Deep learning never ends. When we close a book, a tractate of Talmud, or a podcast, or finish a course or a degree, we celebrate with siyyum - a recognition that what we learned will forever be a part of us.

Tzedakah - the Jewish concept of philanthropy - balances the strategic needs of support for the vulnerable, sustaining the community, and seeking justice - with the spiritual and emotional impact of giving with joy. To support Goucher Hillel during Hillel Global Giving Week (May 2-7), when gifts are matched 2:1 for triple the impact, go to donate.hillel.org/goucher

A deep and fundamental aspect of Judaism is our connectedness to the earth.  It is our sacred responsibility and a dynamic source of spirituality.  For more resources on the connections between Judaism and the Environment beyond this episode, check out the following links as possible points of departure:

http://www.ellenbernstein.org/shomrei-adamah

https://www.pearlstonecenter.org/jofee/

https://hazon.org/judaism-and-the-environment-101/

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/green-jews/

What does the concept of love of Israel entail today? What does sharing a sense of peoplehood mean to how Jews relate to one another, and how the world relates to them? You can watch Andrew Lustig's "What it Means to Be Jewish" at this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJe0uqVGZJA

This Yom HaShoah, we connect with the idea and memory of spiritual resistance during the Holocaust.  By the simple act of living and holding onto humanity through art, faith, and expression, Jewish people under Nazi tyranny participated in an audacious and powerful act of resistance. For more reading, click on the following links:

 

https://www.yadvashem.org/education/educational-materials/lesson-plans/spiritual-resistance.html

 

https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/ringelblum/index.asp

Shot Of Spirituality #11 - Building Self - Awareness by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder

Shot Of Spirituality #12- From Awareness To Action by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder

Shot Of Spirituality #13- Approaching Service by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder

Shot Of Spirituality #14- Exodus And Freedom Passover 2021 by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder

Mussar, the Jewish discipline of ethical self-improvement, begins with building in a simple daily check-in for awareness of one's own actions and motivations.