Many different artists try to sketch a portrait of Adam, God’s first human creation. What did Adam look like? Was he heavenly? Earthly? Listen as Dr. Tamar Kadari, Dean of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies explores a midrash from Genesis Rabbah.
Aleph or Bet: Dr. Shula Laderman with a Festive Torah Tale
As we enter Sukkot and begin to prepare for Simchat Torah Dr. Shula Laderman, recounts a midrash that illustrates the importance of the Hebrew letters aleph and bet. How was it decided which letter would appear first in the Torah?
Getting Carded (In a Good Way)
Turning sixteen in Israel isn’t just a number. At 16, Israeli teens get their teudat zehut identity cards. Learn how TALI is helping teens reach higher, mark that rite of passage and connecting teens to their Israeli-Jewish identities.
Traveling Tombstones: Professor Doron Bar on Herzl’s Reburial in Israel
Professor Doron Bar, tells how Herzl, originally buried in Vienna, came to be buried in Israel, the country he never lived to see. As we mark this momentous anniversary learn more about the phenomenon of bringing devout Zionists “home” to be reburied.
Watershed Moments: Dr. Gila Vachman on Parashat Chukat
Dr. Gila Vachman, explores Miriam’s identity and leadership and its association with water. What was the connection between the death of Miriam and the absence of water?
Gender Identity and Parashat Tazria
Noting the verb roots of the verse, Eitan Cooper, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Schechter Institutes calls attention to a Talmudic debate between Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani and Resh Lakish on how men and women were created. This debate shows how even the ancient scholars engaged in debates on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Parshat Shemini – Aaron’s Silence
Parashat Shemini: “Vayidom Aharon.” Aaron was silent, says the text. Was it shocked silence? Perhaps. Or, perhaps, it was silence which results from the depth of one’s emotions, too overwhelming to express in words?
Seize The Moment in Parashat Tetzaveh
Rabbi Dr. Reb Mimi Feigelson, Mashpiah Ruchanit (Spiritual Mentor) and senior lecturer of Rabbinics and Chassidic Thought at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, relates to the fifth aliyah of the Parasha:
Life Cycle, Tu Bishvat, the environment …and the contested phosphate quarry near Arad
Tu Bishvat is mentioned in the Mishna as Rosh Hashanah L’Ilan, the New Year of the Tree. It gained in popularity when the 16th-century Kabbalists in Safed began to hold a Seder Tu Bishvat and eat up to 30 types of fruits, while the Zionists in the 20th century began to plant trees on Tu Bishvat.
When Disaster Strikes By R. Miriam Berkowitz
One Saturday night in November, 1995, I was making havdala with JTS rabbinical students spending a year in Israel Matt Berkowitz, Matt Eisenfeld z”l and Shai Held in their apartment in Rehavia. The calmness of the evening broke down when an urgent announcement of the tragic and unexpected murder of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was made on the radio.
