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On Belonging Without Agreement
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The Kindness You Don’t Remember Giving
You may forget it. They may not. A part of the ‘On Second Though’ series By: Ezra Nadav When I was not yet twelve, I watched my grandfather do something I’ve never forgotten. We were stopped at a McDonald’s just outside of Waco, Texas, one of those roadside moments that usually blends into the background…
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Safe Spaces vs. Courageous Spaces: When Comfort Becomes the Opposite of Inclusion
Part of the ‘Not Quite What You Meant’ series By: Ezra Nadav “This is a safe space.” It’s a phrase that now comes standard with everything from workplace trainings to university classrooms and community groups. A warm-sounding promise. A shield against judgment. A balm for anxiety. But more and more, I find myself asking: safe…
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When Belonging Turns Toxic: On Tribalism, Victimhood, and the Fragility of Community
Part of the ‘Not Quiet What You Meant’ series By: Ezra Nadav We all crave belonging. It’s a fundamental human need, to be seen, to be valued, to find our people. But what happens when the communities we turn to for safety and solidarity begin to turn on us? What happens when identity becomes armour,…
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What I’ve Learned by Attempting to Learn Biblical Hebrew
Why I Now Read Slower, Complain Less, and Love the Torah More From the ‘On Second Thought’ series: By Ezra Nadav Learning Hebrew with dyslexia and an auditory processing disorder has been anything but easy. But it has changed the way I relate to sacred text, to tradition and to myself. When I first set…
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Every Person Deserves Dignity: When Words Overreach Their Meaning
Part of the ‘Not Quite What You Meant’ series By: Ezra Nadav Sometimes I find myself deep in thought about the words and phrases we use—especially in statements meant to affirm, advocate, or express values. I often wonder: Are we really saying what we mean? And does what we’re saying reflect the complexity of the…
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Memory as a Moral Imperative: Choosing Justice Over Vengeance: Part 3
‘For You Were Strangers in the Land of Egypt’ from the ‘On Second Thought’ series By: Ezra Nadav Introduction to Part 3: Memory as Moral Responsibility In Part 2, we explored the Torah’s radical call to love, befriend, and refuse hatred toward the stranger—even when it’s uncomfortable or counter cultural. These commandments push us beyond…
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The Stranger as Neighbour: Love, Friendship, and the Refusal to Hate: Part 2
‘For You Were Strangers in the Land of Egypt’ from the ‘On Second Thought’ series By: Ezra Nadav Recap of Part 1: Recognising the Stranger In Part 1, we explored the foundational Torah commandments that urge us to remember our shared experience of being strangers in Egypt. These verses call us to see and honour…
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Who Is the Stranger? A Modern Reflection: Part 1
‘For You Were Strangers in the Land of Egypt’ from the ‘On Second Thought’ series By: Ezra Nadav Series Summary: Part 1: Who Is the Stranger? A Modern Reflection In this first part of a three-part series, we explore the Torah’s moral urgency around how we treat “the stranger”—a term that appears in at least…
On Second Thought Ezra 