Around the Calendar with Drisha

Purim 5775: ”Sacred or Profane: Practices of Purim” (1/3) with Miriam Gedwiser

We will will review the four mitzvot of Purim - megillah, mishloach manot, matanot le-evyonim (gifts to the poor), and the festive meal, as well as various folk practices that accrued to the holiday overtime (including dressing up, "Purim Torah," and many others). In addition to outlining the basics of the laws, we will attempt to understand what basic themes and values run through the various laws and practices, and what they tell us about the meaning of Purim.

Chanukkah 5775: ”Dreaming of Light” with Rute Yair-Nussbaum

As Channukah is a rabbinic holiday, it becomes in Chassidut a metaphor for the power and potential of oral law. By lighting Channukah candles, we become exposed not only to the unrevealed part of Torah but to unrevealed realms of our own lives and surroundings. How can Channukah be understood as a celebration of potential not yet actualized and dreams not yet made real?

Chanukkah 5775: ”Homeward Bound” with Rute Yair-Nussbaum

Channukah is the only holiday that must be observed at home. What makes a space into a home? We will explore how the halakhic definitions of home (is it where you sleep? where you pay rent?) open into a discussion in Chassidut of what it means to be at home. We will learn, based on kabbalistic and Chassidic sources, how these definitions shed a light into the essence of Channukah.

Sukkot 5775: ”Thoughts on Sukkot” with Rabbi David Silber

High Holidays 5775: ”Piyyutim of the High Holidays” (3/3) with Miriam Gedwiser

High holiday services often seem dominated by intricate, often difficult to understand, liturgical poetry (piyyutim). We explore various piyyutim, uncovering layers of biblical and midrashic allusions.

Yom Kippur 5775: ”Understanding the Body And Soul: Asceticism Of Yom Kippur” (3/3) with Rabbi Dr. Jon Kelsen

What is the connection between the restrictions of Yom Kippur and repentance? How do they help us achieve atonement?

High Holidays 5775: ”Confession and Repentance” (3/3) with Rabbi David Silber

We will look at a variety of biblical and rabbinic texts relating to the act of confession and the role of repentance.

Yom Kippur 5775: ”Day of Atonement: Atonement for What?” with Dr. Shmuel Wygoda

We often relate to our religious life on a technical level: Do / Don’t; Develop / Don’t develop particular feelings. In turn our perception of teshuva is grounded in this kind of understanding. Some Hassidic texts suggest that the challenge of religious life should be conceived on a different scale.

Rosh HaShanah 5775: ”Thoughts on Rosh HaShanah” with Rabbi David Silber

David Silber shares his insights on Rosh HaShanah. Shana Tova!

High Holidays 5775: ”Drisha & Maharat Yom Iyun on the Yamim Noraim - Afternoon”

Drisha and Maharat present a Yom Iyun on the Yamim Noraim
The Broken Sounds of the Shofar with Rabbi Jeff Fox
The Binder, The Bound, and the Altar: The Akeidah in High Holiday Liturgy with David Silber