Rabbi Sacks takes a historical critical approach this week’s parashah, in particular the Flood and Tower of Babel narratives. The individualist and collectivist cultures are both problematic, whereas the joint approach is what makes a society function well.
The Shvesters, accompanied by Omri Bar Giora on guitar, perform “Eishet Chayil” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park, NYC, on August 22, 2024.
In the spirit of renewed tradition, here is a new interpretation of Kol Nidrei. It blends the ancient melodic motifs with contemporary harmonies and orchestration, offering a modern reflection of this timeless Jewish prayer.
Rabbi Sacks writes about challenges in understanding the instructions regarding the scapegoat; in particular, 2 similar goats but with different treatments decided by a throw of the dice. Traditionally, the interpretation relates to atonement and purification, but doesn’t address the lots or the similarity of the coast.
In her blog, Rabbi Barenblat muses about the ancient agrarian traditions that resulted in the rituals with the etrog and the 4 species, whether they relate to parts of the body, or the agricultural prayer for rain.
Last March I shared a special concert in Tel Aviv, titled “Nusach America”, where I was reunited with Shlomo, a wounded IDF soldier I visited in the hospital in October. The prayer Avinu Malkeinu was dedicated to him.
As we mark the one-year anniversary of October 7th, we reflect on the enduring strength of our friends and family in Israel, who continue to live through the ripple effects of war. Today, we remember the hostages still waiting for freedom, and we stand with their families in their suffering. We pray for peace.
Rabbi Barenblat writes about Deuteronomy 26:15 – “Look down from Your holy abode, from the heavens”. She considers the meaning of the Ishbitzer, who saw God observing the community as a whole, one person clarifying another. What does it mean for one person to clarify another?
The idea that Torah knowledge belongs to everyone, that education should be universal, is one of the most powerful ideas in Jewish history. So many societies, religious and secular, control access to knowledge, either through finances or technical vocabulary, in direct contrast to Judaism.
On October 2, Rabbi Barenblat posted a beautiful writing for what we cannot fix and what we can fix