01 Rev. Jim Burklo: Resistance against oppressors: a biblical explanation

Jim Burklo was my (Rabbi Brian’s) first interview because this USC Dean of Religious Life is the father of many congregations running their own “resistance bible studies.” I want to grow up to be like Jim Burklo. He is smart, funny, serious when he needs to be. And, he has a great big heart. The kind that just makes you think, “I want to love people like he does it.”

It’s o.k. to seek love.

November 6, 2025

Beloved reader, I am redoing the rotb.org website.  Again. Why am I redoing the website again? Because a website older than (blank) years is (blank minus one) years overdue for a facelift.  (The standard is three years for small sites and six years for large sites.)  ✧✧✧ While placing into the background a composite grid, 15 wide by five tall,

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Apple-Banana-Cap

November 5, 2025

An apple, a banana, and a baseball cap.🍎🍌🧢 ✧✧✧  I arrive at the wedding venue super early. My preference, always, is to arrive early, find the couple, and let them see that I’m on site. (It usually calms them down.) But, today, I’m super, super early. The couple haven’t even arrived yet. “You the photographer?” I ask a man pulling

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Deleted Scenes from the Book of Jonah.

October 17, 2025

A few weeks ago, in writing to you about the High Holy Day services, I referenced stopping the telling the story of the fish-dwelling prophet, Jonah in order to read to two-year old Nora. I thought, “Hey, I know what would make a good article! A fuller, playful retelling of the Book of Jonah.” But, then I read what I

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