Ta Shma

R. Avi Strausberg on Parashat Bereishit: A Song of Rising Up

In the beginning, God lifted the world out of chaos. The Torah paints a dramatic scene.  A wasteland.  A darkness covering the surface of the tehom, the great depths.  G

R. Avi Killip: The Long and Winding Road to Redemption

We long for a better world. Judaism teaches us to yearn and pray and work to bring the messiah, reach redemption, and earn our place in the world to come. But what does t

A Festival About Nothing: Dr. Tsivia Frank Wygoda on Shemini Atzeret-Simhat Torah

In Israel, Shemini Atzeret-Simhat Torah feels like the busiest day of the year.  So many prayers; so many different atmospheres.  Year after year, juggling back and forth

R. Avital Hochstein on VeZot HaBerakhah: Journey Summary

R. Simlai taught: Torah—its beginning is kindness and its end is kindness. Its beginning is kindness—as it is written, “God made leather garments for Adam and his wife a

R. Dena Weiss: Language As a Lens: Silence (Part 5)

Explore the role that language plays in our personal, religious, and spiritual lives, by challenging assumptions about core areas of speech like prayer (is it supposed to

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Ha'azinu: A Topography of Distance

“I will hide My face from them” (Deuteronomy 32:20)—so declares the Holy Blessed One in Parashat Ha’azinu.  This is one of the most painful and jarring statements in the

R. Dena Weiss: Language As a Lens: Prayer (Part 4)

Explore the role that language plays in our personal, religious, and spiritual lives, by challenging assumptions about core areas of speech like prayer (is it supposed to

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Nitzavim-VaYeilekh: On Mutual Responsibility

At this time of year, as the High Holidays approach, we are used to thinking about our own personal responsibility.  In the Yom Kippur Vidui, we worry not only about our

R. Dena Weiss: Language As a Lens: When Is It OK to Lie? (Part 3)

Explore the role that language plays in our personal, religious, and spiritual lives, by challenging assumptions about core areas of speech like prayer (is it supposed to

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Ki Tavo: Clearing the Holy from the Home

Our parashah describes a ceremony known as vidui ma’aser.  The word vidui here from the root י.ד.ה. probably means something like “declaration of thanks” (like the prayer

R. Dena Weiss: Language As a Lens Part 2

Explore the role that language plays in our personal, religious, and spiritual lives, by challenging assumptions about core areas of speech like prayer (is it supposed to

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Ki Teitzei: Three Contemporary Readings of the Rebellious Son

One of the most emotionally charged and provocative legal passages is found in our parashah: the case of the rebellious son.

R. Dena Weiss: Language As a Lens Part 1

Explore the role that language plays in our personal, religious, and spiritual lives, by challenging assumptions about core areas of speech like prayer (is it supposed to

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Shoftim: The Torah of Military Service

The preoccupation with the question of who goes to war is not new. It is a question that meets us, Israeli society, in our day-to-day lives. There is an acute sense here

R. Elazar Symon on Rosh Hodesh Elul: A Different Kind of Comfort

The month of Elul marks the beginning of a process that leads us toward the Yamim Noraim, the days of awe. Yet in another sense, even at the beginning of Elul, we are alr

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Re'eih: The Dangers of Incitement

In Parashat Re’eih, the Torah warns against a uniquely insidious threat: the mesit or inciter.  In Hebrew, this act of enticing or manipulating another person toward harm

R. Tali Adler: What Are You Doing Here, Elijah?

This class explores the powerful stories of the prophet Elijah, asking what they reveal about prophecy, leadership, and religious zeal. As Elijah performs miracles and co

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Eikev: Memory and the Divine-Human Partnership

Two intertwined themes are explored in Parashat Eikev: memory and human agency.  What is the connection between these ideas?  And how do they work together in our brit, o

R. Shai Held: Hope After Hope Is Lost

How might we maintain hope during a time when it seems to many of us that all hope is gone? One biblical idea is that, although God is frequently disappointed, God also r

R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Va'Ethanan: Law After War

Our parashah describes a deeply charged moment—a moment where the Israelites are at risk of forgetting the Holy Blessed One.  Surprisingly, this danger does not stem from