Part of the series 2024 91快播 High Holiday Webinars

奥颈迟丑听Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought, 91快播. Moderated by Dr. David Kraemer, Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, 91快播

To mark this period of spiritual atonement and reflection, Dr. Eisen discussed his rich, original, and moving work and invite us to ask, perhaps for the first time, what we actually believe about ultimate matters of faith and doubt. Those of us searching for ultimate meaning will find reassurance that the search itself can be a source of personal fulfillment, vibrant community, and great joy. The book鈥檚 three chapters include a Passover Seder with its theme of past and future redemption; the Yom Kippur liturgy that guides worshippers through the difficult work of atonement, forgiveness and return; and the day-to-day responsibilities, personal and communal, of covenant, mitzvah, and love. 

Part of the series 91快播 High Holiday Webinars 2024

With Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics, 91快播 

One of the most striking images of the divine-human relationship in Jewish thought is the kabbalistic image of a rope or cord that extends from God in the heavens into the soul of the human being. We explore a diverse array of Jewish thinkers over the centuries who have found this metaphor meaningful, especially in times of challenge and suffering, giving them hope to continue to strive to become closer to God. In the context of the High Holiday season, we give special attention to connections between this metaphor and themes and liturgies of the High Holiday season.  

Dr. Billet referenced this short story by S.Y. Agnon during the session.

But giving, we might suggest, is much more than a strategy to get something in return, and it is also far more than just about doing our responsible share in relationships and in our communities.

Why do we give, and what does that teach us about what it is to be human?

The great French Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas rooted his ethical philosophy in the principle that the face of another person reflects a commanding moral power over us as individuals. It is not a symmetry of reciprocity, a state of equality; rather, we are called upon to subsume ourselves in the presence of the other person, to approach our relations with them through an attitude of radical generosity and giving. In Levinas鈥檚 view, this posture involves an effacement of ego and an extreme elevation of the other: 鈥淕oodness consists in placing myself in being in such a way that the Other would count more than me鈥� (Totalit茅 et infini,277). This responsibility for the other, says Levinas, is not contingent upon reciprocity, upon me getting my 鈥渇air share鈥� in return.

Though perhaps we may temper the radical position of Levinas by acknowledging the important ethical state achieved in being able to receive the gift of the other with dignity and graciousness. Sometimes when we are at our weakest, we must surrender ourselves to the gift of the other, releasing ourselves into the grace (hesed) of compassion.

As much as evolutionary biologists teach us that we are wired for self-survival and self-protection, that we have evolved as humans to look out for 鈥渘umber one鈥� (and who can deny that selfishness is a powerful obstacle that we all struggle with?), there is a growing realization among scientists and psychologists that we are also deeply 鈥渨ired to connect鈥� in relationship to others. Our bodies and our minds are more healthy and fulfilled when we find ourselves in loving relationships, when we give of ourselves to the other with an open heart, with a heart made pure (see Mona DeKoven Fishbane, Loving with the Brain in Mind: Neurobiology and Couple Therapy, 59-63). When we are at our best, we give not in order to receive; we give in the way that the Hasidic masters speak of the ultimate service to God, the act of mesirut nefesh鈥攖he giving of one鈥檚 whole soul to divinity in the moment of worship, and in the fulfillment of the mitzvot. As Martin Buber taught, the self in relation to other persons, and in relation to the world at large, reaches through these encounters toward the ultimate relation with divinity:

Extended, the lines of relationship intersect in the eternal You. Every single You is a glimpse of that. Through every single You the basic word addresses the eternal You.

(I and Thou, trans. Walter Kaufmann, 123)

The act of mesirut nefesh, several Hasidic mystics teach us, is a process of transcending the prison of our own egotism and self-centeredness; in the moment of devotion, in our deepest prayer, we seek to break open the self-protective walls of our hearts, to make ourselves truly vulnerable to the indwelling of the divine presence. And, as Buber expressed the matter, we encounter the eternal divine You through the mystery and wonder of our human relationships. In opening our hearts to others with generosity and vulnerability, we come to stand in the radiant and transformative presence of God鈥攖he divinity that dwells within, not only beyond the human.

Indeed, this deep lesson is reflected in Parashat Terumah, the Torah portion for this week:

God spoke to Moses, saying: Tell the Israelite people to bring me gifts (讜讬拽讞讜 诇讬 转专讜诪讛) you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him(讬讚讘谞讜 诇讘讜)

()

It is this last phrase that calls out to me, as it has spoken to generations of Jewish interpreters. The act of divine service is anchored in a personal state of nedavah, of generosity, which is here rendered as the moving and stirring of the heart to the task of giving the gift to God. As Rashi notes in his comments on this verse, the language of yidvenu libbo may be understood as leshon nedavah鈥攖he posture of generous giving, one which is marked, according to Rashi, by an attitude of ratzon tov, a good will and full-hearted intention that accompanies the gift. Indeed, we learn from these lines in Exodus that cultivating a heart of giving, being one who realizes the ideal of yidvenu libbo, is essential to both the life of piety and ethics. This, the Hasidic masters teach, is the inner meaning of the word terumah, for it may be correlated homonymically to the verb leharim, to raise up, to reach for the rom and ramah (the height and summit) of divine glory. When we open our hearts with compassion and generosity, when we liberate ourselves from the enslavement of our egos and our need to self-protect, then we and those with whom we interact become truly elevated.

This is further how we may understand the inner spiritual meaning of another well-known verse from this week鈥檚 parashah: And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them (讜注砖讜 诇讬 诪拽讚砖 讜砖讻谞转讬 讘转讜讻诐) ().

So much of Parashat Terumah is devoted to the building of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle), to the detailed instructions for its assembly, delivered by God through Moses. And interpreters have long noticed the fact that while the text refers to a sanctuary in the singular, God鈥檚 dwelling place is in the plural鈥�veshakhanti betokham, (that I may dwell among them). Thus several Hasidic thinkers, following earlier traditions, have suggested that veshakhanti betokham may be understood as the dwelling of the divine presence within the depths of each person. Betokham mamash. The divine sanctuary is recast from an architectural sacred space to the temple of the human heart, the holy interior of the human being within which the divine Shekhinah (drawn from the same Hebrew word as veshakhanti), the heavenly Indwelling, radiates outward from the inner depths of the self. As we stand before the mystery of God in prayer and mitzvot, we seek to be present to the Divinity that pulses within all things, the Oneness of Being that circulates and nourishes all of life. The mikdash (sanctuary) of the heart is felt and known through self-examination and introspection, through attentiveness to the wonder of the world, and through compassion and generosity toward others. In this sense, the act of terumah is a process of mesirut nefesh before God and our fellow human beings. The path of spiritual enlightenment and elevation is inseparable from ethical discipline as much as it about becoming attuned to the sublime holiness that dwells both within and Beyond.

In opening our hearts to the other with whom we exist in relation, in cultivating an attitude and practice of terumah, of giving without expectation of receiving in return, we release the inner divine point of life-giving energy from within ourselves鈥攁 hiyut, a vitality, that otherwise remains imprisoned in the grip of egotism and selfishness. For as Levinas suggested, the other person that we encounter in the human realm may be seen as a trace of ultimate transcendence鈥攁 reflection of the divine mystery, a presence that commands our ethical and spiritual attention.

This commentary was originally published in 2014.

The publication and distribution of the 91快播 Commentary are made possible by a generous grant from Rita Dee (锄鈥漧) and Harold Hassenfeld (锄鈥漧).   

Download Panel Sources

Explore themes of love and friendship in Jewish thought with a panel of preeminent scholars. We will examine the complex and central place of love and longing in modern Hebrew literature, Jewish theology, and ethics, and consider what this rich intellectual tradition can offer for contemporary political life

PANEL

Moderated by Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics at 91快播

Sponsored by the 91快播 Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice, Columbia鈥檚 Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, and NYU鈥檚 Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies

Supported with a grant from the Fetzer Institute

Part of Between the Lines: Author Conversations from The Library of 91快播

滨苍听Qohelet: Searching for a Life Worth Living, philosopher Menachem Fisch and artist Debra Band together probe the biblical thinker鈥檚 inquiry into the value of life 鈥渦nder the sun.鈥� In this first illuminated manuscript of this text and the first philosophical analysis tracing the coherent path of Qohelet鈥檚 full argument, Fisch uncovers Qohelet鈥檚 twin concerns: life is short, and situated as we are far below the heavens, we can never be assured of comprehending our world, nor understanding divine will and intent. In her 60 immersive and discursive illuminated paintings of the entire text, each accompanied by explanatory commentary, Band incorporates Fisch鈥檚 understanding of the text, employing the grandest of palaces, the Alhambra, as a central metaphor for the beauty and impermanence of human life and accomplishments. She fills its halls with often surprising imagery, symbolism and related poetry creating a visual midrash that relates Qohelet not only to biblical text and Jewish lore but also reveals its reverberations across Western civilization.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Menachem Fisch is Joseph and Ceil Mazer Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science at Tel Aviv University, TAU codirector of the Frankfurt-Tel Aviv Center for Religious and Interreligious Studies, and senior fellow of the Goethe University Frankfurt鈥檚 Forschungskolleg Humanwissenchaften. He is author ofThe View from Within: Normativity and the Limits of Self-Criticism(with Y. Benbaji, Notre Dame, 2011),Creatively Undecided: Toward a History and Philosophy of Scientific Agency(Chicago, 2017), andCovenant of Confrontation: A Study of Non-Submissive Religiosity in Rabbinic Literature(Bar-Ilan, 2019).

Debra Band draws upon her love of both the manuscript arts and the Jewish textual tradition in her acclaimed illuminated manuscripts. She is the author and illuminator ofThe Song of Songs: The Honeybee in the Garden(JPS, 2005),I Will Wake the Dawn: Illuminated Psalms(with Arnold J. Band, JPS, 2007), Arise! Arise! Deborah, Ruth and Hannah (with Arnold J. Band, Honeybee in the Garden, 2012), andKabbalat Shabbat: The Grand Unification(with Raymond P. Scheindlin, Honeybee in the Garden, 2016), among other works. Her paintings have been widely exhibited across the United States and Canada. She resides in Potomac, Maryland, with her husband, Michael Diamond, MD, and menagerie.

Download Sources

Part of the series, “Dangerous Ideas: Censorship Through a Jewish Lens鈥�

With Dr. Alan Mittleman, Aaron Rabinowitz and Simon H. Rifkind Professor of Jewish Philosophy

Maimonides, the greatest Jewish figure of the Middle Ages, incorporated philosophy into his work. Both during his lifetime and afterwards, especially in Europe, Maimonides鈥� embrace of philosophy aroused opposition. A great controversy, lasting more than a century after his death, broke out in four distinct waves. The most philosophical sections of his work were banned, as was the study of philosophy and teaching of it to youth. There were also counterbans promulgated by his supporters against their opponents. In 1232, his works were burned by the Dominicans, although the role of Jewish agitation in that catastrophe remains unclear. The Maimonidean Controversy is about ideas, but also about power and authority, faith and reason, revelation and science, as well as the very nature of Judaism. Insofar as these matters remain contentious, the controversy endures. 

ABOUT THE SERIES

Throughout Jewish history, certain texts and ideas have been deemed too dangerous to circulate鈥攚hether by outsiders who banned Jewish writings, or Jewish leaders who suppressed ideas considered heretical or beyond the pale. In this series, 91快播 scholars will examine efforts to control knowledge from ancient to contemporary times, exploring the ways in which censorship both reflects and shapes broader ideological struggles. They will discuss the varying motivations for controlling or revising narratives, and consider whether and under what circumstances it might make sense to suppress certain ideas. These discussions will illuminate past struggles and help us understand the battles over censorship and free expression playing out today. 

SPONSOR A SESSION

At 91快播, we are committed to providing the Jewish community with outstanding classes in Judaic studies. We hope you will partner with us so that we can continue to do so. Did you know that you can sponsor a learning session to honor a loved one, celebrate an occasion, or commemorate a yahrzeit? You can find sponsorship information .
Questions? Contact learninglives@jtsa.edu

Download Sources

Part of the series, Relating to God

With Dr. Arnold Eisen, chancellor emeritus and professor of Jewish Thought, 91快播

Professor Eisen explores recent developments in Jewish thought about God and what God requires of us as Jews and human beings against the background of past Jewish thought, recent work by non-Jewish thinkers, and Professor Eisen鈥檚 own theological reflections in the age of COVID.

This session was generously sponsored by Yale Asbell, 91快播 trustee

ABOUT THE SERIES

Relating to God Join 91快播 scholars to explore what Jewish texts and thought can teach us about how we might understand, experience, and be in relationship with the divine.

See All Sessions in the Series

SPONSOR A SESSION

Did you know that you can sponsor a learning session to honor a loved one, celebrate an occasion, or commemorate a yahrzeit? To learn more, contact learninglives@jtsa.edu.