Mishnah Study in Observance of the Yahrzeit of Abraham Joshua Heschel (z”l)
The evening of January 10, 2023/18 Tevet 5783 marked the fiftieth yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (z”l). JTS was the home of Rabbi Heschel’s teaching and spiritual inspiration for nearly three decades.
It is a traditional custom, especially in the Hasidic world in which Rabbi Heschel was nurtured, to study mishnah on a yahrzeit, focusing on mishnayot beginning with letters that spell out the name of the departed soul. It is considered to be an עילוי נשמה – a way of giving the soul yet another ascension (noting that in Hebrew, “mishnah” is an anagram of “neshamah” [soul]).
In keeping with this tradition, several members of the JTS faculty and student body taught mishnayot to observe Rabbi Heschel’s yahrzeit to a group of JTS students, alumni, faculty, and staff. We were privileged to be joined by Dr. Susannah Heschel.
