JTS Torah Archive

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?

The John Leopold and Martha Dellheim Senior Recital 2024

Graduating cantorial students, Gedalia Penner-Robinson, Ingrid Barnett, David Childs, Max Silverstone, and Neal Taibel, share their talents and their vision for the 21st-century cantorate. The recitals feature a wide range of Jewish music in Hebrew, Ladino, and Yiddish, as well as hazzanut, and Israeli traditional and pop songs. Choral works, and compositions written and composed by our graduates, will also be performed. The soloists, along with guest artists, are accompanied by pianist Joyce Rosenzweig, JTS adjunct instructor, and the combined Choir of the H. L. Miller Cantorial School and the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, conducted by Hazzan Natasha Hirschhorn.

Song of Songs: Cantillation and Commentary

Cantillation for Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Ruth Texts “I Will Go to the Mountain of Myrrh” (Barbara Mann): An illustration and illumination of the Song of Songs A Scroll of the Song of Songs (The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary): Highlighting a scroll created by the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in […]

Music of the Season

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Hanukkah

Enjoy these ruminations and musical meditations from JTS faculty and students.

Hasidism

The series ends in 18th Century Eastern Europe, with the rise of Hasidism. Dr. Fishbane contends that Hasidism is a form of modern Kabbalah focused on spiritual psychology and the devotional connection between humans and God. The kabbalah of Hasidism made mysticism more accessible to a broader audience with an explicit focus on the inner […]

Sensory Shavuot

On Shavuot, we read that the Torah was given with thunder, lightning, smoke, shaking ground, and a shofar blast. How do we continue to experience the Torah with all our senses? Text The Freshest Grain (Ofra Backenroth): Sharing the experience of Shavuot on a kibbutz Video Touch: Beyond the Mountain’s Edgewith Jan UhrbachSources Taste: Sweet […]

Remembering Amalek

Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you came forth out of Egypt; how he met you by the way, and struck at your rear, all who were feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has […]

To Build a New Home: Celebrating the Jewish Wedding

By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary

To Build a New Home: Celebrating the Jewish Wedding featured a collection of rare materials illustrating the creative, often surprising, evolution of Jewish marriage practices over centuries.  

High Holiday Rare Materials

By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary

Audio Collection The JTS Library has an extensive collection of audio recordings from individuals and communities that reflect the sounds of the High Holiday season. These examples illustrate the breadth of the collection:  Cochin (India) Rosh Hashana Musaf (Recorded 1967) Nusah from the Firenze (Florence) Jewish Community (Recorded 1967) Selihot from Salonika (Recorded September 21, […]

JTS Cantorial Convocation, February, 2022

Program FEBRUARY 2, 2022, 3:30 P.M. ET   |  1 ADAR I 5782 VIRTUAL PROCESSION WELCOME Alan Levine, Esq., Chair, JTS Board of Trustees GREETINGS Hazzan Luis Cattan, President, Cantors Assembly D’VAR TORAH Hazzan Nancy Abramson, Director, H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music, JTS MUSICAL PERFORMANCE Shehecheyanu, composed by Hazzan Gerald CohenPerformed […]

From Slavery to Freedom

Texts Freedom Through Torah (David Hoffman): Highlighting the connection to Shavuot and freedom through the giving of the Torah A Noble Freedom (Tim Bernard): Freedom is something to aspire to We were Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt (Matthew Berkowitz, with Image): An image from the Lovell Haggadah shows the connection between slavery and freedom Pesah: […]

Torah & Haftarah

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Hanukkah

First Day of Hanukkah (Numbers 6:22 – 8:4) Haftarah First Shabbat (Zechariah 2:14 – 4:7) Haftarah Second Shabbat (I Kings 7:40 – 50) EXPLORE MORE HANUKKAH CONTENT

Evolution of Torah: Establishing Rabbinic Culture

By

In season two, we travel to four regions of the Medieval world to understand the specific Torah cultures that emerged from each place and their approach to Torah learning guided by Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz. SUBSCRIBE NOW → OPEN IN APPLE PODCASTS → RSS → Credits: Hosted by: Rabbi Mordecai Marcus SchwartzProduced by Ellie GettingerEdited by […]

Capstone Project

Part of the JTS Certificate in Biblical Hebrew After completing the four-course sequence, participants are encouraged to apply their biblical grammar knowledge and skills to a section of Tanakh and develop an original translation.  There is no cost to complete this optional project.  Planning Your Capstone  Return to Biblical Hebrew at JTS

Reflections on Ruth

The Book of Ruth provides a model for relationships–from family to strangers–kindness and compassion are at the forefront of the interpersonal connections. Below find images related to Ruth from JTS Special Collections. Text Ruth’s Torah Matters Now (Amy Kalmanofsky): The centrality of human relationships in Torah Lessons from the Book of Ruth (Ismar Schorsch): “To […]

Relating to God

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Join JTS scholars to explore what Jewish texts and thought can teach us about how we might understand, experience, and be in relationship with the divine. 

Forgiveness

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | 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.

Kollot Rabbinic Literature, 2022-23

By Jan Uhrbach

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

Evolution of Torah: Maimonides

For this episode, we focus solely on Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204, Maimonides/Rambam), whose work in diverse disciplines from medicine to philosophy worked to elevate rabbinic legal culture. We examine the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides’s companion to the written Torah, which is the oldest in existence and delve into his rigorous work life. Through his letters, we get a sense of Maimonides personal challenges and extensive reach during his lifetime underscoring our desire to dedicate an episode to this transformational figure.

Plagues & Miracles

Texts Shevi’i Shel Pesah: Living at the Frontier (Lauren Henderson): Understanding the crossing of the Sea of Reeds God of Wrath? (Daniel Nevins): Pharaoh’s awe at the plague of hail Redeeming the Plagues (Miriam Liebman): Empathy for the suffering of our enemies Videos Freedom and Responsibilitywith Dr. Rachel Rosenthal