JTS Torah Commentary

A New Rabbi in 17th-Century Italy

Jul 29, 2016 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Pinehas

Reminded that he will not be permitted to lead the people into the Land of Israel, Moses asks God to appoint a successor for him. God instructs Moses:

Single out Joshua son of Nun, an inspired man, and lay your hand upon him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and commission him in their sight. Invest him with some of your authority, so that the whole Israelite community may obey. (Num. 27:18–20)

Thinking and Killing Philosophical Discourse in the Shadow of the Third Reich

May 25, 2016 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

In this Library Book Talk, Professor Alon Segev discusses his book, Thinking and Killing—Philosophical Discourse in the Shadow of the Third Reich, which deals with the contribution of eight German thinkers to the discussion about the Holocaust and the Final Solution.

An Illustration of Kiddush Levanah

May 20, 2016 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Emor

The middle of this week’s parashah (Lev. 23) details the cycle of the Jewish holidays. Each holiday is listed according to its month and its day. The months of the Hebrew calendar are strictly lunar, from new moon to new moon. Kiddush Levanah, a selection of prayers in honor of the new moon, is traditionally recited at the end of the first or second shabbat of each month.

The Beautiful Possible: A Novel

Mar 2, 2016 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

A lively discussion with Amy Gottlieb on her epic debut novel The Beautiful Possible, in the vein of Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love. Gottlieb’s story follows a postwar love triangle between an American rabbi, his wife, and a German-Jewish refugee.

Mourning for Joseph

Dec 25, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Vayehi

Joseph and Zulaykha was written by Jāmī, a Persian poet and adherent of the mystical tradition of Islam (Sufism). It is based on the biblical story of Joseph and the wife of the Egyptian courtier, Potiphar (she is known as Zulaykha in Muslim tradition).

In God’s Image: Myth, Theology, and Law in Classical Judaism

Oct 20, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

A discussion with author Dr. Yair Lorberbaum, professor at Bar Ilan University Faculty of Law and senior researcher at the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Portrait of the Kings: The Davidic Prototype in Deuteronomistic Poetics

Oct 15, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

A discussion with author Dr. Alison L. Joseph, adjunct assistant professor of Bible at JTS and visiting assistant professor at Towson University.

Grapes of Zion

Jun 12, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Shelah Lekha

It might be surprising, given  its association with the people’s sin of being dissuaded from entering the Land, that the motif of the two spies carrying an enormous bunch of grapes (Num. 13:23) became a popular Zionist symbol and eventually even the logo of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. Indeed, it has been suggested by arts writer Menachem Wecker that several of the older Christian representations of this image deliberately portray the two grape-bearers in a negative light.

All This Has Come Upon Us

May 12, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

An evening with Mark Podwal, artist, physician, author, and former Op-Ed artist of the New York Times

Pepper, Silk & Ivory: Amazing Stories about Jews and the Far East

May 7, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

A discussion with authors Rabbi Marvin Tokayer and Dr. Ellen Rodman.

God, Faith & Identity From the Ashes

Apr 16, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

How have the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors shaped their identity and developed their attitudes toward God, faith, Judaism, the Jewish people, and the world?

A Dialogue of Life: Toward the Encounter of Jews and Christians

Mar 26, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

This event was cosponsored by The Library and the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue of The Jewish Theological Seminary.

The Construction of the Tabernacle From the Hebrew Republic (1700)

Feb 20, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Terumah

The Hebrew Republic (De Republica Hebraeorum in the original Latin) was written in the aftermath of Dutch independence from Spain. Petrus Cunaeus principally drew from biblical and Talmudic sources and from Maimonides’s Mishneh Torah in order to reconstruct (or, in reality, construct) the development, structure, and challenges of an ancient Hebrew republic, with the intention of providing a model for the emerging Dutch republic that was both religious and practical.

Leadership in the Bible: A Practical Guide for Today

Feb 19, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

How would Abraham, Joseph, and Moses respond to the 40 most difficult situations you encounter in daily life?

Illustrations of Moses in the Amsterdam Haggadah, 1695

Jan 9, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Shemot | Pesah

Strikingly, Moses is barely mentioned in the text of the Haggadah, despite his prominence in the Torah’s account of the Exodus that begins with this week’s parashah. He is, however, prominently featured in some editions via the illustrations.

The Bus on Jaffa Road: The Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice

Nov 19, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

The Bus on Jaffa Road explores the 1996 incident that took the lives of JTS student Matthew Eisenfeld (z”l) and his fiancée, Sara Duker (z”l), and the couple’s legacy.

An Illustration of the Binding of Isaac From the JTS Library

Nov 7, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Vayera

The Hebrew Bible in which this engraved frontispiece is found was printed in Venice in 1739 at the request of a physician named Isaac Foa. In addition to the Hebrew text, it contains Italian explanations of difficult passages. The engraver, Francesco Griselini (1717–1787), illustrated many non-Jewish works as well as notable borders for megillot, and later became known for his scholarly writing on natural history.

Catalog of Judeo-Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary

Oct 23, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

The JTS Library holds the largest Judeo-Persian manuscript collection in the West, and the third largest in the world. This repository is crucial in understanding the intellectual legacy of the ancient Iranian Jewish community, whose extant works rest in only a few large but neglected collections.

Jews Around the World: India and Its Jewish Community

May 14, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio

Presented by Peter A. Geffen, Founder and Executive Director, KIVUNIM and Graduates of KIVUNIM.

Yom Hasho’ah: Documents From the JTS Library and Songs by Johanna Spector

Apr 28, 2014 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event audio | Yom Hashoah

Dr. Johanna Spector (1915–2008), who taught Ethnomusicology at JTS, was a Holocaust survivor who documented Jewish music from around the world. This special Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration will highlight her life and work, as well as The JTS Library’s Johanna Spector Archives and Holocaust-related materials.