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Read weekly Torah commentaries

Reflections on the Torah reading cycle

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Holiday Learning and Resources

Holiday Learning and Resources

Commentaries and more on the themes, texts, and liturgy of the holidays.

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Take a Class in Biblical Hebrew

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Nusah & Cantillation

Nusah & Cantillation

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Featured

After Liberation

After Liberation

Aug 28, 2026 By Job Y. Jindo | Commentary | Ki Tavo

Parashat Ki Tavo opens with two ceremonies: the presentation of the first fruits (Deut. 26:1–11) and a declaration made after distributing the triennial tithe to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow (26:12–15). Their location is puzzling

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Fear, Trauma, and the High Holidays: Reading Ancient Texts with Compassion

Fear, Trauma, and the High Holidays: Reading Ancient Texts with Compassion

Aug 24, 2026 By Naomi Kalish | Public Event video | Video Lecture | Rosh Hashanah

In this session, Rabbi Naomi Kalish, Director of the Program in Spiritual Care and Counseling, JTS, will explore how the themes of fear and trauma surface throughout the High Holidays, with particular attention to the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael, the binding of Isaac, and the recurring language of the Psalms.

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God’s Love is Here to Stay

God’s Love is Here to Stay

Aug 21, 2026 By Burton L. Visotzky | Commentary | Ki Tetzei

I’m going to make a bold conjecture: that Ki Tetzei was the Bar Mitzvah portion of George Gershwin, and that his older brother Ira was inspired by the haftarah that young Yankele chanted. The section was from Isaiah 54 and it constituted the seventh of the Haftarahs of Consolation (Shiva Denehemta) following Tishah Be’av.  

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Objects of Awe: The Meaning of the High HolidaysThrough Treasures from the JTS Library

Objects of Awe: The Meaning of the High HolidaysThrough Treasures from the JTS Library

Aug 17, 2026 By Marcus Mordecai Schwartz | Public Event video | Video Lecture | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

What can a medieval prayer book, one of the earliest printed Hebrew mahzorim, and a set of century-old baseball card sized boxing cards teach us about the High Holidays? These three remarkable objects from The JTS Library demonstrate how Jewish communities across the centuries have expressed themes of kingship, tradition, strength, repentance, and renewal.

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Who Was “the Levite” in Deut. 18:6?

Who Was “the Levite” in Deut. 18:6?

Aug 14, 2026 By Alan Cooper | Commentary | Shofetim

From the dawn of biblical criticism, the opening verses of Deuteronomy 18 have played a crucial role in efforts to understand the history and development of the Israelite priesthood.  It seems clear that the priestly activity described in these verses (and elsewhere in Deuteronomy) varies from the accounts in the Priestly sources of the Torah in Exodus through Numbers.  One obvious difference is the lack of differentiation among the Levitical clans, in contrast to the primacy given to Aaron’s descendants elsewhere. 

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