91抖阴

Between Law and Narrative in the Talmud

Feb 27, 2023 By Sarah Wolf | Public Event video | Video Lecture

This session presents the history of the law vs. narrative distinction in reference to the Talmud, and will show how this categorization became central to how Jews think about Jewish texts and Jewish learning more generally. We consider the limits of this binary by looking at some texts from the Talmud that seem to defy categorization, raising the question of what possibilities open up when we read Jewish legal texts as literature.听

The Tent of Meeting: Central or Marginal?

Feb 13, 2023 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Public Event video | Video Lecture

The Tent of Meeting is described at great length in the Torah as the elaborate sacred tent located in the center of the Israelite encampment that travelled through the wilderness for forty years. But several passages in the Torah describe the Tent of Meeting differently, as a tiny structure located outside the Israelite camp. Why does the Torah include both historical memories of this structure? How does each structure reflect a particular religious worldview, and what does the presence of both in the Torah tell us about Judaism?听听听

Between the Lines: We Are Not One

Feb 7, 2023 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

滨苍听We Are Not One, historian Eric Alterman traces the debate about the fate of the state of Israel, and the Zionist movement that gave birth to it, from its 19th-century origins. Following Israel鈥檚 1948/49 War of Independence (called the Nakba or 鈥渃atastrophe鈥� by Palestinians), few Americans, including few Jews, paid much attention to Israel or the challenges it faced. Following the 1967 Six Day War, however, almost overnight, support for Israel became听the听primary component of American Jews鈥� collective identity.听Over time, Jewish organizations joined forces with conservative Christians and neoconservative pundits and politicos to wage a tenacious fight to define Israel鈥檚 image in the US media, popular culture, Congress, and on college campuses. We Are Not One听reveals听how our consensus on Israel and Palestine emerged and why, today, it is fracturing.

Between This World and the Next: Rabbinic Visions of Purgatory听

Feb 6, 2023 By Rachel Rosenthal | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Gehenom is often thought of as the Jewish version of hell, but an examination of the places it appears in the Talmud presents something more nuanced. Part purgatory, part hell, part passageway, Gehenom becomes a place for punishment and redemption. Through a close reading of the texts concerning Gehonom, we will gain a clearer understanding of what, exactly, its purpose might be, and what it might tell us about rabbinic views of what happens after we die.听

The World as Liminal: Genesis and the Incompleteness of Creation听

Jan 30, 2023 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Public Event video | Video Lecture

The story of creation in the first chapter of the Torah is one of the most familiar but least understood texts in the Bible. When viewed within its historical context it is a very strange story, because it lacks the expected ending. We will look for the proper ending of the story elsewhere in the Torah. Finding it will allow us to understand a core aspect of听 biblical theology: that the world God created is incomplete. Poised between chaos and perfection, creation itself is designed to be liminal. That aspect of biblical theology, surprisingly enough, will remind us of a famous idea articulated more than two millennia later in kabbalistic literature.听听听

Searching for the Sacred: Why Jewish Theology Still Matters

Jan 25, 2023

Can Jewish thought help us understand our role in confronting climate change? Can it guide us when facing the loss of a loved one? In our modern, technology-saturated society, are there ways to feel close to God, to sense and appreciate sacred moments? Can Jewish theology speak to issues we care about and bring greater meaning to our lives?听Rabbi Neil Gillman (z”l)鈥攚ho taught theology at 91抖阴 and at countless synagogues during his long and distinguished career鈥攂elieved that Jewish theology should be the province of all Jews and that it should honestly address the challenges of the day.

The Space In Between: Thresholds and Borders in Jewish Life and Thought听

Jan 12, 2023 By 91抖阴 | Public Event video | Video Lecture

In this series, 91抖阴 scholars will delve into the idea of liminality鈥攖he time or space in between鈥攚hich we encounter often in Jewish ritual, identity, law, and life. Join us to consider what these many manifestations of 鈥渋n-between-ness” can teach us about ourselves and about Judaism, and to explore how we might find strength and meaning in an orientation not of 鈥渆ither/or鈥� but of 鈥渂oth/and.鈥澨�

Mishnah Study in Observance of the Yahrzeit of Abraham Joshua Heschel (z”l)

Jan 11, 2023 By 91抖阴 | Public Event video

The evening of January 10, 2023/18 Tevet 5783 marked the fiftieth yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (z鈥漧). It is a traditional custom, especially in the Hasidic world in which Rabbi Heschel was nurtured, to study mishnah on a yahrzeit, focusing on mishnayot beginning with letters that spell out the name of the departed soul. It is considered to be an注讬诇讜讬 谞砖诪讛 鈥揳 way of giving the soul yet another ascension (noting that in Hebrew, 鈥渕ishnah鈥� is an anagram of 鈥渘eshamah鈥� [soul]).

Where Do We Draw the Line? The Importance of Highlighting Multiple Perspectives in Jewish Education

Dec 19, 2022 By Meredith Katz | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Jewish educators address many goals, including building Jewish literacy and Jewish identity. To these ends, they make decisions constantly as curricular gate-keepers, or censors with a purpose. Why and how should they introduce students to the perspectives of those with whom they might not agree, both within and outside the Jewish community? This session explores the importance of highlighting multiple perspectives and helping students develop the skills to navigate conversations with those with whom they disagree, as a key component of civic education in Jewish settings.听

Between the Lines: The Stories They Tell

Dec 13, 2022 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Dr. Judith Hauptman upends the long-held theory of the immutability of halakhah, Jewish law. In her detailed analysis of over 80 short halakhic anecdotes in the Babylonian Talmud, she shows that the Talmud itself promotes halakhic change. She leads the reader through one听sugya听(discussion unit) after another, accumulating evidence for her rather radical thesis. Along the […]

The Hollywood Blacklist and the Whitewashing of American Culture

Dec 12, 2022 By Ellie Gettinger | Public Event video | Video Lecture

The Hollywood Blacklist is one censorious aspect of the larger Red Scare that limited the freedoms of speech and assembly through the 1950s. Yet the political policing and litmus tests required for screenwriters, actors, and producers in this period led to a monumental shift in the way that American culture was represented on screen (both large and small). This session explores the political climate that led to the blacklist and how it fundamentally changed the film industry.

Censoring the Holocaust: How Books Shape Our View of a Painful Past

Dec 5, 2022 By Edna Friedberg | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Ever since the 1940s, books about the Holocaust have proven flashpoints. From early editions of听The Diary of Anne Frank听that omitted controversial passages to more recent attempts to ban the graphic memoir听Maus听from some classrooms, what we read about this difficult history often amplifies broader societal debates. In this session we look back at Holocaust literature (both fiction and non-fiction) and how its popularity shifts depending on time and place.听

91抖阴 Rabbinic Convocation, December 2022

Dec 5, 2022 By 91抖阴 | Public Event video

Honor a Rabbi with a Donation to 91抖阴 We invite you to make a contribution to 91抖阴 in honor of your rabbi or one of the other Conservative rabbis recognized for over 25 years of distinguished service. Your gift helps educate a new generation of spiritual leaders for the Jewish people. Program PROCESSIONAL (0:00)Opening niggun […]

Between the Lines: The Object of Jewish Literature

Dec 5, 2022 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

THE OBJECT OF JEWISH LITERATURE: A MATERIAL HISTORY 91抖阴 Professor Barbara E. Mann discusses her latest book, The Object of Jewish Literature, a history of modern Jewish literature that explores our enduring attachment to the book as an object. With the rise of digital media, the 鈥渄eath of the book鈥� has been widely discussed. But the physical object […]

How Should a Jewish Philosopher Read the Bible? Hermann Cohen鈥檚 Problem with Spinoza

Nov 28, 2022 By Shira Billet | Public Event video | Video Lecture

When the famous German Jewish philosopher Hermann Cohen died in 1918, he was described in Jewish periodicals as 鈥渢he greatest philosopher the Jews have produced since Spinoza.鈥� But in 1915, at a time when Jews had reclaimed the 17th-century philosopher as their own, Hermann Cohen had argued that the听herem听(ban) on Spinoza had been justified. Cohen鈥檚 reasons for banning Spinoza were different from those articulated in the original ban. He agreed with Spinoza far more than we might expect, but he also thought Spinoza鈥檚 book on the Bible was misleading and dangerous. Cohen disagreed with central parts of听Spinoza鈥檚 method of reading the Bible, and for Cohen, the stakes of getting the method right were very high with academic, religious, and political implications.

Intra-Jewish Censorship: The Case of Spinoza

Nov 21, 2022 By Jonathan Ray | Public Event video | Video Lecture

In July 1656, Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated from the Jewish community of Amsterdam for his 鈥渁bominable heresies鈥� and 鈥渕onstrous deeds.鈥� He was 23 years old. This class explore some of the key writings of Spinoza, as well as the social and political context of 17th-century Holland to try to understand the reasons behind Spinoza鈥檚 harsh, and historic, banishment.听听听

The Danger of Spreading the Word: Book Censorship in 16th-Century Venice

Nov 14, 2022 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event video | Video Lecture

In the 16th century, as the new technology of the printing press hit its stride, the church began to realize the danger that the dissemination of knowledge could represent. Instituting a regime of censorship in Venice (the center of the print industry) and elsewhere, all new books鈥擟hristian and Jewish鈥攈ad to pass muster before appearing. But the church was not alone in this effort. Rabbinic authorities recognized the same dangers, and they too sought to outlaw certain 鈥渄angerous鈥� books.听

Between the Lines: Choosing Hope

Nov 14, 2022 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Throughout our history, Jews have traditionally responded to our trials with hope, psychologist David Arnow says, because we have had ready access to Judaism鈥檚 abundant reservoir of hope.听The first book to explore the depths of this reservoir,听Choosing Hope听journeys from biblical times to our day to explore nine fundamental sources of hope in Judaism.

Persecuting Ideas: The Case of Maimonides

Nov 7, 2022 By Alan Mittleman | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Maimonides, the greatest Jewish figure of the Middle Ages, incorporated philosophy into his work. Both during his lifetime and afterwards, especially in Europe, Maimonides鈥� embrace of philosophy aroused opposition. A great controversy, lasting more than a century after his death, broke out in four distinct waves. The most philosophical sections of his work were banned, as was the study of philosophy and teaching of it to youth.

In a Human Voice: In Conversation with Psychologist Carol Gilligan

Nov 3, 2022 By The Center for Pastoral Education | Public Event video

Psychologist Carol Gilligan revolutionized her field鈥檚 understanding of gender with her 1982 book,听In A Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women鈥檚 Development.听Her work in the field focused on the human voice and inspired and informed a feminist-oriented movement in philosophical ethics known as the ethics of care.

Rabbi Naomi Kalish is be in conversation with Professor Gilligan. The two talk about her background, reflect on the influence of her Jewish upbringing, and discuss her groundbreaking work and its implications for today, forty years later.