Ta Shma

Tefillah Toolkit #1. Joey Weisenberg shares best practices when leading Lekhah Dodi in community, and samples four tunes of very different styles.

Jason Rubenstein. What We Talk About When We Talk About Revelation. What does it mean to believe that the Torah is from Heaven? What attitudes and beliefs allow a Jewish life of integrity and passion? Are people uncertain about "traditional" teachings about the Torah's revelation to Moses at Sinai doomed to a Jewish life of "as-if" commitment and observance? How should the rise of modern, historically oriented Biblical studies change our answers to these questions? This series will approach these often-avoided questions with fresh eyes, with the goals of uncovering new meaning in the core sources on this topic, of finding language for our own commitments, and of putting those sources and commitments in dialogue with one another. Part 2 of 3.

Ethan Tucker. We will explore a fascinating category of people in rabbinic law: קרובי מלכות/“Those close to the government", those in relationship with key Gentile officials, perhaps even a monarch, who, in order to function, must be able to blend in with their Gentile surroundings. We know some of these figures from Jewish history as “court Jews,” many of whom used their influence with the Gentile powers to secure important rights and protections for their fellow Jews. How much license should these people have to ignore or suspend normal prohibitions? And what does this tell us about the universalist and particularist impulses that make up Jewish identity more broadly?

Elie Kaunfer. What is the real miracle of Hanukkah? This question is often framed as a debate between light vs. might: The miracle of the oil that lasted eight days vs. the miraculous military victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks. But perhaps the miracle is to be found in the name of the holiday itself.

Aviva Richman. Hanukkah has become the holiday of gifts. Though the Maccabees could never have imagined holiday sales and neatly wrapped and ribboned presents, the holiday of Hanukkah, and the mitzvah of Hanukkah candles in particular, has much to teach us about gifts.

Jason Rubenstein. Love or Belief? Two Theories of Religious Integrity. What does it mean to believe that the Torah is from Heaven? What attitudes and beliefs allow a Jewish life of integrity and passion? Are people uncertain about "traditional" teachings about the Torah's revelation to Moses at Sinai doomed to a Jewish life of "as-if" commitment and observance? How should the rise of modern, historically oriented Biblical studies change our answers to these questions? This series will approach these often-avoided questions with fresh eyes, with the goals of uncovering new meaning in the core sources on this topic, of finding language for our own commitments, and of putting those sources and commitments in dialogue with one another. Part 1 of 3.

Ethan Tucker. Who is Left Behind? Apostates and Levirate Marriage. Levirate marriage is an ancient institution: when a man’s brother dies childless, he must marry his brother’s widow, have children with her, and thereby redeem his dead brother’s line. But what if the brother was an apostate? If the apostate is Jewish, the bond is present and must be broken with the ceremony of halitzah; if he is a Gentile, the woman is free to marry whomever she wishes. The question, “Is the widow bound to her apostate levir,” essentially becomes equivalent to: “Is the apostate Jewish?” This final part investigates this issue, and ends with concluding thoughts and synthetic models of what it means to be Jewish.

Tefillah Toolkit #1. Dena Weiss asks: Why is Shabbat so lonely? How is Shabbat the perfect partner for the Jewish people? And how does this change our understanding of singing Lekhah Dodi?

Ben Skydell (Orach Haim). Jewish Martyrdom Ancient and Modern. Is martyrdom an act of courage, defiance, or an expression of love? This class will analyze the Talmud's stories of the death of Rabbi Akiva with an eye towards answering these questions. We will also examine parallel stories of martydom, both Jewish and non-Jewish, in an attempt to understand what it means to give up one's life for God. Recorded live at the Global Day of Jewish Learning, 2015.

Ethan Tucker. Apostasy and Practiced Halakhah: From the Talmudic Lexicon to Medieval and Modern Decision-Making. Continuing to explore our question of "What is a Jew?" through the medieval sources, we will focus on two case studies (i) Marriage, and (ii) the procedure for reconverting apostates if and when they return to Judaism. Can Jews and apostates contract valid Jewish marriage? If apostates return to Jewish practice and community must they reconvert?