Father, Have You No Blessing Left for Me?

Nov 21, 2014 By Leonard A. Sharzer | Commentary | Toledot

In Parashat Toledot, the saga of our somewhat dysfunctional ancestral family continues, and included within is one of the family鈥檚 saddest and most poignant episodes. Yitzhak, scion of the family and heir to his father鈥檚 covenant with God, has just married at the age of 40. He and his wife, Rivkah, remain childless for 20 years, when, in response to his entreaties to God, she conceives. Unlike her late mother-in-law鈥檚 easy pregnancy at an advanced age, Rivkah鈥檚 pregnancy is complicated. We are told right away that 鈥渢he children, the 鈥榮ons鈥� in fact, were struggling within her womb鈥� (Vayitrotzetzu habanim bekirbah; Gen 25:22). However, she does not know the reason for her discomfort and distress.

Gaza, the IDF Code of Ethics, and the Morality of War

Nov 20, 2014

This summer, Israel faced a war with Gaza, but what are the moral implications involved in such a war? 91抖阴’s (91抖阴) Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen and Dr. Moshe Halbertal, Gruss Professor of Law at New York University School of Law discuss this complicated topic.

The Bus on Jaffa Road: The Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice

Nov 19, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

The Bus on Jaffa Road explores the 1996 incident that took the lives of 91抖阴 student Matthew Eisenfeld (锄鈥漧) and his fianc茅e, Sara Duker (锄鈥漧), and the couple鈥檚 legacy.

Sharing the Well: A Resource Guide for Jewish-Muslim Engagement

Nov 18, 2014 By 91抖阴

Sharing the Well: A Resource Guide for Jewish Muslim Engagement is designed to assist and enhance Jewish-Muslim interactions at the community level.

Who Inherits Abraham?

Nov 14, 2014 By Rachel Rosenthal | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah

It is a well-known, if vaguely uncomfortable, psychological phenomenon that when looking for a partner, people are often attracted to those who are similar to their parents in appearance and personality. It is easy to see the logic behind this; when planning our futures, we seek that which is familiar to us from our pasts. This notion is often thought of as a modern phenomenon, reflecting a time when people choose their own mates. However, closer examination dates this concept back to the Torah, starting with the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca.

Abraham鈥檚 Search: A Hallmark of Human Grief

Nov 14, 2014 By Allison Kestenbaum | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah

In an oft-told Buddhist story, a woman loses her son and is inconsolable. She approaches the Buddha and begs him to bring her son back. He instructs her to go around the village from house to house, seeking a single mustard seed from any home where no one has died. If she can find such a mustard seed, he will restore her son to life. So the woman knocks on each door and finds that there is no household that has not experienced loss. She returns without the mustard seed but with an enlarged awareness of the universality of loss that leads her to a path of compassion and peace.

Veterans Day at 91抖阴: Honoring US Military, Veterans, and Chaplains with Admiral Michelle Howard

Nov 10, 2014

What does the US Navy have to say about morals? Admiral Michelle Howard, the first female four-star admiral in the history of the US Navy, lectures on ethics and diversity.

Looking Upward and Outward

Nov 7, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayera

Sight and vision play an important role in the two opening narratives of Parashat Vayera.

An Illustration of the Binding of Isaac From the 91抖阴 Library

Nov 7, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Vayera

The Hebrew Bible in which this engraved frontispiece is found was printed in Venice in 1739 at the request of a physician named Isaac Foa. In addition to the Hebrew text, it contains Italian explanations of difficult passages. The engraver, Francesco Griselini (1717鈥�1787), illustrated many non-Jewish works as well as notable borders for megillot, and later became known for his scholarly writing on natural history.

Claiming Our Ancestors: The Case of Terah

Oct 31, 2014 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

For all of us, there is no going without leaving; and so it was for Abraham: 鈥淕o forth from your land, your birthplace, and the house of your father to the land that I shall show you鈥� (Gen. 12:1) [emphasis added]. And when we leave places, we leave people as well. When Abraham departed for Canaan he left behind, among others, his father Terah. And it was always thus: 鈥淭herefore shall a man leave his father and mother鈥� (2:24).

The Eyes Have It: Looking at the Text

Oct 31, 2014 By Anne Lapidus Lerner | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

Matthias Stom鈥檚鈥淪arah Leading Hagar to Abraham鈥� (c. 1638)鈥攂rought to my attention by Mimi Kaplan, a student at the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies of 91抖阴鈥攊s a proverbial picture worth a thousand words.

Women of Value: Is the Bible a Patriarchal Text?

Oct 27, 2014 By Amy Kalmanofsky | Public Event video

Is the Bible a Patriarchal Text? Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky presents this topic at the opening plenary session of the Jewish Women’s University for a Day, an adult learning program hosted by 91抖阴 on Sunday, October 27, 2013 at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Species Purity and the Great Flood

Oct 24, 2014 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Noah

Omnicide is a dramatic move, on that we can all agree. But what causes the Creator to grow violently disgusted with the creatures that had just recently been praised as 鈥済ood鈥� and blessed with fertility?

Catalog of Judeo-Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary

Oct 23, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

The 91抖阴 Library holds the largest Judeo-Persian manuscript collection in the West, and the third largest in the world. This repository is crucial in understanding the intellectual legacy of the ancient Iranian Jewish community, whose extant works rest in only a few large but neglected collections.

And Now, You Pray?

Oct 21, 2014 By Michael R. Boino | Commentary | Noah

鈥淎nd Now, You Pray?鈥� explores both human and Divine responsibility in Parashat Noah. The piece utilizes several sources that explore voices of protest or requests for help, both those which are voiced as well as those suppressed or ignored.

Mortals and Immortals

Oct 17, 2014 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Commentary | Bereishit

We human beings tend not to see something that doesn鈥檛 fit our preconceived notions, including when we read the Torah.

Minding Our Words

Oct 17, 2014 By Anne Lapidus Lerner | Commentary | Bereishit

On Simhat Torah, we complete the reading of the humash鈥攁ll 79,796 Hebrew words of it鈥攁nd when we鈥檙e done, what do we do? We roll it up to the very beginning and start to read it all over again. Words, words, words. Devarim (Deuteronomy)鈥攚hich, of course, means 鈥�words鈥濃€攅nds with Moses鈥檚 death after the conclusion of his lengthy final oration; Bereishit opens with God demonstrating the power of words by creating the world with them.

An Environmental Journey

Oct 14, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Sukkot

One of my sweetest memories as a rabbinical student at 91抖阴 relates to the holiday we welcome this week, Sukkot.

The Difference a Day Can Make

Oct 3, 2014 By Burton L. Visotzky | Commentary | Yom Kippur

Wouldn鈥檛 it be grand to wipe the slate clean? What if there were a day in the calendar when the slate was simply wiped clean once again? No marks against you. No petty quarrels remembered, no grudges borne, no more grievances for trespasses petty or grievous. What if?

Expelling Our Own Scapegoats

Oct 3, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Yom Kippur

This coming Shabbat culminates the period of 鈥�aseret yemei teshuvah, the 10 days of repentance, as we commemorate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

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