JTS Torah Online

Relating to God

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Video Lecture

oin JTS scholars to explore what Jewish texts and thought can teach us about how we might understand, experience, and be in relationship with the divine.  View All Sessions in the Series

High Holiday Webinars

Join JTS in preparing for the High Holiday season with meaningful and enriching sessions led by faculty.

Senior Sermons: Class of 2023

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Short Video

Presentations by senior Rabbinical School students in 5783 Alex Hamilton – Noah Israel Gordan – Lekh Lekha Aaron Leven – Hayyei Sarah Gavriella Kornsgold – Toledot Andy Weissfeld – Vayetzei Benjy Forester – Vayishlach Amelia Wolf – Vayeshev Adam Gillman – Va’era Stefanie Gedan – Yitro Grace Gleason – Ki Tissa Rishe Groner – Tazria-Metzora

Plagues & Miracles

Texts Shevi’i Shel Pesah: Living at the Frontier (Lauren Henderson): Understanding the crossing of the Sea of Reeds God of Wrath? (Daniel Nevins): Pharaoh’s awe at the plague of hail Redeeming the Plagues (Miriam Liebman): Empathy for the suffering of our enemies Videos Freedom and Responsibilitywith Dr. Rachel Rosenthal

The Power of Emotion: Judaism and the Inner Life

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Video Lecture

Joy. Grief. Anger. Shame. Love. Emotional experience is often at the center of our lives. JTS scholars explore perceptions of emotions in Jewish texts and offer surprising and useful insights for understanding the feelings that make up our inner worlds.

JTS High Holiday Webinars

Join JTS in preparing for this 5783 High Holiday season with two meaningful and enriching sessions. 

Purim on Broadway

Complete Purim services from the JTS, featuring the megillah reading and much holiday merriment. Purim Eve On (and Off) Broadway 2022/5782 Purim Off Broadway 2021/5781 Purim On Broadway 2020/5780 Purim On Broadway 2018/5778

Preparing for Pesah

Preparing for Pesach can feel like a marathon leading to the Seders. As former JTS Chancellor Ismar Schorsch writes, “It took God but six days to create the world; it took my mother at least twice that long to prepare for Passover.” These resources offer ways to help with this preparation, both in terms of […]

Hanukkah Learning

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Hanukkah

Learn with JTS Faculty and Students to enrich your Hanukkah celebrations.

Gleanings

“Ruth came and gleaned in a field, behind the reapers, and as luck would have it, it was the piece of land belonging to Boaz, who was of Elimelech’s [Naomi’s late husband’s] family” (Ruth 2:3). Text Leftover Scraps (Julia Andelman): Using Millet’s painting, The Gleaners, to highlight the mitzvah of leaving the corners of fields and […]

High Holiday Reflections

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Rosh Hashanah | Shabbat Shuvah | Yom Kippur

Explore these sources from JTS Scholars, Students, and Alumni to enrich the Yamim Nora’im.

Telling the Story

The central portion of the Haggadah is Maggid, where the story of the Exodus is presented, providing the broad scope of the story–from wanderings to slavery to freedom. Texts The Telling (David Hoffman): Finding personal context in the maggid verses from Deuteronomy The Meaning of Pesah (Matthew Berkowitz): The importance of compassion in the haggadah […]

The Esslingen Mahzor

The Esslingen Mahzor was written and decorated by Kalonymos ben Judah, who lived in Mainz in the thirteenth century; it is his only known work and we know little else about him. In the colophon, ben Judah writes that he completed the mahzor on 28 Tevet 5050 (January 12, 1290), making it the earliest dated […]

The Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations

Catholic-Jewish dialogue has flourished since the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 Decree on non-Christian religions, Nostra Aetate. His Eminence Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the first African American cardinal in the Catholic Church, discusses the history of that dialogue and to explore how current discussions might guide Catholic-Jewish relations in the future.

Teshuvah

Teshuvah means return and annual process of teshuvah provides us with a way to engage our past selves and move forward. These resources offer insight into this yearly renewal.

Heschel on Prophesy: Spirituality and Activism

This program originally aired as part of”ScholarStream: A Partnership of the Conservative Movement” and is being made available to honor Abraham Joshua Heschel’s 50th yahrzeit. Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor for Religious Life & Engagement, JTS, shared his insight into the Heschel’s pursuit of justice and connection to God in this session. Thanks to our partners at the Rabbinical Assembly for sharing this program to commemorate this special date, which are not available without registering for the event.

Rosh Hashanah Liturgy

TEXTS Lacking Praise (Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz): Why is Hallel absent from the Rosh Hashanah liturgy The Value of Doubt (Rabbi Julia Andelman): Vekhol Ma’aminim, the conflict between belief and doubt Choosing to Choose (Rabbi Jan Uhrbach): “Hayom Harat Olam” and the value of creation Safe in God’s Memory (Rabbi Mychal Springer): The Rosh Hashanah Amidah […]

Purim Practices

The Jews ordained and took upon themselves and upon their descendants… that these days of Purim should not cease from among the Jews, nor the memory of them perish from among their descendants… to observe these days of Purim at their appointed time. (Esther 9:27-31) The Laws of Purim from A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice by Rabbi […]

Revelation at Sinai

Both of the images below reflect the awe and wonder at Sinai, reflecting two types of revelation: both the perception of God’s presence and the manifestation of God’s will through the laws of the Torah. These 19th Century prints from Special Collections of the JTS Library highlight the overwhelming presence of this moment. Text Who […]

Reframing the Liturgy

TEXTS (YOM KIPPUR) Connecting the Dots: The Basel 125th Conference and the Days of Awe (Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz): What the Viddui can teach us about 21st Century Zionism. Tip the Scales (Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz): Examining U-netaneh Tokef in light of the COVID pandemic The Psychology of Our Prayers (Chancellor Emeritus Arnold Eisen): From […]