Step 39: Enough
This piece is inspired by the springtime season of the shmita year. We talk about a place where the wild things are, as if it were a destination on a map we could travel to. We converse in the language of languishing and survive ...
Step 38: Lights
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (1865-1935) z"l shared an expanded and illuminated understanding of the Torah with the Jewish People and the world. Let us review some of his most profound and relevant teachings: The heart must be filled with love for all. The ...
Step 37: Yesod
This week's counting of the omer is symbolically connected with the sefirah of Yesod, foundation. One of the foundational principles of the Torah, and thereby a foundation of Jewish living, is “v'ahavta l’reachah kamochah” (Leviticus 19:18), “you shall love your fellow human being as ...
Step 36: Shmita
Shmita is one of the most radical ideas in Judaism. Known broadly as the ancient Jewish Sabbatical year, Shmita seeks to bring about changes to the human experience. The challenges it poses to our economy and society are complex. Contrary to popular belief that ...
Step 35: History
Rabbi Adam Chalom is Dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism and Rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in suburban Chicago. A Limmud-lover, he has presented in Boston, Chicago, the UK and virtually in 2020 ...
Step 34: Memory
David is the Dean Emeritus of Pardes. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in History and a Ph.D. in Religious Education from New York University. He also attended Yeshivat HaMivtar. David has been the Dean of Pardes since 1998. ...
Step 33: Harvest
In the Torah, Shavuot is purely an agricultural holiday. There is no mention of the giving of the Torah taking place on Shavuot. When our ancestors counted the days from Pesach to Shavuot, their minds were on the harvest and survival. On Shavuot, when ...
Step 32: Awe
Just as our ancient Israelite ancestors needed physical as well as spiritual resources to embark and sustain them on their journey, so too must we draw on and nourish our whole selves in the work for a just, livable, and liberated future. This reflection ...
Step 31: Naomi and Ruth
Judith Hauptman is the E. Billi Ivry Professor Emerita of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture at The Jewish Theological Seminary. Dr. Hauptman’s scholarly research focuses on two areas: unraveling the mystery of how the Talmud came into being and investigating women’s ...
Step 30: Together
As someone who chose to join the Jewish people, the journey towards Sinai each year is a particularly special one for me. The Torah tells us that G-d’s covenant was made “not with you alone but both with those who are standing here with ...