Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg, Author at JMORE

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg | Jul 24, 2020 | Community, Religion, Spirituality

Back in February, before COVID-19 struck and the world shut down, I was in Washington, D.C., with a few hours to spare before a class. I found myself in the National Gallery of Art, staring at an 1845 portrait of President Andrew Jackson that looked eerily familiar....

Hidden Wisdoms

by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg | Jun 10, 2020 | Community, Religion, Spirituality

How do we measure ‘good’ neighborhoods from ‘bad’ ones and change our perceptions of urban Baltimore? The Midrash (Tanchuma) teaches the Torah is written with “black fire on white fire.” This means there is a dynamism at play in the interaction of word and parchment....

Something Greater

by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg | Feb 28, 2020 | Community, Religion, Spirituality

While driving my daughter to school recently, I saw a bumper sticker which read, God > 1, and spent several minutes trying to figure out what it meant. Was the driver a pagan and this was a polemic against monotheism? Were they a mystic who understands God as...

Savor and Enjoy

by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg | Dec 26, 2019 | Community, Religion

A bicycle ride from Jerusalem to Eilat brings Israel and the environment powerfully into focus. The Torah tells us Adam, the first human, was created from Adamah (ground). Rabbi Arthur Waskow, noticing the pun, calls Adam the “first earthling.” Being “of” the earth is...

Honoring Each Other

by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg | Oct 30, 2019 | Community, Religion, Spirituality

A key Jewish value is k’vod habriot, honor afforded by us to all human beings. It’s common for social justice-minded people to seek out opportunities for justice. As the Torah instructs: “Justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deut. 16:20). But sometimes, justice can...