JTS Torah Commentary

Shavuot Learning

EXPLORE THESE SOURCES FROM SCHOLARS AND STUDENTS AT THEJEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY TO ENRICH YOUR SHAVUOT EXPERIENCE. These nine images are part of one illumination that depicts Moses receiving the law. It comes from a 15th Century Manuscript, The Rothschild Mahzor, which is part of JTS Special Collections. You can learn more here about the image […]

Trope & Nusah

Trope Recordings by Cantor Sarah Levine (CS ’17). For the Book of Ruth Festival Nusah (Lower Voice) Recordings by Rabbi and Hazzan Seth AdelsonProject coordinator: Rabbi David Freidenreich Festival Ma’ariv Festival Shaharit Festival Musaf Festival Nusah (Higher Voice) Recordings by Cantor Arianne BrownProject coordinator: Rabbi David Freidenreich Festival Ma’ariv Festival Shaharit Festival Musaf

Counting the Omer

Starting with the evening of the Second Seder, we count the days between Pesah and Shavuot. These fifty days can be an opportunity for personal reflection and revelation. Text Counting the Moments (Shuly Rubin Schwartz): “The celebration of Shavuot was embedded in temporal ambiguity. Jews could strive for the moment when they would commemorate receiving […]

Sensory Shavuot

On Shavuot, we read that the Torah was given with thunder, lightning, smoke, shaking ground, and a shofar blast. How do we continue to experience the Torah with all our senses? Text The Freshest Grain (Ofra Backenroth): Sharing the experience of Shavuot on a kibbutz Video Touch: Beyond the Mountain’s Edgewith Jan UhrbachSources Taste: Sweet […]

Reflections on Ruth

The Book of Ruth provides a model for relationships–from family to strangers–kindness and compassion are at the forefront of the interpersonal connections. Below find images related to Ruth from JTS Special Collections. Text Ruth’s Torah Matters Now (Amy Kalmanofsky): The centrality of human relationships in Torah Lessons from the Book of Ruth (Ismar Schorsch): “To […]

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 […]

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 […]

Your God is My God

With these words, Ruth takes on Naomi’s religion. Ruth is emblematic of the process of becoming a Jew and these texts illuminate both her model and others of conversion. TEXT Love for All (Judith Hauptman): The commandment to love the stranger as yourself as a connection to conversion at Sinai Video Insight on Conversion from […]

Torah & Haftarah

Torah Readings Shavuot Day 1 Shavuot Day 2 Haftarah Readings Shavuot Day 1 Shavuot Day 2

The Rothschild Mahzor

This image comes from a beautifully illuminated manuscript created in Italy in 1490. It illustrates the first mishnah in Pirkei Avot and appears under the words which translate as Moses Received. “Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets […]

Stories and Storytelling

Join JTS scholars to explore a selection of stories drawn from across ancient, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish literature. We will consider the power of shared stories, the unique ways in which they transmit values, norms, culture, and information, and how they can bring Jews together across time and space.

JTS High Holiday Webinars 2022

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

High Holiday Reflections

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

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

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.

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 Clay in the Potter’s Hands (Rabbi Joel Seltzer): Exploring Ki […]

Rosh Hashanah Torah Readings

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Va'era | Vayera | Rosh Hashanah

Both of the Torah readings for Rosh Hashanah are taken from Parsha Vayera. The first day reading tracks the birth of Isaac, the exile of Hagar and the subsequent saving of Ishmael. The Akedah or Binding of Isaac is read on the second day.

Elul: A Time of Preparation

Preparing for the High Holidays begins with Rosh Hodesh Elul. We observe the month by blowing the shofar each morning (except for shabbat) to awaken our spirit and begin the process of reflection and repentance. This is the perfect time to fulfill Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s exhortation, “The life of a Jew requires focus and direction, and cannot be carried out offhandedly.”

Time Capsule

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

This page explores historical events through the lens of the JTS Torah commentaries that reflect a particular event or time. Starting in the 17th Century, sermons started reflecting not just concerns to the Jewish world, but those of the broader society in which Jews lived.[1] In looking back at the ways in which Jewish thought leaders engaged issues around 9/11, immigration, or COVID-19, consider how we continue to feel the impacts of these events and issues today and how our thinking has shifted.

High Holiday Rare Materials

By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary

Selections from Glimmers of Light: Reflections on the Days of Awe for 5785 Pieces from this collection offer insight into historical moments and communal response, showcasing moments of transition, communal engagement, and evolving traditions. These three selections were adapted from the forthcoming book Discovering Great Treasure written by Rabbi Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, PhD, Ripps Schnitzer Librarian for […]

Forgiveness

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

much more complex challenge of seeking forgiveness from those who we have wronged. It means reflecting on our shortcomings and forgiving ourselves and reaching out to those we have hurt. These resources provide guideposts on going through this difficult process.