JTS Torah Archive

The Ethics of Health Care Reform

Oct 4, 2012 By Daniel Nevins | Public Event audio

Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary, delivers a lecture on “The Ethics of Health Care Reform” at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Nostra Aetate Dialogue

Oct 4, 2012 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

A Feminist Commentary on Massekhet Taanit

Oct 4, 2012 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

As part of The Library’s series of book talks, Dr. Tal Ilan delivers a lecture on A Feminist Commentary on Massekhet Taanit: How to Read Gender into a Commentary of the Mishnah and the Babylonian Talmud.

Uneasy Communion: Jews, Christians, and the Alterpieces of Medieval Spain

Oct 4, 2012 By Vivian B. Mann <em>z”l</em> | Public Event audio

Dr. Vivian Mann, director emerita of the Master’s Program in Jewish Art and Visual Culture, discusses Uneasy Communion: Jews, Christians, and the Alterpieces of Medieval Spain in this Library Book Talk.

Community

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

Community is very important in Judaism, but how does it affect Conservative Judaism? What can a strong community do to a synagogue, if instead of everyone just coming to pray, they also come in to study? How can a strong community improve on what Conservative Judaism already has?

Peoplehood

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

Judaism, especially Conservative Judaism sees the need for Jews to be a people, different from the rest of the community in which they live. However, Conservative Judaism is also inherently pluralistic, in that Conservative Jews can feel comfortable in a variety of services, whether they are Orthodox or Reform. What other ways can peoplehood benefit Judaism?

Continuing the Conversation

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

Chancelor Eisen has previously recorded three essays relating to Conservative Judaism. One on Covenant, one on Community, and one on Peoplehood. All of these essays received many comments, and such a debate is encouraged. Therefore, Chancellor Eisen now responds to a selection of the comments he received.

Learning

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

Judaism gives a lot of emphasis towards learning. Every generation of Jews engaged in learning, an activity that connets us to our past. How can we, as Conservative Jews learn Torah not only seriously, but also relatably with the modern world?

Joining the Conversation of Torah

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

The basic requirements of Conservative Jewish learning, regardless of venue, level, or age group, follow directly from the movement’s distinctive vision. How can you and  your community engage in learning Torah with this vision in mind?

The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture

Oct 4, 2012 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

What if the Hebrew Bible wasn’t meant to be read as “revelation”? What if the authors of the Bible meant to present us with a book that is not about miracles or the afterlife-but about how to lead our lives in this world? In this Library Book Talk, Dr. Yoram Hazony addresses these questions while discussing his latest book, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture.

Mitzvah

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

The modern world is one in which people are very individualistic. This continues to how many Jews practice their Judaism today. They see being commanded to do something to be dishonest to how they feel about that mitzvah. However, can mitzvot and the modern world work hand in hand?

Mitzvah (Continued)

Oct 4, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen

The modern world is one in which people are very individualistic. This continues to how many Jews practice their Judaism today. They see being commanded to do something to be dishonest to how they feel about that mitzvah. However, can mitzvot and the modern world work hand in hand?

Actions Speak Louder With Words

Sep 29, 2012 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

“Hareini muhan umezuman . . . I am ready to perform the mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah as instructed by my Divine Creator: ‘In Sukkot shall you dwell for seven days . . . ‘” (Siddur Sim Shalom, 330)

The View From Har Nebo

Sep 29, 2012 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Ha'azinu

We cannot begin to fathom the extent of emotion that must have rushed through Moses as he faced the reality that he was not to enter the Land, but “die on the mountain” that he was about to ascend. What words were exchanged between Moses and God? What conversation is not recorded in the Torah?

Fulfilling Our Potential

Sep 28, 2012 By Jonathan Milgram | Commentary | Devarim

When the end of the week arrives and we settle into our Friday night routine of rituals, I often try to encapsulate in a few short sentences what I think is the main thought or idea in the parashah so that my children leave the table with a “takeaway” lesson.

Ultimate Questions

Sep 20, 2012 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Shabbat Shuvah | Rosh Hashanah

There are some who expect religion to provide answers. The religious experience is thought to be a refuge from the messiness of life; a peaceful, ordered worldview that may help explain life’s daunting moments. In this way, faith offers the believer comfort that life is as it was meant to be, and that one’s spiritual work centers on acceptance and “finding” one’s path. Judaism turns these ideas on their head.

How to Love Yom Kippur

Sep 12, 2012 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Yom Kippur

The importance of “permission to pray with those who have transgressed,” recited immediately before chanting Kol Nidrei, is underlined in some congregations by the practice of repeating the words three times for added emphasis. The declaration clearly has enormous rhetorical power. But what does it mean? How can these words, this claim, help propel us forward into Kol Nidrei and beyond?

Tip Toe Through Ki Tavo

Sep 8, 2012 By Ofra Arieli Backenroth | Commentary | Ki Tavo

This week’s Torah parashah is concerned with the Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land. The parashah emphasizes that the Israelites should obey God’s commandments faithfully, with all their heart and soul. Since the Covenant between God and Israel establishes mutually binding obligations for both God and the Israelites, God’s commitments are also reaffirmed: the promise to make Israel a holy people.

Moving Forward in Prayer, Together and Alone

Sep 8, 2012 By Lisa Gelber | Commentary

Several weeks ago, I attended the West Point funeral of Major Thomas E. Kennedy, husband of my friend Kami. I’ve officiated at countless funerals and attended many others to comfort the bereaved. Although not my first military funeral, this was the first memorial for an officer I’d known personally, and my first visit to West Point.

The Blessing of Monotony?

Sep 1, 2012 By Jack Chomsky | Commentary

Many people struggle with the fact that traditional Jewish prayer is a fixed entity. The words that we say, the times that we say them, are prescribed according to traditions and Jewish law. The culture in which we live, by contrast, values spontaneity and novelty. Why not pray when one feels like it, and not be forced to shoehorn one’s intellect and emotions according to the seemingly arbitrary ideas of our ancient rabbis?