Maury Hoberman, president of the Kesher Israel synagogue in West Chester, gave this past week's "Faiths of our Neighbors" lecture at West Grove Friends Meeting on Oct. 1. An engaging and amusing speaker, he discussed Jewish history (very briefly), denominations (which vary widely in their interpretation of Biblical laws), religious practices and rituals (which again differ according to how observant the person is), and current trends in the faith. He believes it's important for rabbis to pursue continuing education and for congregations to keep and attract members by emphasizing the present-day relevance of their teachings.
He said that Jews are supposed to pray three times a day, mindfully and with clear intention. I didn't realize that Saturday-morning services last for three hours!
Dr. Hoberman used the interesting analogy of a human body to describe interfaith dialogue: different religions may be different body organs, but they're all necessary and they all have to work together to make up the whole. He also said that both vertical and horizontal connections are important ways of expressing faith: vertical connections with God and horizontal ones with our fellow humans.
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