91抖阴

Illustrations of Moses in the Amsterdam Haggadah, 1695

Jan 9, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Shemot | Pesah

Strikingly, Moses is barely mentioned in the text of the Haggadah, despite his prominence in the Torah鈥檚 account of the Exodus that begins with this week鈥檚 parashah. He is, however, prominently featured in some editions via the illustrations.

Final Blessings

Dec 30, 2014 By Mychal Springer | Commentary | Vayehi

One model of family caring for the dying is embodied powerfully in this week鈥檚 parashah. Jacob, aware that he is dying, speaks plain words to his sons: 鈥淚 am about to die鈥� (Gen. 48:21) . . . 鈥淚 am about to be gathered to my kin鈥� (49:29). By giving voice to the reality that his life is ending, Jacob opens up sacred opportunities with his family. He creates moments to put his blessings into words and communicates his wishes for what will happen to his body: that he be buried with his family in the family cave so that he can be gathered to his kin in all ways. The naming of this truth enables closure and peace.

Finding the Larger Message

Dec 26, 2014 By Judith Hauptman | Commentary | Vayiggash

When kids in Hebrew School read the story of Joseph, he looks very good. He saves the lives of many Egyptians by storing grain in the fat years and dispensing it in the lean years. But when an adult reads the same verses, Joseph appears unscrupulous. We ask: when the hungry people come to him during the years without crops, does he have to make them sell him all their cattle? And when they come back a second time, does he have to make them sell him all their land and also offer themselves as slaves?

A Narrative for Our Lives

Dec 26, 2014 By Tim Daniel Bernard | Commentary | Vayiggash

No matter if we are philosophers, scientists, or grand viziers of Egypt, we all constantly engage in the process of slotting the 鈥渄isordered fragments of raw experience鈥� into an overarching framework. 

The Angel at the Window

Dec 23, 2014 By Lisa Gelber | Commentary | Vayehi

鈥淲hat鈥檚 an angel? It鈥檚 a star that comes down from the sky at night to peek in your window . . . to make sure you鈥檙e sleeping and give you a little kiss on the head.鈥�

A Blessing of Reconciliation

Dec 19, 2014 By Lilly Kaufman | Commentary | Miketz

In Parashat Miketz, the masterful Joseph, hashalit al ha鈥檃retz (the sovereign of the land) engages in a series of tests of his brothers鈥� honesty. Also at stake is the resilience of their father Jacob鈥檚 legacies.

An Alternative Hero

Dec 19, 2014 By Alisa Braun | Commentary | Miketz

Joseph, not Moses, torn apart
dreams snakes brothers father
sins and returns loves and is silent
wanders between the gleanings of Ephraim and the delight of Manasseh
Joseph knowledge Joseph pain
Joseph summer

Making Space for Light and for Darkness

Dec 15, 2014 By Mychal Springer | Short Video | Hanukkah

Study these sources in Hebrew and English

How Holidays Of Light Make Hanukkah Brighter

Dec 15, 2014 By Judith Hauptman | Short Video | Hanukkah

Creating The Light Of Hanukkah

Dec 15, 2014 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Short Video | Hanukkah

Hanukkah Amongst The Christmas Trees

Dec 15, 2014 By Burton L. Visotzky | Short Video | Hanukkah

Taking Judaism Public: From The Maccabees To Adam Sandler

Dec 15, 2014 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Short Video | Hanukkah

Study these sources in Hebrew and English

Sharing Our Individuality

Dec 15, 2014 By Sarit Horwitz | Short Video | Hanukkah

His Father鈥檚 Son

Dec 12, 2014 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Vayeshev

We stand in a very long line of children of Israel who have been fascinated with Joseph, the first person to have stood in that line. It鈥檚 hard in 2014 to see him, like the Rabbis, as a great tzadik, even if he did resist the temptation of betraying Potiphar by sleeping with his wife; brought his brothers to teshuvah (repentance) through an elaborate and risky ruse; forgave them for selling him into slavery; and apparently administered the entire wealth of Egypt without ever profiting personally from his position. Joseph seems too worldly for the role of tzadik, too complex, too much a man of action rather than reflection.

Al Hanissim

Dec 10, 2014 By 91抖阴 | Prayer Recordings | Hanukkah

In preparation for Hanukkah, we are excited to share a recording of Al Hanissim, composed by Mike Boxer of the Jewish a cappella group Six13 and performed by the Chorus of the H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music.

Living into the Mission of Our Lives

Dec 5, 2014 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Vayishlah

What are our greatest fears?

Leah鈥檚 Song

Dec 5, 2014 By Yonatan Dahlen | Commentary | Vayishlah

When you fell in love
Under a copper sky,
I saw you with her.
Sweat on your gentle lip,
You were weeping
Like the wadi in the rainy season.
And in my dreams,
I caught your tears.
Each one
Before it could hit the dust at your sandals.
If only I could be your tear catcher.
I would swallow every star
If you told me
Your tears come from Heaven.

Hanukkah Reignited! 1 Wondering Jew, Lab/Shul, and Friends Light Up 91抖阴

Dec 2, 2014 By 91抖阴 | Public Event video | Hanukkah

A panel discussion with Jewish Daily Forward columnist Abigail Pogrebin and Lab/Shul founder Amichai Lau-Lavie (RS 鈥�16) cohost this panel featuring Bruce Feiler, Rabba Sara Hurwitz, Rabbi David Ingber, Rabbi Jill Hammer, and Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, and a performance with students from 91抖阴’s cantorial school, cantors and song leaders of New York City congregations, and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Reclaiming Our Dreams

Nov 28, 2014 By Marc Gary | Commentary | Vayetzei

This week鈥檚 parashah, Vayetzei, covers a critical 20-year period in the life of our patriarch Jacob: the two decades that Jacob spends outside the Land of Israel, in Haran, in the house of his conniving uncle, Laban. They are years of treachery, deceit, exploitation, and fear. They are pivotal years in Jacob鈥檚 life鈥攜ears in which Jacob confronts who he is and sees in Laban what he will become if he doesn鈥檛 pull back from the abyss. In the words of Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg, this is 鈥渢he night of [Jacob鈥檚] soul.鈥� And, as if to drive this point home, the parashah begins with the setting of the sun and the onset of night, and ends with sunrise and the beginning of a new day.

How Full of Awe Is This Place!

Nov 28, 2014 By Marcus Mordecai Schwartz | Commentary | Vayetzei

In 1969, as a senior pursuing a BFA at the University of Memphis, my mother, Ann Kibel Schwartz, made a series of prints, including this one on themes from Genesis, as her senior thesis. She drew the images for these prints from magazines, newspapers, and print advertisements. The images were starkly modern, but their juxtaposition in collage, drawing on the ancient themes of the Torah, created an old-new whole.