Elul: A Time of Preparation

Preparing for the High Holidays begins with Rosh Hodesh Elul. We observe the month by blowing the shofar each morning (except for shabbat) to awaken our spirit and begin the process of reflection and repentance. This is the perfect time to fulfill Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s exhortation, “The life of a Jew requires focus and direction, and cannot be carried out offhandedly.鈥�

Time Capsule

By 91抖阴 | Collected Resources | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

This page explores historical events through the lens of the 91抖阴 Torah commentaries that reflect a particular event or time. Starting in the 17th Century, sermons started reflecting not just concerns to the Jewish world, but those of the broader society in which Jews lived.[1] In looking back at the ways in which Jewish thought leaders engaged issues around 9/11, immigration, or COVID-19, consider how we continue to feel the impacts of these events and issues today and how our thinking has shifted.

High Holiday Rare Materials

By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary

Selections from Glimmers of Light: Reflections on the Days of Awe for 5785 Pieces from this collection offer insight into historical moments and communal response, showcasing moments of transition, communal engagement, and evolving traditions. These three selections were adapted from the forthcoming bookDiscovering Great Treasurewritten by Rabbi Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, PhD, Ripps Schnitzer Librarian for […]

Forgiveness

By 91抖阴 | Collected Resources | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

much more complex challenge of seeking forgiveness from those who we have wronged. It means reflecting on our shortcomings and forgiving ourselves and reaching out to those we have hurt. These resources provide guideposts on going through this difficult process.

High Holiday Webinars

Join 91抖阴 in preparing for the High Holiday season with meaningful and enriching sessions led by faculty.

The Esslingen Mahzor

The Esslingen Mahzor was written and decorated by Kalonymos ben Judah, who lived in Mainz in the thirteenth century; it is his only known work and we know little else about him. In the colophon, ben Judah writes that he completed the mahzor on 28 Tevet 5050 (January 12, 1290), making it the earliest dated […]

Rosh Hashanah Liturgy

TEXTS Let the New Year and Its Blessings Begin (Rabbi Ayelet Cohen): Exploring the Sephardic piyyut Ahot Ketana and its placement at the beginning of the Rosh Hashana service Lacking Praise (Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz): Why is Hallel absent from the Rosh Hashanah liturgy The Value of Doubt (Rabbi Julia Andelman): Vekhol Ma鈥檃minim, the conflict between […]

Shabbat Shuvah Torah Reading

By 91抖阴 | Collected Resources | Ha'azinu | Shabbat Shuvah | Vayeilekh

The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return. The Torah portion can vary depending on the timing of the calendar. Ashkenazi Jews readHosea 14:2-10andJoel 2:15-27, whileSephardicJews readHosea 14:2-10andMicah 7:18-20. The first word of Hosea is “Shuvah” (return) and led to the naming of this Shabbat.

Yom Kippur Torah Reading

By 91抖阴 | Collected Resources | Aharei Mot | Yom Kippur

The Yom Kippur Torah portion is taken from Aharei Mot. In the morning service, the reading (Leviticus 16:1-34) describes the priestly duties on Yom Kippur and the ritual of the scapegoat. While the afternoon (18:1-30) describes forbidden relationships and marriages. The Haftarah in the morning is from Isaiah 57:14-58:14 and highlights themes of repentance and fasting. During mincha, the book of Jonah is read.

Dangerous Ideas: Censorship Through a Jewish Lens

By 91抖阴 | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Throughout Jewish history, certain texts and ideas have been deemed too dangerous to circulate鈥攚hether by outsiders who banned Jewish writings, or Jewish leaders who suppressed ideas considered heretical or beyond the pale. In this series, 91抖阴 scholars will examine efforts to control knowledge from ancient to contemporary times, exploring the ways in which censorship both reflectsand shapes broader ideological struggles.They will discuss the varying motivations for controlling or revising narratives, and consider whether and under what circumstances it might make sense to suppress certain ideas. These discussions will illuminate past struggles and help us understand the battles over censorship and free expression playing out today.

Whose Law? Christians and Jews Rethink the Pharisees

Throughout the centuries, in Christian writings and homilies, the Pharisees have been called legalistic, money-loving, self-righteous hypocrites. That definition has become a label applied to Jews in general as well as any persons or groups the speaker or writer despised. For Jews, however, the Pharisees are respected teachers of the past who are in some way the predecessors of all forms of modern Judaism.
Who were the Pharisees, really? And why does this question matter today?

Kollot Rabbinic Literature, 2022-23

By Jan Uhrbach

Download Sources Download Sources: Yiftach’s Daughter | Shoftim Download Sources Download Sources

Senior Sermons: Class of 2023

By 91抖阴 | Short Video

Presentations by senior Rabbinical School students in 5783 Alex Hamilton – Noah Israel Gordan – Lekh Lekha Aaron Leven – Hayyei Sarah Gavriella Kornsgold – Toledot Andy Weissfeld – Vayetzei Benjy Forester – Vayishlach Amelia Wolf – Vayeshev Adam Gillman – Va’era Stefanie Gedan – Yitro Grace Gleason – Ki Tissa Rishe Groner – Tazria-Metzora