TINW Torah Study

The steps that David took to bed Bathsheba were underhanded, leading the prophet Nathan to rebuke David and to declare that, “the sword shall never depart from your house . . . I will make a calamity rise against you from within your own house” (2 Samuel 12:10-11). This week we looked at the birth of Solomon and the power plays that went behind his rise in succession.

Note: On May 27 we are hosting an Ask the Rabbis session. Do you have questions about Judaism, or about religion in general, that you have always wanted to ask? This is your opportunity! Please email your questions to at [email protected], and we will present them to Rabbis Jaech, Pein and Sperling.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

Our Torah Study today, guest-led by Rabbi Janet Roberts, focused on a later David story. The details of this particular tradition are disturbing, and show us how our biblical heroes are deeply flawed humans. But, perhaps because of this, we can relate to them and see reality in them. 

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

Right now, Jews around the world are eating matzah as they celebrate Passover. Included in the text we read at Passover are passages about covenants, or promises, we make with God and what is expected in return. Knowing that members of our community fall on a wide spectrum of beliefs when it comes to tradition and ceremony, and even in the belief in God, our Torah Study leader, Gerry Peet, pondered how we are bound together as a community. How do we say, yes this is what I believe, and yes this is what you believe; and together we form this one community.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

The human spirit is strong. It is not uncommon for people to say, after a bad experience, that we don’t regret what happened; everything has a purpose, and it was all for the good. As the Joseph narrative comes to its conclusion, we see that it could have been hard for Joseph to let go of a desire for revenge. But this story represents a radical acceptance by Joseph that what happened is exactly as it should be. This type of acceptance can also be a way to bring peace into life.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

Although Jews do not have a clear concept of an afterlife, or a heaven like Christians do, there is a tradition of a shadowy realm that a person continues to exist in after death. It is nice to think that, after we die, we will be together with loved ones. 

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

In a continuation of our deep dive into the Joseph narrative, we look at the passages know as the Blessings of Jacob—which seem to be words to Jacob's son, but are more likely words about the history and politics of the twelves tribes of the Israelites. Human behavior has not changed very much over the millennia, and just as our political landscape today is rife with tribal politics, so are the passages of the Torah.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

Rabbi Janet Roberts led our group in looking at the role of Joseph in Egypt. As readers today, we may think that Joseph is acting like an American, 19th century robber baron, who made himself rich through ruthless business dealings. Or we may think that Joseph was proactive in adopting a feudal system that resulted in lives begin saved. Whether we, as modern readers, like what Joseph did or not, the fact is that the story was kept in our Bible. And Joseph is OUR guy! 

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

As we see around the world today, living in exile is an ongoing and painful part of the human condition. Many of us have parents or grandparents who emigrated to America from Europe/Eurasia before or during World War II. Recently at our synagogue, Ukrainian immigrants have shared their experiences of leaving their homeland. They are people facing a traumatic experience. An experience with which our ancient writers were well aware.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

This week, we returned to the Joseph story. Even though his brothers treated him abysmally when he was young, Joseph is able to come to terms with the past mistreatment and leave his childhood trauma behind. We need to understand the past, but we should not dwell on it. Only through understanding can we move toward achieving peace. 

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

A person, man or woman, cannot stay in power unless they make strong alliances with other men and women who support the situation. It may have been easier for a man to have that kind of support. However, history shows that there have been extraordinary women who have been able to rise to the top of what has traditionally be considered a male realm. This week, Professor David Sperling led us on a survey of some of these remarkable women.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.