This year I was challenged by a friend to go through an entire Christmas season preaching series without talking about shepherds. To clarify: the challenge wasn’t to not mention them at all, but rather to avoid expounding on how lowly, dirty, and socially rejected these guys were. While researching the topic a few years ago, I discovered a treasure trove of material about the profession in Jewish law and writings. Every time the topic comes up at Christmas, I find myself digging up this material and presenting it. Apparently, it has become excessive. The same can be said of tanners, which I re...
