Around the Calendar with Drisha

Pesach 5782: ”Seder Telling” with Rabbanit Leah Sarna, Elisha Russ-Fishbane, Dr. David Zvi Kalman, and Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler

Today our Seder nights are guided by the liturgical prompts of the Haggadah, but it wasn't always this way. Our tradition records that in the times of the Mishnah, Rabbis gathered in Lod and Bnai Brak on the Seder night to tell the story of the Exodus. Unscripted, in their own words. Join us and listen in as a gathering of scholars and rabbis re-enact this seder at our second annual Seder Telling.

Purim 5782: ”One Nation, Dispersed: Diaspora in the Megillah and in Jewish Thought” with Rabbi David Silber, Dr. Malka Z Simkovich, and Dr. Michah Gottlieb

The Megillah is distinct among books of the Bible not merely for its lack of explicit mention of God, but also for the absence of any suggestion that the Jewish people might one day return to the Land of Israel. This begs questions about identity, whether and how to remain distinct, and the theological purpose of doing so. Even in the final chapters of the Megillah, readers might wonder how firm the line between Jewish religious law and secular Persian law could have been, what that ambiguity reflects, and what it means for modern Jews. How can the people who Haman called “one nation, dispersed and separated among the nations” address the challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities of life in diaspora, in a world where God might not be obviously named or located? What is Jewish peoplehood in the face of exile from the Land, from certain aspects of ritual, and from each other? This pre-Purim Yom Iyyun reflects on questions of diaspora, both in relation to the Megillah and to Jewish thought, overall. Rabbi Silber will present on diaspora in the Megillah, Dr. Simkovich on diaspora in ancient Jewish thought, and Dr. Gottlieb on diaspora in modern Jewish thought, followed by a discussion moderated by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier.
This Yom Iyyun was presented in memory of Dr. Charles Feldman.

Sukkot 5782: ”A Bavli Story about a Sukkah, a Savta, and Misogyny” with Meira Wolkenfeld

In this class we will analyze a Talmudic story in which  woman accuses the exilarch of sitting in a stolen sukkah. The story follows a legal discussion about performing the mitzvot of Sukkot using stolen items. Looking at the literary and cultural context, we will examine the interpersonal interactions in the story and the ways the story nuances and personifies the themes of the surrounding discussion.

High Holidays 5782: ”Forgiveness & Atonement in Jewish Tradition: Philological and Philosophical Perspectives” (3/3) with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier

With the arrival of Elul and Yamim Noraim comes a focus on the all-important triad of Mehilah, Selihah, and Kapparah, loosely translated as forgiveness, pardon, and atonement. This class will examine closely these terms, both what distinguishes them from one another and what holds them together, using the tools of philology and philosophy. By considering the history of these terms as well as their meaning and function, it will be possible to glean an understanding of how Jewish tradition has understood forgiveness and atonement. Particular attention will be paid to the question of what metaphor is employed in depicting sin, and what that says about the possibility of overcoming it.

High Holidays 5782: ”Forgiveness in Judaism and Philosophy” (3/3) with Prof. Quinn White and Rabbanit Leah Sarna

What is forgiveness, and why should we forgive? Asked both about the particular (why should I forgive my friend for lying to me?) and the general (what role should forgiveness play in a life well lived?), forgiveness poses difficult questions. Over the course of three sessions, we’ll consider three different conceptions of forgiveness and its place in a life. First, we'll look at forgiveness as a kind of quasi-legal mechanism; a way of wiping clean a cosmic slate marred by wrongdoing. Second, we'll look at forgiveness as an essentially emotional phenomenon; to forgive is to give up the anger or resentment that one feels towards a wrongdoer, removing potential obstacles to one’s own healing. And third, we'll look at forgiveness as a kind of tool—a power we have to reshape relationships in the wake of wrongdoing. In the course of considering these three conceptions of forgiveness in Jewish and philosophical texts, we’ll see that each is a kind of window not only into a conception of a central Jewish practice, but into the human condition—one that seems at once defined by the need for human relationships and the centrality of wrongdoing, by us and others.

High Holidays 5782: ”Admission of Guilt: Confession and Repentance” (4/4) with Rabbi David Silber

Confession, viddui, plays a central role in the Yom Kippur service. We will study four great biblical narratives in order to gain a deeper understanding of the role of confession in a redeemed life.

High Holidays 5782: ”From Selicha to Avodah: An Introduction to the Liturgical Poetry of Elul & the Yamim Noraim” (3/3) with Yitz Landes

What do we pray for when we pray that God forgives us? What does repentance look like? What does it mean to be atoned? In this three-part series, we will attempt to answer these questions by looking closely at the liturgical poetry recited over the course of Elul and the Yamim Noraim, namely the selichot and the piyyutim specific to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. In each class, we will first address the history of each of these poetic genres before reading from the poems together, focusing on those still in use in contemporary liturgy.

High Holidays 5782: ”Admission of Guilt: Confession and Repentance” (3/4) with Rabbi David Silber

Confession, viddui, plays a central role in the Yom Kippur service. We will study four great biblical narratives in order to gain a deeper understanding of the role of confession in a redeemed life.

High Holidays 5782: ”From Selicha to Avodah: An Introduction to the Liturgical Poetry of Elul & the Yamim Noraim” (2/3) with Yitz Landes

What do we pray for when we pray that God forgives us? What does repentance look like? What does it mean to be atoned? In this three-part series, we will attempt to answer these questions by looking closely at the liturgical poetry recited over the course of Elul and the Yamim Noraim, namely the selichot and the piyyutim specific to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. In each class, we will first address the history of each of these poetic genres before reading from the poems together, focusing on those still in use in contemporary liturgy.

High Holidays 5782: ”Forgiveness & Atonement in Jewish Tradition: Philological and Philosophical Perspectives” (2/3) with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier

With the arrival of Elul and Yamim Noraim comes a focus on the all-important triad of Mehilah, Selihah, and Kapparah, loosely translated as forgiveness, pardon, and atonement. This class will examine closely these terms, both what distinguishes them from one another and what holds them together, using the tools of philology and philosophy. By considering the history of these terms as well as their meaning and function, it will be possible to glean an understanding of how Jewish tradition has understood forgiveness and atonement. Particular attention will be paid to the question of what metaphor is employed in depicting sin, and what that says about the possibility of overcoming it.