91快活林

Subversive Prayer . . . Necessary Trouble

Jun 5, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

鈥淧rayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehood. The liturgical movement must become a revolutionary movement, seeking to overthrow the forces that continue to destroy the promise, the hope, and the vision.鈥�[1]

Where Does Holiness Come From?

Jun 5, 2013 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Commentary | Korah

Parashat Korah can be challenging for a modern Jew. There is a good guy in this parashah鈥攊t鈥檚 Moses鈥攁nd there is a bad guy鈥擪orah. Modern readers, however, often find themselves sympathizing with the bad guy.

Thoughtfulness and Lovingkindness in the Face of Violence

Jun 5, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Korah

This week鈥檚 Torah portion, Parashat Korah, is notorious for the infamous uprising against Moses.

“Get in Trouble.” Commencement Address by US Congressman John R. Lewis

May 29, 2013

The inspirational commencement address was given by US Congressman John R. Lewis at the 119th Commencement Exercises of 91快活林

Harshness鈥擴s and Them

May 29, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

In the preliminary service (Siddur Sim Shalom: A Prayerbook for Shabbat, 66), there is a short paragraph remarkably written in the first person singular鈥攗sing 鈥淚鈥� rather than 鈥渨e.鈥� In the Talmud (BT Berakhot 16b), there are a number of personal prayers of the Sages, the prayers that they would say at the end of the 鈥楢尘颈诲补丑. This text is attributed to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi and is inserted at this point in the service because it is similar in theme to the previous paragraph. There is a telling, and sometimes uncomfortable, phrase that begins very innocently, 鈥�tatzileini hayom . . . me鈥檃zei panim鈥� (save me this day from those with 鈥渉ard faces鈥� [from the arrogant]). This is a reasonable hope and a fine, if unremarkable, prayer; it would be good to pass a day (or even longer) without encountering others who are arrogant. But that is not the end of the sentence. The prayer of R鈥� Yehudah continues, 鈥�ume鈥檃zut panim鈥� (and from my own 鈥渉ard face鈥� [my own arrogance]).

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.

The Depth of Sight

May 29, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Shelah Lekha

The Torah reading of Shelah Lekha is literally and figuratively an 鈥渆ye opening鈥� parashah.

Love鈥擥reat and Eternal

May 24, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

The first paragraph of the Shema鈥� invites us to affirm the unity of God, and then engages the topic of love, the love from a person to God: 鈥�ve鈥檃havat et Adonai Eloheykha鈥� (You shall love Adonai your God). Several important questions present themselves. First, is the phrase 鈥測ou shall love鈥� to be understood as an imperative? The grammar supports such a construction, leading us to wonder how love can be commanded. A command can be given to bring specified sacrifices, to eat matzah on Pesah, and to show deference to the old, but how can we be commanded to love? Some commentators avoid the dilemma by suggesting the meaning is that we are to behave in a way that would express our love for God, but this avoids the deeper question about how and why this love for God is born in our hearts and minds.

New Generation, Old Leaders

May 24, 2013 By Ute Steyer | Commentary | Beha'alotekha

To paraphrase Moses鈥檚 meltdown in Numbers 11:11鈥�15, 鈥淟ord! I鈥檓 so done with them! I can鈥檛 take it anymore. These people are nothing but a bunch of whinging losers.鈥� Yet the People are doing what they have been doing since day one of the Exodus: complaining. About the lack of water, the lack of food, and now the lack of meat. So why is Moses losing his temper so completely this time?

The Importance of Being Humble

May 24, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Beha'alotekha

An unfortunate incident mars the otherwise solid familial bond between Moses and his siblings in Parashat Beha’alotekha.

Shavu鈥檕t鈥擧ide and Seek with Torah

May 14, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Shavuot

In the kiddush we recite this evening, and in all the traditional services of Shavu鈥檕t, we speak of 鈥�chag haShavuot hazeh, z鈥檓an mattan Torateinu鈥� (This Festival of Shavu鈥檕t, season of the giving of our Torah. [Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, 42]). There is a subtle yet subversive element to this description of the day: the parallels for Pesah and Sukkot speak of the 鈥渟eason of our liberation鈥� and 鈥渟eason of our rejoicing,鈥� each of which can reasonably be derived from biblical sources; however, there is no biblical source that associates Shavu鈥檕t with the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Shavu鈥檕t is called chag haKatsir in association with the harvest (Exod. 23:16), and the name 厂丑补惫耻鈥檕迟&苍产蝉辫;derives from the 49 days of counting the Omer after Pesah; the Talmud (BT Pesachim 68b) even uses the term Atzeret (conclusion), seeing the day as 鈥渃oncluding鈥� Pesah much as Shemini Atzeret serves as conclusion to Sukkot.

Going to the Head of the Prayer Line

May 14, 2013 By Joel Alter | Commentary | Naso

Sharp elbows at shul extend beyond the kiddush table line and back into the sanctuary. Prayer鈥攐r giving honor to God鈥攃an be a competitive business. There are lots of reasons why this is so, and some of them even have to do with loving God. But showing off how we love God can get us into trouble.

The Importance of What We Give

May 14, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Naso

At the heart of Parashat Naso is a repetitive description of the offerings brought by the leaders of each of the tribes in honor of the anointing of the altar.

Rav Hisda’s Daughter

May 14, 2013 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

Maggie Anton, the award-winning author of the historical fiction series Rashi鈥檚 Daughters and Rav Hisda鈥檚 Daughter, a Talmud scholar with expertise in Jewish women鈥檚 history, and an esteemed lecturer, gave this Library Book Talk at 91快活林 on Monday, April 29, 2013.

Saul Bellow’s Spiritual Quest

May 8, 2013

Greg Bellow discussed with 91快活林 Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen what it was like to grow up with legendary author Saul Bellow as a father, as well as the older Bellow’s personal, religious, and spiritual life.

Torah鈥擵ision Beyond the Text (Part 2)

May 8, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

Let us continue exploring, in these weeks before Shavu鈥檕t, the metaphors of Torah in our liturgy. In the blessing immediately before the Shema鈥� in the morning service, we say 鈥済ive light to our eyes through Your Torah鈥� (ha鈥檈r eyneynu beToratekha) [Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat, 111], drawing upon the metaphor from the book of Proverbs that 鈥淭orah is light鈥� (6:23). This connection of Torah (teaching) and light draws on a theme鈥攃ommon to many religions鈥攖hat labels the attainment of ultimate understanding or a close or profound encounter with the Divine as 鈥渆nlightenment.鈥�

How Do You Measure a Year?

May 8, 2013 By Rabbi Abigail Treu | Commentary | Bemidbar | Shavuot

We are doing an awful lot of counting this week: we count the final days of the Omer, and, as our parashah begins, take the census of the Israelite community. What does all of this counting have to do with the ways in which we measure what really matters?

In Solomon’s Temple: The Wisdom and Vitality of Solomon Schechter

May 8, 2013 By Arnold M. Eisen | Video Lecture

A special opportunity to study with Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen as he delves into the enduring wisdom and vitality of the legendary Dr. Solomon Schechter, rabbinic scholar and president of 91快活林 from 1902 to 1915. Learn the core works of Dr. Schechter鈥檚 ideology in their 19th-century context, and explore their continuing importance to 21st-century Judaism.

A Slow Walk to Freedom

May 8, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bemidbar

With this coming Shabbat, we begin the fourth book of Torah known as the book of Numbers or Bemidbar.

Torah鈥擵ision Beyond the Text (Part 1)

May 1, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

In these weeks leading to the festival of Shavu鈥檕t, designated by the Rabbis as Z鈥檓an matan Torateinu (Season of the Giving of Torah), let us look at the way that Torah appears in our liturgy. Torah refers, of course, to the humash鈥攖he Five Books of Moses鈥攂ut the siddur makes clear that it is much more than that. In the preliminary service, the blessings for the study of Torah (Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, 63) are followed by verses from the humash, and these verses are followed immediately by selections from the Mishnah and Gemara, thus making it clear that these texts are Torah as well. The writings of the Sages (even to the present day) are not seen merely as commentary or amplification of Torah鈥攔abbinic writings are also Torah, the 鈥淥ral鈥� Torah.