Religion

If there’s such a thing as a perfect day for a funeral, that Friday was it.

Puffy white clouds dotted the blue sky, the temperature a perfect 75 degrees.

The friends and family of Teresa Rosebrough packed the church for a triumphantly joyful, yet mournfully sad memorial service.

At 50, our friend “T” lost her three-and-a-half-year battle with ovarian cancer.

A heathen once approached the wise sage Rabbi Hillel and asked to learn all about the teachings of the Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel, known for his patience, looked the man straight in the eye and replied: “What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your neighbor. The rest is commentary. Go out and learn.”

Of course there is much more to the Torah than just Hillel’s statement, but taken in a broader context, his words give us a clue as to the scope and purpose of the laws and statutes set forth in the Torah.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Left-leaning Christian and social activists see opportunity in an unconventional presidential race and a spiraling national economy: pushing poverty as an election issue.

At a time when more than 37 million Americans are in poverty, including many who are newly poor and paying keen attention, spiritual leaders are encouraging the young to vote and urging voters to select candidates who will fight poverty.

As I paddled my rickety rowboat — I was on a rushing river somewhere — a couple of humongous alligators came up underneath, flipped me over and started biting my feet.

I’ve always hated that about alligators.

It was 2:14 a.m. and, thankfully, only a dream. I tried going back to sleep, but the alligators were waiting to finish me off, so I turned on the TV and listened to four yippy dogs disguised as political commentators discuss the current crisis of the day.