Jacob's Ladder

And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night... and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:10-12 (KJV)

When I was a girl in Sunday school, we used to sing a popular chorus, "We are climbing Jacob's ladder... soldiers of the cross." The song harkened to a story in the Bible about Jacob. He fell asleep and had a wonderfully mysterious dream -- Jacob saw a ladder stretching from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending on it. The ladder bridged the yawning gulf between man and God. When he woke up, Jacob realized it was a divine visitation. 

I’m Outraged Over Photographed Subway Death

JENNIFER LECLAIRE

 

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The New York Post ran a front page photo of a man who had been pushed onto the subway tracks. The image shows the subway fast approaching as the man tries to climb back up to safety. He was unsuccessful and the subway killed him. (CBC)

Imagine if the New York Post existed in Bible days. And imagine if the cover photo showed the man Jesus described in Luke 10—a man who was attacked by robbers, stripped of his clothes, beaten down and half dead.

Now imagine the uproar if that same image showed the priest and the Levite passing him by before the Good Samaritan finally stopped to save his life.

Fast-forward a couple of thousand years and the Parable of the Good Samaritan is playing out in front of our eyes—with an unfortunate twist that’s raising ethical concerns about the actions of a freelance photographer.

What Is a Kibbutz?

IFCJ

In Hebrew, kibbutz means “communal settlement,” and that describes some of what goes into these rural communities dotting the Israeli countryside.

First founded in 1909 by a group of young Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, the original kibbutzim (the plural of kibbutz) were guided by the Marxist principle “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Members of a kibbutz shared meals, property, possessions, farming duties, and child-rearing responsibilities. They were dedicated to living off the land and being a strong, giving Jewish community.