To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat.
We have a lot to work out as a community. If we can't discuss a two-minute video set to a Jay Z song, how can we expect to resolve the more serious issues plaguing our community, sometimes to tragic consequences?
My eyes filled with tears thinking about the many miracles that had to transpire to make this moment possible: a young nation imperfectly fighting its way toward a more perfect union, expanding circles of freedom, a deep commitment to religious liberty and diversity.
America is a country home to some of the most successful people in the world. This is a country that put a man on the moon... why can't we solve the hunger epidemic in America? America has the resources to solve this problem.
Though sometimes it's hard for many of us Americans to make that distinction, Americanization is only a small part of globalization. And if America is changing the world, the reverse is true also.
Today, Thanksgiving is all about football, gluttony, and now even sensational shopping rather than a celebration of the goodness and bounty of our land and our people. Much of our lack of respect of Thanksgiving comes down to a societal impudence for our great American institutions.
It's too early to declare that we have achieved "Peace in our time!" Even if every aspect of this agreement will be followed to the letter, it is unclear that Iran's nuclear ambitions, and the danger that these imply, have been effectively contained.
Don't call this America a "police state," not given what that came to mean in the previous century, nor a "totalitarian" state, given what that meant back then. The truth is that we have no appropriate name, label, or descriptive term for ourselves.
I hope, as we remember a young President, that we will renew our commitment to building with urgency and persistence a just America where every child is valued and enabled to achieve their God given potential regardless of the lottery of birth.
From its outset, the Torah posits an ongoing tension between two imperatives - the universal and the particular: The God of Israel is the God of all humanity, so morality transcends nationality, but Jews have additional obligations they are commanded to keep.
I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday of the year, and not just for the food, but for the meaning. I love that I live in a country that at one time decided that we needed to designate a day to appreciate the bounty of our harvests, the kindness of our neighbors, and the riches we receive from the land and each other.
The only real hope in any significant change for the better rests in the American people. But first we have to regain a sense of America's history and reclaim our inheritance.
The numbers for the first-generation students are particularly telling to me. I was the first in my family to graduate from college. As a first-generation student, I know how important postsecondary education was in shaping my life, and appreciate the difference it could make to millions of others.
Our education system focuses on many essential factors intended to create a platform for success for our children. But far too often we overlook the u...
Many in the widespread coalition that make up "Heeding Cheyney's Call," are stating that the racially inequitable funding formula is the main reason that Cheyney, an all-time great institution, now has an all-time low student enrollment.
Today it is regarded as the most famous speech in American history. Yet, in the news coverage of the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Lincoln's brief two-minute address was overshadowed by the two-hour speech given by Edward Everett, one of America's great orators.
The "new" (to me) Newseum offers an amazing array of displays and information in its airy galleries packed with information on America's history, geography, politics, international relations, and media-related technological advances.
Small towns across the country are now celebrated for their passion for food and their timeless mantra that food brings people together.
Last week I experienced my first racist incident in the eight years I have been living in the U.S. I have seen and heard of racism happening to others, but this time it hit close to home. It was an attack against the core of who I am.
On a beer-drenched stage, a microphone once electrocuted him, but he kept singing. Bart Cameron, the lead singer of Seattle indie band The Foghorn...
In the maelstrom of the shutdown, a debt-ceiling suicide attempt and the cutting off of nutrition support for poor people by Congress, it's clear that America's political class has unbounded belief in national stability.
Did you hear the one about the people awaiting flights on a Friday morning having to flee for their lives from a deranged guy with a gun? Or how about...
Europe is great and Asia is awesome, but the song says America the beautiful. These hidden places prove you don't need to spend big bucks and make ...
Instead of containing terrorists, the illegal and immoral drone warfare has increased extremist recruiting that can destabilize Pakistan and in the long term can target the U.S.
An American Bride in Kabul throws down the gauntlet to Western feminists who refuse to condemn these practices. It is a challenge that is at the very least worth hearing.
