Ta Shma

Moshe addresses God three times in one verse with the word “You.” In our prayers, we speak directly to God, calling God “You.” Why is this so, and what is the significance of addressing God in this way?

When the Torah outlines the need for judges and enforcers, it takes pains to say that they should judge the people with a righteous judgment - but isn’t justice that is not righteous not justice at all? Why does the Torah need to underscore the need for tzedek, righteousness?And how does Kedushat Levi understand God’s system of justice?“Yemin Hashem” and “Nigun Hisva'adus” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.

Perhaps the most miraculous time described in the Torah are the events of Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt. In fact, God says explicitly that Pharoah will delay “letting the people go” so that He can send even more miracles and wonders. The story of the Exodus reads in some way like a long advertisement for God’s power and strength.But the Kedushat Levi knows that splitting the sea is no more difficult for God than making the sun rise, even though one of them looks miraculous to us and the other looks totally natural. So what is the point of God's miracles?“Yemin Hashem” and “Nigun Hisva'adus” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.

Praying for the sick is a core part of Jewish worship. One of the earliest examples of this is Moshe’s prayer for Miriam in Parashat BeHa’alotkha, one of the most intense and shortest prayers in the Torah. What can the form and style of Moshe’s prayer teach us about how to pray for the healing of others?

Noah is sort-of a hero. On the one hand, he was selected by God to build the ark and save his family and a sampling of animals. On the other, there's no indication that he tried to save anyone else. The Kedushat Levi asks: why is it that Noah was the way he was? What lessons can Noah teach us about faith and self-esteem?“Yemin Hashem” and “Nigun Hisva'adus” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar's Rising Song Records.

Welcome back to "The Tisch with Dena Weiss: A Taste of Hasidut,” a mini-series for Ta Shma. In this next batch of episodes, Dena Weiss introduces the Kedushat Levi, a classic work of Hasidic thought written by R. Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev.Love and fear are often thought of as being very distinct, opposite poles of our relationship to God. The Kedushat Levi dismantles this paradigm and the strict division and argues that love and fear are closer than they appear, that love is, in fact, dependent on fear. “Yemin Hashem” and “Nigun Hisva'adus” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.

In Parashat Naso we read what is known as the Priestly Blessing, or Birkat Kohanim. This is a moment in which God blesses Israel, through the medium of the priests. This 15-word blessing became one of the most important liturgical pieces in Jewish tradition. Indeed, this serves as part of the conclusion to the public recitation of the morning Amidah. How are we meant to understand this blessing in the context of our prayers?

Torah should be read slowly. Very slowly. One idea—and maybe even one word—at a time. To experience Torah at its most sensual, most fragrant, is to read it slowly and lovingly.

In Parashat Bemidbar, we see the critical importance of separation from the holy, violated by Nadav and Avihu's bringing "strange fire" to the altar. This is directly connected to Havdallah, when we separate between the holy day of Shabbat and the rest of the week.

Jewish sources come down hard on the evils of forgetting Torah, going so far as to consider one who forgets one item of learning "as if he were mortally liable!"  Yet who among us hasn’t struggled to remember that piece of learning we did years ago...or even yesterday. As we approach Shavuot, a holiday in which we celebrate Torah by staying up late to learn Torah that we will most likely forget, we'll explore whether there might be positive value in forgetting Torah. No memorization required!