糖心出品

Which Is 鈥淲iser鈥�: The Story of the Exodus or the Laws of Pesah?

Apr 15, 2022 By Jeremy Tabick | Commentary | Pesah

One of the core aspects of the Torah鈥檚 Pesah commentary is the education of the participants. In its very introduction, in the reading for the first day of Pesah, the concern of education is placed front and center: 鈥淲hen your children will ask you, 鈥榃hat is this service for you?鈥� you will say, 鈥業t is a pesah sacrifice to God . . .鈥欌�� (Exod. 12:26鈥�27). Indeed, justifying the practice of Pesah to children comes up in the Torah no less than four times.

Passover Learning

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

Purim Eve On (and Off) Broadway!

Mar 16, 2022 By Jan Uhrbach | Public Event video | Purim

Watch the parody songs: View the whole service: For Ma鈥檃riv (Evening Service) and Megillat Esther (Book of Esther), we will be using the Rabbinical Assembly鈥檚 newly published volume featuring a new translation of Esther by Dr. Pamela Barmash, an alumna of JTS鈥檚 Rabbinical School, and the translation of the evening service from Siddur Lev Shalem. […]

Six Days Shall You Labor: Shabbat and the Meaning of Work

Oct 4, 2021 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Shabbat, a day on which 鈥渨ork鈥� is forbidden, also offers a commentary on work鈥攐n its place in our lives, its importance, and its limitations. Notably, the rabbinic Sabbath鈥攖hat is, the 鈥渢raditional鈥� Sabbath鈥攐ffers a perspective that differs from that of the Torah, both original and unique.聽Join聽Dr. David Kraemer聽to explore biblical and rabbinic views of the Sabbath as commentaries on the significance of work.

The Values of a Jewish Home

Apr 16, 2021 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Metzora | Tazria | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut

In the precious days 鈥淏efore the Coronavirus Era鈥� (B.C.E.), the parshiyot of Tazria-Metzora seemed wholly disconnected from our lives, presenting the perennial challenge of relevance (or irrelevance) to even the most talented darshan (sermonizer). How are we to connect leprous plagues attacking both body and abode to our daily lives? And to what extent does the experience of quarantine resonate with our modern reality? These are only two of the many questions that we would have posed in a pre-Covid world.

Learning from God to Anticipate the Reactions of Others

Apr 2, 2021 By Walter Herzberg | Commentary | Pesah

Why do we eat matzah on Passover? According to the instructions that God conveyed to Israel prior to the Exodus we eat matzah because we are commanded: 鈥淪even days you shall eat unleavened bread (matzot)鈥� (Exod. 12:15). However, according to Exod. 12:39, where the narrative of the events is related, we eat matzah because the Israelites, having been driven out of Egypt, were unable to linger to allow time for the dough to rise: 鈥淎nd they baked unleavened cakes (matzot) . . . because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry.鈥� If so, why does the Torah present the mitzvah (the command) before the Exodus has actually taken place? 

A Holiday of Contradictory Emotions

Mar 26, 2021 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Commentary | Shabbat Hagadol | Pesah

Preparing to celebrate our second Pesah under the grip of a global pandemic, our hearts are filled with both sadness and hope. No one has been untouched by COVID-19. We鈥檙e grieving a loved one, friend, or neighbor whose life was cut short. We鈥檙e experiencing its social and economic toll鈥攐vertaxed first responders, teachers, and food providers; overwhelming social isolation; devastating financial insecurity鈥攁ll exacerbated by underlying inequities. Thankfully, millions have received the vaccine, though many have yet to receive it, and new variants temper our expectations.

The Masks that We Wear

Feb 26, 2021 By Ofra Arieli Backenroth | Commentary | Tetzavveh | Purim

Growing up in Israel, Purim was a wonderful experience, full of fun and games. Dressing up, putting on masks, going to parties, and attending the Purim Parade in Tel Aviv鈥攖he Adloyada. This name is derived from a rabbinic saying in the Talmud that one should revel on Purim by drinking 鈥渦ntil one no longer knows [how to distinguish between 鈥榗ursed is Haman鈥� and 鈥榖lessed is Mordecai鈥橾鈥� (BT Megillah 7b). Attending the parade was great fun, but also had a mysterious aspect. Who are the people hiding behind the masks? What are they concealing and what are they trying to reveal? It was all very colorful and happy but, in equal measure, scary and confusing.