91快活林

Baseball (A Jewish American Pastime)

May 4, 2026 By Robert Harris | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Part of the series “America at 250: Jewish Ideas and the American Experiment”   Download Sources With Dr. Robert A. Harris, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, 91快活林 Baseball has long been called America鈥檚 pastime鈥攂ut what happens when we read the game through the lens of鈥痯hilosophy, theology,halakhah, andaggadah? This session explores the striking parallels between rabbinic interpretation and […]

Elijah鈥攁nd Santa Claus?!

Mar 27, 2026 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Shabbat Hagadol

I am certain that I am not the first to point out the similarities between the figures of Elijah the Prophet and Santa Claus鈥�at least in the way those figures have been popularly imagined. Put simply, folklore posits that each of these figures visits individual homes on a religious holiday (Elijah鈥攖hat old shikkur!鈥攕neaks in to […]

Peshat: The Reinvention of Reading During the Twelfth Century Renaissance

Nov 10, 2025 By Robert Harris | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Dr. Robert Harris, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, 91快活林

Beginning in the 9th century in the Arabic-speaking Sephardic world and continuing through the 12th century in northern France, Jewish scholars introduced a new approach to reading the Bible. Alongside the traditional Rabbinic midrashim that had guided Jewish understanding for generations, they began writing plain-sense commentaries known aspeshat. Reading the Bible was never the same!

God鈥檚 Partners in Torah

Oct 25, 2024 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Bereishit

The ancient rabbinic Sages taught that the people of Israel must consider themselves, 砖讜转驻讬讜 砖诇 讛拽讚讜砖 讘专讜讱 讛讜讗 讘诪注砖讛 讘专讗砖讬转 鈥淕od鈥檚 partner in the work of creation鈥� (BT, Shabbat 119b and elsewhere). Often overlooked is that reading the Torah鈥檚 opening (讘专讗砖讬转 讘专讗 讗诇讛讬诐…, which I am deliberatively leaving untranslated for now) demands a similar type of partnership. The reason for this is that the opening of the Torah contains impenetrably difficult syntax. Let us consider the very first verse: 讘职旨专值讗砖执讈讬转 讘指旨专指讗 讗直诇止讛执讬诐 讗值转 讛址砖指旨讈诪址讬执诐 讜职讗值转 讛指讗指专侄抓. If we were to translate this verse literally, and absolutely retaining the order of the words, we would understand it along these lines: 鈥淚n the beginning of, he-created God (did), heavens and earth . . . 鈥� This is a far cry from the affecting cadence of the majestic King James Bible鈥檚 translation, 鈥淚n the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.鈥� The question is, given the difficult syntax, what does this verse 鈥渁ctually鈥� mean?

From Symposium to Seder: How The Rabbinic Adoption of Roman Party Conventions Became Our Passover Seder

Apr 15, 2024 By Robert Harris | Public Event video | Video Lecture | Pesah

In the years following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Jewish observance of Passover underwent a seismic shift. In lieu of the now impossible sacrificial Temple ritual, the rabbis adopted the Roman symposium in order to create a new type of festival meal, one that was rooted in new rituals and intellectual discourse. Together we explore what led to the rabbinic decision to conduct the Seder in this way, rather than opting for a different way to commemorate Passover, such as instructing the Jewish people to perform the sacrifice in their homes. We also examine some of the questions and answers in the Haggadah which are central features of the Roman symposium and core to our Haggadah.

The People Step Up

Mar 8, 2024 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Shabbat Shekalim | Vayak-hel

By this point in the Book of Exodus, the story outlines are probably familiar: the people鈥攈aving been redeemed from Egypt and covenanted with God on Mt. Sinai, and having already sinned a terrible sin by building the Golden Calf鈥攔espond to God’s detailed instructions to build a Tabernacle by donating so generously that the collection of the material with which to construct the sanctuary has to be stopped midway, even as the people are still in the process of donating.

Did Korah Get a Bum Rap?

Jun 23, 2023 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Korah

The memory of Huey Long, and the continued concern over the role of demagoguery in American politics, comes to mind this week because we see a prime example of it in Parashat Korah鈥攖he figure of Korah himself. (The character of Dathan, played by Edgar G. Robinson, in The Ten Commandments, was essentially based on Korah). Korah was long vilified by the Rabbinic Sages, and of course the Torah itself condemns him as the paradigmatic rebel against the divinely sanctioned leadership of Moses and Aaron.

The Meaning of Aaron鈥檚 Holy Garments

Mar 3, 2023 By Robert Harris | Shabbat Zakhor | Tetzavveh

In this commentary, I would like to focus on some of the vestments of Aaron that he wore in his capacity askohen gadol(High Priest). At the beginning of Exodus 28, the Torah commands that the Israelites who are skilled artisans should prepare a specific list of items for Aaron and the priests to wear. These include the breastpiece, ephod, robe, fringed tunic, headdress, and sash.

Why God Needs a Dwelling Place

Feb 8, 2019 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Terumah

Recent portions of the Torah have dealt with the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai; the great theophany of God, in which God spoke the Ten Words, or Decalogue; the revelation of the Book of the Covenant, containing the first extended legal section of the Torah; and the covenantal ceremony sealing the everlasting special relationship between God and the people of Israel (Exod. 19鈥�24). Our portion this week turns to the subject of proper worship of God (a subject with which the Torah will be concerned formally for the next eight portions), and opens with a command from God that Moses organize the people to build God a sanctuary in the wilderness: 鈥淎nd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 鈥楽peak to the Israelites that they may take for me a contribution; from everyone whose heart so moves him, take my contribution . . . and let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them鈥欌�� (Exod. 25:1鈥�2,8).

Exodus 18: The Proverbial Visit of the In-Laws

Jan 15, 2014 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Yitro

鈥淐ome and listen to my story 鈥檅out a man named . . . Jethro!鈥�

The Fruits of Close Reading

Sep 16, 2013 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Sukkot

鈥淚n order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Eg测辫迟鈥�&苍产蝉辫;(Lev. 23:43).

Who Is Getting Stoned?

May 29, 2013 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Shelah Lekha

Among other subjects, the parashah narrates the story of the spies, one from each tribe, whom Moses sends to scout out the Land. Specifically, let us join the narrative at the point that Joshua and Caleb (the two good or 鈥渉eroic鈥� spies) attempt to encourage the community鈥攍argely ineffectively鈥攁fter the People express their fears that any effort to conquer the Promised Land will not be successful.

“Truthiness” in the Bible

Feb 7, 2013 By Robert Harris | Video Lecture

What the Bible Means, What it Meant, and Why the Difference Matters: A recorded live stream lunch and learn

鈥淗e Taught Him a Tree鈥� (?!)

Jan 23, 2013 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Beshallah

This week鈥檚 parashah contains some of the most memorable narratives in the entire Torah: the splitting of the Reed Sea, the miracle of the manna, the battle with Amalek. In the midst of all these narratives comes a pithily told 鈥渓ittle tale.”

“Alas, Poor Yorick”: A Grave Affair

Aug 25, 2012 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Shofetim

I wish to call your attention specifically to the Torah’s prohibition of “inquiring of the dead.” Rashi seems to adumbrate Shakespeare, when he includes “one who asks questions of a skull” among the possible actions that would represent a violation of the biblical commandment. But the Torah is not imagining a philosophical discourse about life when it prohibits “inquiring of the dead,” but rather, in what is likely its original context, necromancy.

I Stayed with Laban

Dec 10, 2011 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Vayishlah

The opening verses of this week’s parashah recount Jacob’s decision, upon returning home after 20 years of “living abroad,” to get in touch with his brother, Esau. You may remember that they鈥攁hem!鈥攈ad not parted on the best of terms (see Gen. 25:27-34 and especially Gen. 27:1-41 for the gritty details). At the beginning of the parashah, it is not yet clear to what extent Jacob is motivated by fear, by friendliness, by craftiness鈥攐r by some combination of these and potentially other concerns.

Shabbat in the Bible – and Not in the Bible Part 1

Oct 30, 2010 By Robert Harris | Video Lecture

A surprising look at the description of Shabbat in the Hebrew Bible
Part one of the six-part series, “Shabbat: From Here to Eternity”

Shabbat in the Bible – and Not in the Bible Part 2

Oct 29, 2010 By Robert Harris | Video Lecture

A surprising look at the description of Shabbat in the Hebrew Bible
Part two of the six-part series, “Shabbat: From Here to Eternity”

Shabbat: Mountains Hanging by a Thread

Oct 28, 2010 By Robert Harris | Video Lecture

Shabbat in Midrash and Talmud
Part three of the six-part series, “Shabbat: From Here to Eternity”

Hitchcock and the Sages: The 39 Steps

Oct 27, 2010 By Robert Harris | Video Lecture

Part four of the six-part series, “Shabbat: From Here to Eternity”