’ of Isaac: Do we have the meaning right?

For many religious Americans, the Akeda poses a conundrum. How could our loving and merciful G-d order Abraham to sacrifice his favored son? And the virtuous Abraham? He, who championed the rights of Sodom and his love for Ishmael-...

Oct 23, 2023, 8:15 AM

Lech Lecha: ‘To Run Where the Brave Dare Not Go’

And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.” So begins the third chapter of Genesis – the first step in...

Oct 3, 2023, 6:28 PM

Why We Celebrate Sukkot: A New Look

One reason Sukkot is celebrated is to remind us that all life is transient. We live in huts to remind us that our houses are flimsy, our very existence is tenuous, everything is over in the cosmic blink of...

Sep 28, 2023, 11:16 PM

When Aging Leaders Should Go: Teachings from Torah

The concluding chapters of the Torah, culminating in Vzot HaBracha, have timely messages relevant to our political scene: In the movie Logan’s Run, life was great; opportunity was rife, and resources were abundant. Everyone thrived. That is until you reached...

Dec 24, 2021, 10:26 AM

When Rabbis Tread Where They Should Fear to Go

It’s not unusual for Rabbis to pontificate on current events, comingling their political perspective with their Torah views– ostensibly trying to make their Torah teachings more timely and meaningful. When they invoke science or law, Rabbis without specialized training...

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About Me

Grew up on Long Island, attended Cornell University (BS Hons.)and Hofstra ULaw School, MA in Occupational Health from NYU, Ph.D,. in Law and Science from Uof Haifa. Practiced trial law in New York City, Taught at NYU, University of Md Law School, Stony Brook School of Medicine. Currently Research Professor of Scientific Statecraft, Institute of World Politics, Washington, DC, Professor, International Program in Bioethics, University of Porto, Portugal. Editor Prof. Amnon Carmi's Casebook on Bioethics for Judges, Member of Advisory Board, UNESCO Committee on Bioethics. Currently residing in Netanya, Israel.