JTS Torah Commentary

Patient Autonomy in the Dying Process: A Jewish Perspective

Feb 10, 2014

This lecture explores Rabbi Moses Feinstein’s approach to establishing an appropriate balance between the strong Jewish legal mandate to preserve life and the value of maximizing patient autonomy. Rabbi Feinstein’s biblical and talmudic sources, as well as the philosophical and ethical implications of his theory for end-of-life issues in Jewish and comparative law, were discussed.

Questions with Answers and Questions Without Answers: Science and Religion

Jan 29, 2014

Dr. Alan Lightman and Rabbi Jack Moline discuss both how science and religion conflict, and how they can sometimes work harmoniously.

Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence

Jan 23, 2014

Rabbi Shai Held discusses his book about Abraham Joshua Heschel with JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen.

Israel’s Safety, Israel’s Soul: Hopes and Fears in Contemporary Israel

Nov 21, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Yossi Klein Halevi and David Senesh have two very different views on Israeli society. Should Israeli society be more concerned about the price of being too weak or too strong? What are the responsibilities of a country under existential threat in terms of both morality and security? These questions are discussed in this provocative, illuminating, and critically important discussion moderated by Rabbi Julia Andelman.

What Is Life Worth? Tailoring the Law to Meet the Challenges of Unique Catastrophes

Nov 6, 2013

9/11. The BP oil spill. The Boston Marathon bombing. Major tragedies captivate the public and often galvanize officials into using unconventional strategies to help those most affected.

Chancellor Eisen Discusses the Legacy of Rabbi David Hartman

Nov 4, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A discussion from “A Day of Study Celebrating the Impact of Rabbi Professor David Hartman,” held in New York City on May 5, 2013, featuring David Hartman’s onetime student and friend, Arnold Eisen, Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary, in conversation with Donniel Hartman (President, Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem). The program was recorded by Shalom TV.

Living in Uncertain Times: Responses to Crisis in the Bible and in Our Own Lives

Jul 24, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Whether dealing with personal crisis or collective catastrophe, recovering from emotional and physical hurt is difficult. How do people in the Bible respond to disaster and suffering? And how, from an emotinal and psychological perspective, can these models guide us in coping with and recovering from trauma?

Aging in America: Second Career/Post Career

Jun 25, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

As more baby boomers approach traditional retirement age, a seismic shift is taking place in our culture. The change is manifest in the graying of the workforce and in the current political debates on the future of Social Security and Medicare.

“Get in Trouble.” Commencement Address by US Congressman John R. Lewis

May 29, 2013

The inspirational commencement address was given by US Congressman John R. Lewis at the 119th Commencement Exercises of The Jewish Theological Seminary

Saul Bellow’s Spiritual Quest

May 8, 2013

Greg Bellow discussed with JTS Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen what it was like to grow up with legendary author Saul Bellow as a father, as well as the older Bellow’s personal, religious, and spiritual life.

Yours? Mine? Ours? Economies for a Sustainable Earth

Apr 25, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A panel discussion sponsored by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies of JTS. 

Heschel and Kaplan: Cross Sections and Intersections

Apr 18, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Dr. Susannah Heschel, as the devoted student of her father’s (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel) life and thought, and Dr. Mel Scult, as biographer of Rabbi Morecai M. Kaplan and scholar of his voluminous diaries, discuss the private lives of Kaplan and Heschel, the relationship between them over many years of teaching at JTS, and their contributions as Jewish public intellectuals.

Building Bridges Among Jews

Apr 16, 2013

“Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh.” “All of Israel are responsible for one another.” Dr. Ruth Calderon of the Knesset discusses, how in an ever global world, Jews from all paths can join together and “build bridges.”

Israel and Us: Responsibilities, Commitments, and Opportunities

Apr 10, 2013 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video

A special address given by Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary entitled “Israel and Us: Responsibilities, Commitments, and Opportunities” in honor of The State of Israel’s 64th year of independence, Yom Ha’atzma’ut 5772/2012

Justice, Tzedek, Sadaqah: Pursuing Social Justice in Multi-faith Communities

Feb 21, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

This multi-faith panel of “elders” discusses how multi-faith communities have influenced social justice over the past two decades, what are the current issues being addressed, and what is still to be accomplished. They offer insight into how young activists can play a pivotal role in accomplishing some of these key objectives and what it will mean for the future of this country and our place in a global society.

Warfare in the 21st Century: 5 Questions with General Norton A. Schwartz

Feb 4, 2013

Has the fundamental nature of war changed? Should Jewish values play in how and when we engage in conflict? General Norton A. Schwartz discusses this regarding warfare in the 21st century.

Memory on Trial: Evaluating Eyewitness Identification Evidence In The 21st Century

Jan 23, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Shalom, Shalom, Yet There is No Peace: Waging Peace and Making War

Dec 13, 2012 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

How can the United States defend its freedoms? What is required to promote peace around the world? And, what was it like to be the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the US military?

The Fiction of Teshuvah

Nov 20, 2012

Does anyone ever really change their ways? Can we become “someone new”? Is teshuvah really possible, or is it just fiction? Best-selling authors Susan Isaacs and Linda Fairstein as they discuss this topic through the characters in their books.

Judaism Without Revelation?

Oct 5, 2012

“Can There Be Judaism Without Revelation?” As part of the Tikvah Institute’s lecture series on Contemporary Jewish Philosophy, Professor Michael Morgan from the University of Toronto delivers a talk on just how necessary a central point of Jewish belief system truly is.