Ta Shma

Gifts are more than their monetary equivalents. A gift can be an expression of love and affection, of fear and obedience, an obnoxious demonstration of wealth, or a powerful equalizer of means. By thinking about our donations to build the mishkan (tabernacle), the Ohev Yisrael teaches us that being willing to step into the receiving role, to be humble and accepting, is itself a gift. Transcript and source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/WeissTisch5-1.pdf“Mitteler Rebbe,” "Ach L'elokim," and “Hu Elokeinu” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.

This week, we are introduced to what will become the holiest object in the Hebrew Bible, although it is not really so much an object as it is a container. The Ark will occupy the innermost sanctum of the mishkan, the “Holy of Holies,” and it is from above the Ark that God communicates with Moshe (see Exodus 25:22).  The camp of Israel was centered around it at rest, and carried it with them as they marched through the wilderness.  A midrash, however, notices that this Ark, the Aron ha-Edut, was not the only aron the Children of Israel carried with them through the wilderness.

How can we access Torah? Who has the right to speak Torah? The hasidic rebbes encourage us to reach deep inside ourselves for the eternal springs of Torah. Come learn texts about how each of us holds Torah that the world needs. This lecture was originally recorded at Hadar's Manger Winter Learning Seminar in December 2023.

Even as Parashat Mishpatim marks a sharp transition from epic narrative to dense legal code, the first law of that code makes it clear that the stories of the Torah have not been forgotten.  

By looking closely at a passage from Jeremiah, Rav Shai in his lecture "Build Homes and Pray for the Peace" of Babylon, explores the relationship between hope and realism, exile and home, in the Bible and today. Originally recorded in Summer 2023. Download the source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/EXS2023HeldJeremiah.pdf

The last of the Ten Commandments is distinct from the rest in several ways.  Structurally, it is in the second five, but it stands out from the others.  After the clipped language of six through nine, all fitting into one verse (“do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness against your neighbor”), this last one suddenly takes up a whole verse to itself - and a very strange construction at that.

The Jewish people live in eternal covenant with God, but what is the relationship of that covenanted people to the Land of Israel? Is it eternal, or affected by the passage of time or historical context? What does our tradition say about Jews wielding power in the Land of Israel? How are Jews meant to take responsibility for themselves through power, and what happens if they fail?This lecture, delivered in memory of Dr. Eddie Scharfman z"l in January 2024, offers sources, framing, and reflection on contemporary questions of Jewish power and the Land of Israel. 

In Parashat BeShallah, the Children of Israel are tested twice, and then they do some testing of their own. 

Tu Bishvat is a holiday that is about slow growth, patience, and gratitude.  In a culture that is all about instant gratification and next day delivery, Tu Bishvat teaches us to slow down.  It requires us to wait.

Just as we are about to arrive at the apex of the Exodus drama—the final plague and the actual departure from Egypt—the Torah makes a sudden shift in genre.  Chapter 12 opens with, “This month will be for you the first of months,” the marking of the new moon, the first mitzvah given to Israel—and with that, the Jewish legal tradition officially begins.  Having established the calendar, the Torah immediately begins detailing the rituals for what will become the first of its yearly observances: Pesah.  At the center of those rituals are two related mitzvot (eating matzah and not eating hameitz) that together will serve as keys to understanding the role of the mitzvot  in the life of the new people of Israel.