Preparing for the Final Journey:
The Tahara Ritual and its Significance
Jun 21, 2021 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Public Event video | Video Lecture
The period between death and burial is understood in Jewish tradition as a moment of transition in which the deceased is suspended between this world and the next. JoinRabbi Eliezer Diamondto study the ritual known as Taharah, which prepares the body of the deceased for burial. It will show us that Jewish tradition assumes the continued existence of our individual identities even after death. The Taharah ritual, through word and action, radically transforms our understanding of the body of the deceased as we prepare it for the journey to the next world.
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Home and Exile, Center and Periphery: Ambivalent Journeys in the Torah
Jun 14, 2021 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Public Event video | Video Lecture
The theme of the journey鈥攖o home, and from home鈥攑lays a prominent role in the Torah. But repeatedly, these stories force us to wonder what is home and what is exile. JoinDr. Benjamin Sommerto read narratives from Genesis and Exodus that present a tangled-up view of center and periphery. This persistent ambivalence about the nature of a journey carries weighty implications for biblical understandings of God as nearby but hard to grasp, and about authority and autonomy in religious Judaism.
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鈥淚f I forget Thee, O Jerusalem鈥�: The Idea of the Retun to Zion in Jewish History
Jun 7, 2021 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartzexplores the implications of living in a state of longing, how Jews attempted to reconcile the dream of return with the reality of Jewish exile, and how this dream was adapted and transformed with the emergence of modern Zionism and a thriving Jewish diaspora.
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鈥淚t is not up to you to finish the work鈥� (Pirkei Avot 2:21): On Striving for the Unattainable
Dec 13, 2021 By Alan Cooper | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Some of the most dramatic moments in the Tanakh describe the completion of work鈥攖he creation of the world (Genesis); the fabrication of the Tabernacle (Exodus); and the construction of the Temple (Chronicles). In contrast, at the end of chapter 2 ofPirkeiAvot, RabbiTarfonadmonishes us that while we are under pressure with much work, a tight deadline, a penchant for laziness, and a demanding boss, nevertheless 鈥渋t is not up to [us] tofinishthe work.鈥�
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When Matzoh Bakers and Tallis Weavers Went on Strike: The Jewish Workers鈥� Movement in Eastern Europe
Dec 6, 2021 By David Fishman | Public Event video | Video Lecture
The grandparents or great grandparents of most American Jews were poor wage-earning workers from Eastern Europe. This session will explore the world of Jewish workers in Tsarist Russia, in particular the Jewish labor movement that arose at the end of the 19thcentury. The movement organized strikes, underground trade unions, classes, and cultural activity for workers in Yiddish, and a Jewish socialist party known as the 鈥淏und.鈥� Its ideas and practices migrated to the United States and left a powerful imprint on American Jewish life.
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Maimonides at Work: A Rabbi鈥檚 Workday in Medieval Egypt
Nov 29, 2021 By Tamar Marvin | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Toward the end of his life, Maimonides received a request from his translator and admirer in France: to come and visit the great rabbi and discuss with him the important matter of translating his most sensitive work,The Guide of the Perplexed. In response, Maimonides waves off Samuel IbnTibbon, the translator, recounting how busy he is.The correspondence between Maimonides and his translatoris rich in detail, providing insight into Maimonides鈥檒ife.
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How to Make Work Meaningful for Us: Exploring the Value of Work in Biblical and Rabbinic Sources
Nov 22, 2021 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Work can be uplifting; it can also be draining and demoralizing. This depends not only on what we do but on how we do it.We鈥檒l look at Jewish sources that offer us different ways of thinking about work and some wisdom about how to make the work we do work for us.
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If There Is No Bread, There Is No Torah: The Other Careers of the Talmudic Rabbis
Nov 15, 2021 By Rachel Rosenthal | Public Event video | Video Lecture
We often think of the rabbis in the Talmud as having careers as full-time rabbis. However, numerous narrative traditions tell us about their other jobs and their financial struggles. If one cannot make a living learning Torah, how should we balance Torah with more mundane concerns? We鈥檒l study some of these stories together and look at some models for lives that are enriched both by Torah and by work.
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