ITEMS OF INTEREST April 5, 2010 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

with contributions from Jessica Fleming, Mitchell Landsberg

RABBI MORRIS ALLEN apologized to the dozens of people gathered to listen to his teachings on the Book of Jonah in a Lutheran church in Apple Valley [Minnesota]. Allen hadn't anticipated so many attendees, especially on a snowy Monday night, so audience members would have to share his handout. Though unusual for a rabbi to be teaching the Bible to Christians, what was more striking about the nearly full house was the subject matter—depression.

Allen's teaching points out that Jonah, the famous prophet who was swallowed by a whale, was "spiraling downward" and asking to die. The text affirms that even in Biblical times, people suffered from depression, Allen said.

"The Book of Jonah demonstrates that at our core, our human experiences are universal," Allen said. "Even the greatest of prophets are filled with doubt."

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