91快播

Revelation at Sinai

Both of the images below reflect the awe and wonder at Sinai, reflecting two types of revelation: both the perception of God’s presence and the manifestation of God’s will through the laws of the Torah. These 19th Century prints from Special Collections of the 91快播 Library highlight the overwhelming presence of this moment. Text Who […]

Remembering Together

Apr 22, 2022 By William Plevan | Commentary | Pesah

The celebration of Pesah is an outstanding example of the central role that memory plays in Jewish tradition. Underscoring the importance of memory for sustaining human societies, Elie Wiesel wrote, 鈥淲ithout memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.鈥� Communal memory, of course, goes far beyond what any one individual can remember and experience. And yet, what makes memory so powerful as a vehicle for communal identity is that it speaks to us on a personal level.

Which Is 鈥淲iser鈥�: The Story of the Exodus or the Laws of Pesah?

Apr 15, 2022 By Jeremy Tabick | Commentary | Pesah

One of the core aspects of the Torah鈥檚 Pesah commentary is the education of the participants. In its very introduction, in the reading for the first day of Pesah, the concern of education is placed front and center: 鈥淲hen your children will ask you, 鈥榃hat is this service for you?鈥� you will say, 鈥業t is a pesah sacrifice to God . . .鈥欌�� (Exod. 12:26鈥�27). Indeed, justifying the practice of Pesah to children comes up in the Torah no less than four times.

Passover Learning

Collected Video, Commentary, and more from 91快播 scholars to broaden the holiday of Pesah

Purim Eve On (and Off) Broadway!

Mar 16, 2022 By Jan Uhrbach | Public Event video | Purim

Watch the parody songs: View the whole service: For Ma鈥檃riv (Evening Service) and Megillat Esther (Book of Esther), we will be using the Rabbinical Assembly鈥檚 newly published volume featuring a new translation of Esther by Dr. Pamela Barmash, an alumna of 91快播鈥檚 Rabbinical School, and the translation of the evening service from Siddur Lev Shalem. […]

Six Days Shall You Labor: Shabbat and the Meaning of Work

Oct 4, 2021 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Shabbat, a day on which 鈥渨ork鈥� is forbidden, also offers a commentary on work鈥攐n its place in our lives, its importance, and its limitations. Notably, the rabbinic Sabbath鈥攖hat is, the 鈥渢raditional鈥� Sabbath鈥攐ffers a perspective that differs from that of the Torah, both original and unique.JoinDr. David Kraemerto explore biblical and rabbinic views of the Sabbath as commentaries on the significance of work.

The Values of a Jewish Home

Apr 16, 2021 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Metzora | Tazria | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut

In the precious days 鈥淏efore the Coronavirus Era鈥� (B.C.E.), the parshiyot of Tazria-Metzora seemed wholly disconnected from our lives, presenting the perennial challenge of relevance (or irrelevance) to even the most talented darshan (sermonizer). How are we to connect leprous plagues attacking both body and abode to our daily lives? And to what extent does the experience of quarantine resonate with our modern reality? These are only two of the many questions that we would have posed in a pre-Covid world.

Learning from God to Anticipate the Reactions of Others

Apr 2, 2021 By Walter Herzberg | Commentary | Pesah

Why do we eat matzah on Passover? According to the instructions that God conveyed to Israel prior to the Exodus we eat matzah because we are commanded: 鈥淪even days you shall eat unleavened bread (matzot)鈥� (Exod. 12:15). However, according to Exod. 12:39, where the narrative of the events is related, we eat matzah because the Israelites, having been driven out of Egypt, were unable to linger to allow time for the dough to rise: 鈥淎nd they baked unleavened cakes (matzot) . . . because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry.鈥� If so, why does the Torah present the mitzvah (the command) before the Exodus has actually taken place?