When is jealousy justified? When is humility heroic? Such questions come to mind upon rereading the remarkable story of Eldad and Meidad (Numbers 11:26-29) and the conference held between a worked-up Joshua and his implacable master Moses. Eldad and Meidad were apparently among the group of elders summoned by Moses to share his divine inspiration, but for an…

He was big and burly, dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket, and his gray ponytail ran all the way down his back. When I introduced myself I learned that he was the brother of a quiet member of my congregation known for knitting pastel colored blankets for the babies. The two siblings were different…