JTS Torah Commentary

Tisha Be’av

Jan 1, 1980

25 When you have begotten children and children’s children and are long established in the land, should you act wickedly and make for yourselves a sculptured image in any likeness, causing the Lord your God displeasure and vexation, 26 I call heaven and earth this day to witness against you that you shall soon perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess; you shall not long endure in it, but shall be utterly wiped out. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a scant few of you shall be left among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, that cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

Commentary PDF

Jan 1, 1980

Download this week’s Torah From JTS as a printable PDF.

Monday Handout

Jan 1, 1980

Download the handout for Monday’s lecture.

Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel on Peace

Oct 5, 1972 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Documentary | Short Video

Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel discussed peace in this clip called “Abraham Joshua Heschel Remembered,” and is from the last interview he gave before his death in 1972.

JTS Podcasts

The depth and breadth of JTS Learning on your own time. From our weekly parashah commentary to in-depth audio journeys on key questions and topics, enrich your understanding of Jewish text and tradition while you travel, exercise, or wash the dishes.

A Wandering People: Jewish Journeys, Real and Imagined

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Notions of home and homeland have been redefined by Jewish wandering. Drawing on literary, spiritual, and historical sources and responses, JTS scholars explore what happens when Jews—whether by force or voluntarily, whether in reality or in the imagination—travel from one place to another. 

The Power of Emotion: Judaism and the Inner Life

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video | 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 Cantorial Convocation, February, 2022

Program FEBRUARY 2, 2022, 3:30 P.M. ET   |  1 ADAR I 5782 VIRTUAL PROCESSION WELCOME Alan Levine, Esq., Chair, JTS Board of Trustees GREETINGS Hazzan Luis Cattan, President, Cantors Assembly D’VAR TORAH Hazzan Nancy Abramson, Director, H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music, JTS MUSICAL PERFORMANCE Shehecheyanu, composed by Hazzan Gerald CohenPerformed […]

Passover Learning

Collected Video, Commentary, and more from JTS scholars to broaden the holiday of Pesah

Relating to God

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Join 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. 

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 […]

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 […]

Finding the Four Children

Texts The “Four Children” and Their Parent (Gordon Tucker): Reimagining the “four children” as one child in dialogue with a parent The Four Sons from the Prato Haggadah Intent of a Question (Eliezer Diamond): Understanding the evil child’s question The Right to Question (Ismar Schorsch): Amplifying the importance of engaging children in the Jewish story […]

In Every Generation

In every generation, one must see oneself as if one had personally experienced the Exodus from Egypt. These resources show connections across time and place, highlighting the eternal nature of the struggle for redemption. Seder Supplement JTS Seder Supplement for the COVID-19 Pandemic: JTS Faculty and Staff created this guide to enhance the Seder experience at […]

Seder Symbols

Pesah, matzah, and maror provide important experiential connections to the feeling of being enslaved and free. Texts Matzah’s Majestic Meaning (Judith Hauptman): Both the bread of affliction and redemption Pesah Three Ways (Matthew Berkowitz): Exploring the multiple meanings of the Pesah sacrifice Videos The Bitter Truthwith Dr. David KraemerConsider having a Maror tasting at your […]

Torah Commentary

Shemot Va’era Bo Beshallah

Nusah

Festival Nusah (Male Voice) Recordings by Rabbi and Hazzan Seth AdelsonProject coordinator: Rabbi David Freidenreich Festival Ma’ariv Festival Shaharit Festival Musaf Festival Nusah (Female Voice) Recordings by Cantor Arianne BrownProject coordinator: Rabbi David Freidenreich Festival Ma’ariv Festival Shaharit Festival Musaf

Song of Songs: Cantillation and Commentary

Cantillation for Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Ruth Texts “I Will Go to the Mountain of Myrrh” (Barbara Mann): An illustration and illumination of the Song of Songs A Scroll of the Song of Songs (The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary): Highlighting a scroll created by the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in […]

From Slavery to Freedom

Texts Freedom Through Torah (David Hoffman): Highlighting the connection to Shavuot and freedom through the giving of the Torah A Noble Freedom (Tim Bernard): Freedom is something to aspire to We were Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt (Matthew Berkowitz, with Image): An image from the Lovell Haggadah shows the connection between slavery and freedom Pesah: […]

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