JTS Torah Archive

Judaism and Islam in America Today

Oct 25, 2011 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Arnold M. Eisen, chancellor of JTS; Sherman Jackson, professor of Islam at the University of Michigan; and Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary discuss Judaism and Islam in the United States today.

Reason Versus Faith

Oct 22, 2011 By Abigail Treu | Commentary | Text Study | Bereishit

If the ancients worried to prove God’s existence, the challenge of Darwinian evolution posed an even greater threat: counterevidence to the biblical account of Creation. In the postmodern era, we Jews-in-the-center find ourselves oddly caught in the middle of a debate portrayed in the news media as between those who insist literally on the biblical account and those who reject it altogether.

Creation and Good Health

Oct 22, 2011 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bereishit | Simhat Torah

With this week’s celebration of Simhat Torah and Shabbat Bereishit, we return to the very beginning of Torah as we read anew the narratives of Creation, the Garden of Eden, and the tragedy of Cain and Abel.

The Universal and Particular Nature of Creation

Oct 22, 2011 By Andrew Shugerman | Commentary | Bereishit

Shortly after Rosh Hashanah this year, Jewish extremists torched a mosque in an Arab-Israeli village in the Galilee, damaging the building and destroying its holy books. Two days later, a rabbinic statement condemning this desecration of a house of worship on Israeli soil garnered the signatures of more than a thousand rabbis of all denominations within 36 hours of the document’s publication. One of my former JTS classmates, however, explained with great disappointment why he did not add his name to this effort.

Between Hope and Doubt

Oct 15, 2011 By Andrew Shugerman | Commentary | Text Study | Sukkot

After the High Holy Days, I sometimes feel torn between feelings of hope and feelings of doubt regarding humanity’s prospects for improvement. At the very least, it helps me to know that our ancient Sages understood this emotional tension.

Work Transforming into Joy

Oct 14, 2011 By Abigail Treu | Commentary | Sukkot

In my mind’s eye, I maintain quite an idealized image of Sukkot. I imagine a beautiful sukkah, resting on a lush green lawn, surrounded by trees not quite yet at the peak of autumn. I sit with my family and friends, leisurely enjoying a delicious meal (which appears magically, costs nothing, and requires no cleanup), under a radiant blue sky during the day and a glittering canopy of stars at night. The tension between ideal and real: exactly where we should be, four days after Yom Kippur.

The Gift of Anxiety and Dread

Oct 8, 2011 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Yom Kippur

About a year ago, I had a conversation with a friend in which he described the way he had experienced his life to that point. He said it felt as if he were a passenger on a train, and that being on a train meant there was a set destination and stops along the way, and absolutely no deviation from the proscribed course. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with the direction; it wasn’t that he regretted any stop he had made along the way. What bothered him was a particular moment of realization: he wasn’t sure what was driving the engines or even if he wanted to continue on that particular track.

The Prosecuting Angel

Oct 8, 2011 By David Levy | Commentary | Yom Kippur

Leviticus 16:33

And he shall make atonement for the most holy place, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

The Gift of Change

Oct 1, 2011 By Charlie Schwartz | Commentary | Yom Kippur

What in this world is set in stone, and what can be changed? As the seasons shift and we approach Yom Kippur, these questions become more relevant, more powerful. It is these questions that this week’s midrash seeks to answer.

Entering the Promised Land

Oct 1, 2011 By Ofra Arieli Backenroth | Commentary | Ha'azinu

What does it mean to be a leader who, for 40 long years, led the people of Israel in the desert, providing for all their needs, and, in the end, was forbidden to enter the Promised Land?

The Strength of Our Communities

Sep 18, 2011 By Abigail Treu | Commentary | Text Study | Nitzavim | Vayeilekh

At this season of self-reflection, our thoughts naturally turn to our own individual acts of the year gone by. But the teshuvah process climaxes on the Yamim Nora’im, when we stand together in packed sanctuaries, finding power in our solidarity as a community.

Call and Response

Sep 17, 2011 By Andrew Shugerman | Commentary | Text Study | Ki Tavo

While many know that a debate over the role of Hebrew in prayer led to the birth of Conservative Judaism, fewer realize that this question actually first arose with our ancient Sages 2,000 years ago.

Christian Responses to Mourning

Sep 11, 2011

You or someone you know is in mourning; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to death and mourning, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Christian view on mourning.

Christian Responses to Tragedy

Sep 11, 2011

You or someone you know has suffered a tragedy; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to tragedies, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Christian view on tragedy.

Christian Traditions on Healing

Sep 11, 2011

You or someone you know is ill; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to healing, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Christian view on healing.

Jewish Responses to Mourning

Sep 11, 2011 By Burton L. Visotzky | Public Event video

You or someone you know is in mourning; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to death and mourning, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Jewish view on mourning.

Muslim Responses on Tragedy

Sep 11, 2011

You or someone you know is in tragedy; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to tragedies, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Muslim view on tragedy.

Muslim Responses to Mourning

Sep 11, 2011

You or someone you know is in mourning; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to death and mourning, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Muslim view on mourning.

Muslim Traditions on Healing

Sep 11, 2011

You or someone you know is ill; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to healing, and therefore, in commemoration of September 11th, 2001, this program will explore the Muslim view on healing.

An Interreligious Dialogue on Healing

Sep 11, 2011 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

You or someone you know is ill; how would you proceed? Many people turn to their religion in these situations. Many religions have similar practices and beliefs when it comes to healing, and therefore, this program will explore the views different religions have on healing.