Ta Shma

Shemittah (the sabbatical year) is considered one of the hardest mitzvot. But the mitzvah might not only be about inculcating discipline to the extreme. We can also understand Shemittah and Yovel (jubilee) as mitzvot meant to inculcate an extreme love.

Rabbi Shai Held and Shira Hecht-Koller take a deep dive into Psalm 104. Rabbi Shai Held explores the psalm line by line while Shira Hecht-Koller considers the perspective of a psalmist and what would inspire them to compose this type of poem.

Parashat Kedoshim explored the centrality of consent in a relationship with God, that one can’t be “coerced” to bring an offering. The importance of our will in sacred relationship goes beyond the basic need for consent. In Parashat Emor, we will develop another dimension of human will in sacrifices: the importance of intention and attentiveness. Sacred relationship becomes an exercise of cultivating radical ratzon.

What is our responsibility towards others who may feel jealous of what we have? Dena Weiss explores how to think about privilege and how we can act in a way that is sensitive to the experiences of those around us. This lecture was originally delivered as part of the Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program in January 2022.

According to many interpreters, we achieve kedushah by curbing our desire. Holiness, in this view, inextricably entails suppression of our will. Taken to its extreme, this can lead to a notion that being in relationship with God requires blind obedience and negation of ourselves. In contrast, it is also possible to understand kedushah in a way that features—rather than suppresses—our will. Through an expansive reading of the concept of ratzon (will), we can strive for an ethics of kedushah that focuses on consent and mutuality as central to deep relationship, with God and others.

We live in a time of unprecedented climate emergency: greenhouse gas emissions are causing vast and irreversible changes to the the Earth’s climate. How should religious people respond to the crisis? Rabbi Shai Held takes a theological approach and response to the climate crisis, considering how the Bible describes God’s relationship with the Earth and the challenges humans face when they forget the divine role in creation. This lecture was originally delivered as a part of the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest in January 2021.

In some rabbinic midrashim, biblical characters cross over into different story lines, creating whole new backgrounds for their characters. Rabbi Ethan Tucker looks at the stories of Boaz and Job to demonstrate that, by reading these new storylines, we learn important lessons we would otherwise miss. This is part 3 of Hadar's 2021 Fall Lecture Series.

Last week, in Parashat Tazria, we saw that our capability to be full partners in Torah is anchored in the messy and sometimes disorienting details of our embodied lives. In Parashat Metzora, we see the importance of narration, how giving voice to our experience plays an important role in a model of Torah and halakhah that conveys dignity and is a source of healing.

>Who are Hur, Yair ben Menashe, and Serah bat Asher and why do these minor biblical characters appear in midrash far removed from their own stories? Rabbi Ethan Tucker looks at each of their stories to demonstrate that their insertions are not random, but are based on close reading of the biblical narrative and a rabbinic desire to emphasize certain morals in the text. This is part 2 of Hadar's 2021 Fall Lecture Series.

Tazria is a parashah that people often find more repelling than compelling. Why so many words dedicated to bodily emissions and the intricate appearance of skin diseases? This Torah of the body touches on the relationship between halakhah and individuals’ embodied experiences.