Is All Murder Equal? The Death of London McCabe
This week, Jillian McCabe threw her autistic 6-year-old son London from a bridge to his death. The murder has provoked many reactions, among them a surprising amount of sympathy for the mother, who was by many accounts overwhelmed by her son’s condition. “When our sense of mercy for one person is built on the message that the person they...
Read moreTo Quarantine or Not to Quarantine
The question of whether or not to quarantine those returning from West Africa who have been caring for people with Ebola is in the forefront of many people’s minds. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of CLAL and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily, reminds us that this is a question that has plagued man since Biblical times and that while...
Read moreIs Extreme Fitness Replacing Religion?
Extreme fitness programs have become a multi-billion dollar industry. What drives people to train like Navy SEALS? According to Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily, “longing for experience over what makes rational sense is a very real piece of what it means to be human”, and that longing for experience is reflected in...
Read moreIs Suicide Wrong? Always?
This week, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard announced that she will be ending her life on November 1. Maynard has an aggressive form of brain cancer and has received a terminal diagnosis. Rather than putting her family and herself through the ordeal of a painful and drawn-out death, she has chosen physician assisted suicide, which is legal in Oregon. “Sometimes, like...
Read moreRosh Hashanah and Hope for the Future
As Jews around the world celebrate Rosh Hashanah in the midst of global strife, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com reminds us that Rosh Hashanah is a “profound chance to look forward and dare to hope when others say hope makes no sense.”
Read moreISIS – Political Correctness and Honesty
As the world comes to grip with the threat of terrorism from ISIS, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, believes this is “a moment when all people must make an honest choice about who they to be in the world, including in a war which very much has religious overtones but isn’t...
Read moreGenocide, Religious Warfare or A Third Option
Christians are increasingly at threat of ethnic cleansing throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, asks “How do we talk about that real possibility without turning this war into a religious war?”
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Ratchet Down the Ferguson Story
Unrest continues to simmer in Ferguson, Missouri since the August 9th shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown. According to Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, “We privilege rage over sadness to all of our peril. And we confuse imposing order with building peace between members of different communities.”
Read moreRobin Williams, Suicide and Shame
The death by suicide of Robin Williams earlier this week shocked his fans around the world. It also focused attention on suicide and the discomfort we all feel about the disease that leads to it. “We’re not ashamed of having cancer, we’re not ashamed of having ALS or any other devastating disease. But there’s a lot of shame associated with emotional illness” says...
Read moreIn God We Trust?
This week, the Pierce County Council in Washington voted to display the national motto “In God We Trust” in its chambers. The controversial decision came after heated debate and strenuous objections from local atheists. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com says that “even if the vast of majority of us believe in God...
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