Charismatic Saint or Reckless Vigilante? Pinehas and the Covenant of Peace
Jul 6, 2018 By Hillel Ben Sasson | Commentary | Pinehas
Along with Simeon and Levi, who raged against Shekhem and his people in response to defilement of their sister Dina’s dignity, the figure of Pinehas has become synonymous with decisive and unforgiving zealotry. In the face of growing sexual promiscuity within the Israelite desert camp, and against the backdrop of a crippled and confused leadership headed by Moses, Pinehas took action.
Read MoreSongs for the Holy City: An Interfaith Evening of Music and Prayer
Jun 20, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video
A unique gathering of clergy, vocalists, and musicians from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions leading us in song and prayer for the peace and future of Jerusalem/Yerushalayim/Al Quds. Inspired by similar gatherings in Jerusalem, the event tapped the collective power of our three faiths to help us transcend divisions and plant seeds of cooperation and respect.
Read MoreWhat Did the Spies Learn About the Land (Before They Even Went There)?
Jun 8, 2018 By Alex Sinclair | Commentary | Shelah Lekha
A Jewish leader is talking to a group of Diaspora Jews who are about to visit Israel. “Make sure you visit all over,” he says. “Find out what it’s like there. What are the people like? Is the food good? And when you come back, can you bring me a souvenir?”
Of course, I’m referring to Numbers 13:17–20. Yes, Shelah Lekha is the first example of Israel education in Jewish history.
Read MorePolitics as a Jewish Vocation
May 18, 2018 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Bemidbar
The book of Bemidbar, which aims to help its readers navigate the chaotic wilderness in which the Children of Israel have always lived and wandered, deals more directly than any other book of the Torah with what the great sociologist Max Weber called “Politics as a Vocation.”
Read MoreWaking Lions
Apr 24, 2018 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio
Important next-generation Israeli author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen’s gripping novel narrates the aftermath of an Israeli neurosurgeon’s accidental killing of an Eritrean migrant. Newly translated from Hebrew, this tightly crafted story is as timely as it is riveting.
Read MoreIs it Time to Rethink the Israel-Diaspora Relationship?
Apr 19, 2018 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video | Video Lecture | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut
A provocative discussion with Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen and Dr. Hillel Ben Sasson about how Israel and Diaspora Jewry influence each other—and how we can develop a new vision for working together.
Read MoreIsrael: Between Tears and Songs
Jan 26, 2018 By Hillel Gruenberg | Commentary | Beshallah
Beshallah holds special importance for me and my family—it was the parashah of the week of my son Zeke’s bris three years ago, and that of the week of my wedding to Yael two years before that. Under the huppah, my rabbi (and brother-in-law) Aaron Brusso referenced the Zohar’s likening of the parting of the Red Sea to a wedding for having weeping on one side of the event and singing on the other (Zohar 2:170b).
Read MoreForest Dark: A Novel
Jan 17, 2018 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video
A discussion with New York Times best-selling author Nicole Krauss on Forest Dark: A Novel.
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