91快活林

Building the Mishkan in Medieval Catalonia

Mar 3, 2017 By Ariel Fein | Commentary | Terumah

Like a contract between artist and patron, Parashat Terumah details God鈥檚 commission of the construction of the Tabernacle 鈥攁 task ultimately carried out by Bezalel, 鈥渨ho was filled with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge of all manner of workmanship鈥� (Exod. 31:2-3). A combination of God鈥檚 commandment and Bezalel鈥檚 artistic vision, the Tabernacle exemplifies divine creation through human mediation.

Kohelet’s Pursuit of Truth: A New Reading of Ecclesiastes

Mar 1, 2017 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio | Sukkot

In his book Kohelet鈥檚 Pursuit of Truth, Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal, former president of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, presents an arresting new translation and commentary on Ecclesiastes that unlocks the ancient wisdom of one of the deepest and most controversial books of the Tanakh.

Expanding Our Understanding of the Religious Life

Feb 24, 2017 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Mishpatim

There is a strange鈥攍ittle spoken about鈥攍aw that my mind, particularly over the last few months, keeps revisiting. The Talmud teaches that when one builds a synagogue or house of study the structure should preferably have windows (BT Berakhot 34b). Indeed, this idea is codified as law in the foundational legal code, the Shulhan Arukh (OH 90:2).

Taking Care of Ourselves and the Stranger

Feb 24, 2017 By David Rosenn | Commentary | Mishpatim

This week鈥檚 Torah reading contains instructions for taking care of one鈥檚 own: 鈥淚f you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, do not act toward them like a creditor; exact no interest from them鈥� (Exod. 22:25).

Deuteronomy is even clearer, stating, 鈥淵ou shall not charge interest on loans to your countrymen, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. But you may charge interest to a foreigner…鈥� (23:20-21).

Why Did Moses Listen to Yitro鈥檚 Advice?

Feb 17, 2017 By Walter Herzberg | Commentary | Yitro

Yitro heard that God had done wonders for Moses and Israel and had redeemed them from Egypt. He journeyed from Midian with Moses鈥檚 wife and sons to the Israelites鈥� encampment at the mountain of God. We hear nothing of Moses鈥檚 reunion with his wife and children, but rather a detailed account of Yitro鈥檚 organizational advice to Moses.

Power and Love

Feb 17, 2017 By Rachel Rosenthal | Commentary | Yitro

[P]ower without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.

鈥� Martin Luther King Jr., 鈥淲here Do We Go From Here?鈥� (1967)

The US Health Care System: What Does the Future Hold?

Feb 14, 2017 By 91快活林 | Public Event video

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 took a giant step toward universal health insurance coverage in the United States. Although it has been quite successful in accomplishing that goal, it has remained highly controversial. The new Administration is intent on repealing the law and replacing it with an alternative model.  

Why is health care reform so challenging? Why does 鈥淥bamacare鈥� look as it does? Could alternative plans under consideration achieve the same gains? And what are the political prospects of those alternatives? Prominent health policy expert Dr. Sherry Glied describes the past, present, and possible future of health reform efforts in the US.

Teaching Mahshevet Yisrael: The Universalist / Particularist Issue

Feb 14, 2017

Elie Holzer: 鈥淛ews, Non-Jews, and Teaching the Hasidic Homily: Hermeneutic Approaches and Pedagogical Deliberations鈥�

Avinoam Rosenak: 鈥淢achshevet Yisrael as an Encounter: Jewish Philosophy or Judaism as a Philosophy鈥�Educational Implications鈥�

Teaching Jews about the 鈥淥ther鈥� and Teaching the 鈥淥ther鈥� about Jews

Feb 13, 2017 By Sarah Tauber (z”l) | Public Event video

Sarah Tauber: 鈥淎 Jewish Professor and Christian Students Meet: Teaching and Learning in an Introduction to Judaism Course at a Christian Seminary鈥�

Michael Gillis: 鈥淭eaching About Other Religions in Jewish Education鈥�

Seeing the 鈥淥ther鈥� in Jewish Canonical Texts

Feb 13, 2017

Adriane Leveen: 鈥淏iblical Narratives of Israelites and their Neighbors鈥�

Matt Goldish: 鈥淩eading the Gospel through Talmudic Eyes: John Lightfoot鈥檚 Revolution鈥�

Jewish Particularism and Universalism

Feb 13, 2017

Marc Silverman: 鈥溾�楩ree Jews鈥� and Their Views on Jewish Culture and Its Interface with Other Peoples鈥� Cultures鈥�

Yossi Turner: 鈥淛ewish Learning and the Non-Jew: Toward a New Particularist-Universalist Paradigm鈥�

Teaching Jewish History and Teaching Israel: The 鈥淥ther鈥� is Within 鈥淥ur鈥� Subject Matters

Feb 13, 2017 By Ofra Arieli Backenroth | Public Event video

Ofra Backenroth and Alex Sinclair: 鈥溾�楶resent Absentees鈥�: On the Place of Non-Jewish Israeli Narratives in Israel Education鈥�

Meredith Katz and Jeffrey Kress: 鈥淢iddle School Students and 鈥楾he Other鈥� in an Online Jewish History Simulation Activity鈥�

Thinkers with an Educational Orientation: Exploring the Universal and the Particular

Feb 12, 2017

Ari Ackerman: 鈥淯niversalism and Jewish Nationalism in the Educational Philosophy of Mordecai Kaplan鈥�

Daniel Marom: 鈥淛ewish Educational Roots and Implications of Zamenhof’s Global Esperanto Movement鈥�

Crossing the Sea Every Summer

Feb 10, 2017 By Jacob Cytryn | Commentary | Beshallah

As a camp director, Beshallah speaks to me in certain rather obvious ways. It is focused on the power of song鈥攂oth the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-18) and Deborah鈥檚 Song (Judges 5:1-31) in the haftarah鈥攁nd camp is nothing if not filled with song and music. Experience, similarly, is central to the entire endeavor, especially as recounted in the Passover seder. And Beshallah also represents the birth of possibility, the beginning of an independent community. In other words, this week鈥檚 parashah encapsulates the basic work we in the camp business embark on every summer.

Israel鈥檚 Departure

Feb 10, 2017 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Beshallah

Rabbi Judah said to Rabbi Meir: one tribe said, 鈥淚 will not be the first to go into the sea鈥�; and another tribe said, 鈥淚 will not be the first to go into the sea.鈥� While they were standing there deliberating, Nahshon the son of Aminadav of the tribe of Judah sprang forward and was the first to go down into the sea. Because it was Nahshon who came forward, Judah obtained royal dominion in Israel: 鈥淭he sea saw him and fled鈥� (Psalm 114:3). (Mekhilta Derabbi Yishmael, Beshallah, Mas. Devayehi 5)

鈥淯s鈥� and 鈥淭hem鈥�

Feb 3, 2017 By Paula Rose | Commentary | Bo | Pesah

鈥淭hey tried to kill us, we won, let鈥檚 eat.鈥�

This tongue-in-cheek summary of most Jewish holidays applies most strongly, perhaps, to the Passover Seder. We retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, we praise and thank God for redeeming us, and then we eat a festive meal. Cast in that light, the story of the Exodus seems so straightforward. The Israelites are innocent victims, somehow pawns in God鈥檚 larger plan. The Egyptians, and especially Pharaoh, are wicked, oppressing the Israelites with forced labor.

From Generation to Generation Activism is Alive!

Feb 3, 2017 By Jonathan Lipnick | Commentary | Bo | Pesah

My son Noah and I like to take walks together. It affords us time to connect鈥攖o talk about food, sports, relationships, and politics, and, once in a while, to explore an existential question.

鈥淚f I had never met my grandfather,鈥� Noah once asked me, 鈥渋s it true to say that I will never really know him?鈥�

Change a Story and You Can Change the World

Feb 1, 2017 By David G. Roskies | Podcast or Radio Program

By learning the power of twice-told tales, three restless, rebellious Jews鈥擱ebbe Nahman of Braslav, I. L. Peretz, and I.B. Singer鈥攚ere reborn as Yiddish storytellers. By returning to fantasy and the live, spoken language of the people, they turned storytelling into an autonomous, highly creative and potentially explosive activity. A series of three podcasts.

Precious Sufferings: The Dynamics of Transformation

Jan 27, 2017 By E. Noach Shapiro | Commentary | Va'era

Listening to Moses try and wrap his mind around becoming an agent of change and transformation for the Israelites and the Egyptians is, at times, painful. As we eavesdrop on the early exchanges between God and Moses, a raw intimacy between Moses and us emerges. In his back and forth with God about his assignment to be God鈥檚 voice in Egypt, Moses immediately reveals his deep insecurity: 鈥淲ho am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?!鈥� (Exod. 3:11).

Promises Broken and Kept

Jan 27, 2017 By Emily Barton | Commentary | Va'era

Promises, promises
I’m all through with promises, promises now
I don’t know how I got the nerve to walk out…
Oh, promises, promises
This is where those promises, promises end
I don’t pretend that what was wrong can be right
Things that I promised myself fell apart
But I found my heart