Noach Lawrence, at The Blogs

Oct 26, 2023, 5:42 PM

In war’s trauma, Judaism’s healing wisdom from Genesis to now

Left: Rainbow and branches; Right: Path in the Judean Desert. Photos and collage by Noach Lawrence

This is a time of deeply difficult emotions for the Jewish people. We may be feeling waves of profound sadness, shock, fear, anger, confusion, grieving, and more emotions. We may feel many of these at once. We never know...

Jul 17, 2021, 9:24 PM

President Herzog is drawing on Tisha b’Av wisdom — we should too

Left: Isaac Herzog is sworn in as president at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 7, 2021 (Times of Israel file photo; Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90).
Right: "The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70," David Roberts (1796–1864), c. 1850.

Imagine we heard that someone was wearing a kippah and speaking about sinat chinam, baseless hatred, and the traditional teaching that it led to the destruction of the Temple on the day of Tisha b’Av. Where would we picture...

Jun 30, 2021, 9:44 AM

How the cicadas give spiritual guidance for Jewish choice through knowledge

A Brood X cicada in New Jersey, during their last emergence in 2004. (Wikipedia)

As we bid farewell to the 2021 season of cicadas in eastern America, one might not think these winged, red-eyed bugs would reveal much about the future of Jewish spirituality. But in the words of the Rambam, “Accept the...

Jan 28, 2021, 10:41 AM

Why Tu BiShvat’s spirituality can guide us through COVID-19

Nature in central Israel near Jerusalem in winter. (Photo by Noah Lawrence)

A puzzle lies at the heart of Tu BiShvat, falling last night and today: when the new year of the trees is over tonight, it will still be winter. Despite first growth, especially the almond tree flowers of the holiday’s...

Sep 25, 2020, 1:36 PM

The shofar’s wisdom for an America in crisis

This year’s Days of Awe are like none other. American Jews and our families and friends have been duly inaugurating the new year and preparing for atonement and the clean slate that follows. Yet we are doing so amid...

Dec 16, 2018, 9:00 AM

Why George H. W. Bush matters for democracy and the World

In the time since former U.S. president George H. W. Bush’s death, as people absorb the fact of his life’s ending and ruminate over what his life stood for, one of the most widely-shared elements of his legacy has...

About Me

Rabbi Noach Lawrence serves as the assistant rabbi at Temple Isaiah in the Bay Area, after a first career in law and politics, including work at the Israeli Supreme Court, the US Senate, and the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. His writing has appeared in CNN Opinion and Newsweek. The opinions herein are his own.

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