Category Archives: Bible
Capital Punishment
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 3rd October 2023Jake Hegee’s opera Dead Man Walking opened the Met Opera’s new season last week. It’s based on a book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean. Sister Helen is an ardent opponent of the death penalty. Though opposition to capital punishment is not a feature of Hegee’s opera its depiction of it and Sister…
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Thoughts on the Building of the Tabernacle
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 12th March 2023
The last two segments of Exodus are devoted to the construction of a Tabernacle. Its materials are gifts from the Israelites. These people who recently were slaves seem to have accumulated a stash of valuables of both great variety and worth during a very brief span. They even had dolphin skins. How these were acquired…
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Exodus 1-6: Brief Comments on Leadership
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 29th December 2021The beginning of Exodus is about the choosing of a leader. Moses’ birth and adoption by an Egyptian princess is told. As a young man he kills an Egyptian and flees to Midian. He marries a local girl, has a son, and works as a shepherd. God speaks to him out of a burning bush…
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You Cannot See My Face
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 18th October 2019The Universe is not only stranger than you think; it’s stranger than you can imagine. Richard Feynman The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. WB Yeats And he (Moses) said: “Show me, now, Your glory!” He (God) said: “I will let all…
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Commentary on Genesis 50:19-21
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 26th December 2015“Have no fear, for am I in place of God? Though you intended me harm, God intended it for good, in order to accomplish what is now the case, to keep alive a numerous people. Now, therefore, have no fear – I will provide for you and your little ones.” This is what Joseph, near…
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Commentary on Leviticus 10:1-2
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd March 20141 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered alien fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 And there came forth fire from before the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord….
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Commentary on Genesis 25:19–28:9 Duplicity and Unintended Consequences
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th November 2013I’ll just list a bit of the chicanery and unintended consequences that populates Genesis 25:19–28:9, a veritable scriptural soap opera. To begin Rebekah, who is married to Isaac, and has had great trouble getting pregnant finally succeeds and is carrying twins. She’s not young so it’s a difficult pregnancy. She asks God why she exists…
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Commentary on Numbers 32:1-25
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th July 2013Only the Dead have seen the end of war – George Santayana Si vis pacem, para bellum – Vegetius Numbers contains some pretty unsavory stuff, which I’ll skip. I’ll concentrate on chapter 32. This is the section where the Reubenites and Gadites come to Moses and Eleazar the priest to tell them that the east side…
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The Neutered 23 Psalm
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 28th September 2009The King James version of the 23 Psalm: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the…
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