Ta Shma

Dvar Torah by Dena Weiss, recorded at the Summer Yom Iyyun, 2015.

Or: Was Elijah the Prophet Fired? Shai Held. So deep is the affinity between Pinchas and Elijah, Tanakh’s two great zealot-heroes, that tradition comes to see them as one and the same person. But while parashat Pinchas insists upon the nobility of Pinchas’ zealotry, the Haftarah paints a far more problematic picture of Elijah. Along the way it invites us to consider the ways in which zealotry distorts the zealot’s vision, leading him to aggrandize himself and denigrate others.

Shai Held. Each week, Jews welcome in Shabbat with psalms sung passionately and jubilantly. But what do these prayers actually mean? In this course, we'll do a close literary and theological investigation of each of the psalms featured in Kabbalat Shabbat and ask what they can teach us—about Jewish theology, about Jewish spirituality, and about worshiping God. Part 2 of a 6-part series.

Elie Kaunfer. What do you do when you are put in a situation when you are supposed to know what to do but don't? This class explores four different Talmudic narratives about precisely this scenario and different approaches to it. Recorded live at the June Professionals' Institute, 2015.

Balaam and Micah offer dramatically different assessments of the Israelites. The vast chasm between the two reveals a deep truth about Jewish theology and spirituality: We live, always, in a world of “not yet."

Each week, Jews welcome in Shabbat with psalms sung passionately and jubilantly. But what do these prayers actually mean? In this course, we'll do a close literary and theological investigation of each of the psalms featured in Kabbalat Shabbat and ask what they can teach us—about Jewish theology, about Jewish spirituality, and about worshiping God. Part 1 of a 6-part series.

Judaism is often characterized as a religion where intentions don't matter but actions do. This class explores the much more nuanced and complex reality through the lens of Rabbinic sources about having intention in order to make sacrifices to the Temple valid. What are the advantages and dangers of God caring about what we think? Recorded live at the Yeshivat Hadar Summer Kickoff, 2015.

Between Israel and Edom. Memory is a double-edged sword. Past sufferings can ground appeals to empathy and compassion, but they can also legitimate every form of cruelty and callousness. As Israel approaches the land of Israel, it is given a sobering lesson in old grudges and the moral blindness they can foment in the encounter between Moses and the king of Edom.

Through a close reading of Jeremiah 7, this class asks fundamental questions about the ways in which religion makes us feel safe and above retribution and the dangers associated with it. How do we respond to the prophet's call to have integrity in all aspects of our life, religious and ethical? Recorded live at the Yeshivat Hadar Summer Kickoff, 2015.

Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish law)? Join R. Avi Killip interviewing R. Ethan Tucker with questions sent in by Yeshivat Hadar alumni and others on all sorts of details of Jewish law. This is a joint project between the Center for Jewish Law and Values and Jewish Public Media. Recorded live at Limmud NY.