Liberal Judaism on Death and Mourning a Guide Each of Us Has A
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Explanation of Jewish Holidays
Explanation of Jewish Holidays The purpose of this calendar... Rosh Hashanah - New Year Shabbat - The Sabbath Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish This weekly celebration begins on sundown This calendar and holiday guide has been year and the Ten Days of Penitence. The holiday Friday and concludes one hour after sundown on prepared by the Community Relations Council concludes with Yom Kippur. It is observed with Saturday. Shabbat celebrates God’s completion of of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island day-long synagogue services, the blowing of the Creation and the desire to see peace and harmony shofar (ram’s horn), and the eating of apples and to assist public officials, school administrators, in the world. As God rested on the Seventh Day honey, symbolic of our hopes for a sweet year. of Creation, Jews are commanded to rest and teachers, and private employers in planning refrain from work on Shabbat as a way to recreate classes and events that will not conflict with Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. This the observance of major Jewish holidays. The most holy of all Jewish holidays is devoted to weekly holy day is the most revered on the Jewish Government agencies, hospitals, and the media synagogue services, fasting, prayer, and repentance. Calendar. may find this calendar helpful. Sukkot - Feast of the Tabernacles, Other major Jewish Holidays where it is It is designed to encourage public awareness of Shemini Atzeret, and permissible to work or attend school: Jewish religious observances. It is hoped that this Simhat Torah guide will help you in scheduling activities like Sukkot is an eight-day harvest festival of Hanukkah examinations, sporting activities, meetings, and thanksgiving and remembrance of the Israelites’ This eight-day festival marks the victory of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Jewish forces over the ancient Assyrians and the graduation ceremonies during times that conflict Egypt. -
(Leviticus 10:6): on Mourning and Refraining from Mourning in the Bible
1 “Do not bare your heads and do not rend your clothes” (Leviticus 10:6): On Mourning and Refraining from Mourning in the Bible Yael Shemesh, Bar Ilan University Many agree today that objective research devoid of a personal dimension is a chimera. As noted by Fewell (1987:77), the very choice of a research topic is influenced by subjective factors. Until October 2008, mourning in the Bible and the ways in which people deal with bereavement had never been one of my particular fields of interest and my various plans for scholarly research did not include that topic. Then, on October 4, 2008, the Sabbath of Penitence (the Sabbath before the Day of Atonement), my beloved father succumbed to cancer. When we returned home after the funeral, close family friends brought us the first meal that we mourners ate in our new status, in accordance with Jewish custom, as my mother, my three brothers, my father’s sisters, and I began “sitting shivah”—observing the week of mourning and receiving the comforters who visited my parent’s house. The shivah for my father’s death was abbreviated to only three full days, rather than the customary week, also in keeping with custom, because Yom Kippur, which fell only four days after my father’s death, truncated the initial period of mourning. Before my bereavement I had always imagined that sitting shivah and conversing with those who came to console me, when I was so deep in my grief, would be more than I could bear emotionally and thought that I would prefer for people to leave me alone, alone with my pain. -
Torah: Covenant and Constitution
Judaism Torah: Covenant and Constitution Torah: Covenant and Constitution Summary: The Torah, the central Jewish scripture, provides Judaism with its history, theology, and a framework for ethics and practice. Torah technically refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). However, it colloquially refers to all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh. Torah is the one Hebrew word that may provide the best lens into the Jewish tradition. Meaning literally “instruction” or “guidebook,” the Torah is the central text of Judaism. It refers specifically to the first five books of the Bible called the Pentateuch, traditionally thought to be penned by the early Hebrew prophet Moses. More generally, however, torah (no capitalization) is often used to refer to all of Jewish sacred literature, learning, and law. It is the Jewish way. According to the Jewish rabbinic tradition, the Torah is God’s blueprint for the creation of the universe. As such, all knowledge and wisdom is contained within it. One need only “turn it and turn it,” as the rabbis say in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 5:25, to reveal its unending truth. Another classical rabbinic image of the Torah, taken from the Book of Proverbs 3:18, is that of a nourishing “tree of life,” a support and a salve to those who hold fast to it. Others speak of Torah as the expression of the covenant (brit) given by God to the Jewish people. Practically, Torah is the constitution of the Jewish people, the historical record of origins and the basic legal document passed down from the ancient Israelites to the present day. -
Lincoln Square Synagogue for As Sexuality, the Role Of
IflN mm Lincoln Square Synagogue Volume 27, No. 3 WINTER ISSUE Shevat 5752 - January, 1992 FROM THE RABBI'S DESK.- It has been two years since I last saw leaves summon their last colorful challenge to their impending fall. Although there are many things to wonder at in this city, most ofthem are works ofhuman beings. Only tourists wonder at the human works, and being a New Yorker, I cannot act as a tourist. It was good to have some thing from G-d to wonder at, even though it was only leaves. Wondering is an inspiring sensation. A sense of wonder insures that our rela¬ tionship with G-d is not static. It keeps us in an active relationship, and protects us from davening or fulfilling any other mitzvah merely by rote. A lack of excitement, of curiosity, of surprise, of wonder severs our attachment to what we do. Worse: it arouses G-d's disappointment I wonder most at our propensity to cease wondering. None of us would consciously decide to deprive our prayers and actions of meaning. Yet, most of us are not much bothered by our lack of attachment to our tefilot and mitzvot. We are too comfortable, too certain that we are living properly. That is why I am happy that we hosted the Wednesday Night Lecture with Rabbi Riskin and Dr. Ruth. The lecture and the controversy surrounding it certainly woke us up. We should not need or even use controversy to wake ourselves up. However, those of us who were joined in argument over the lecture were forced to confront some of the serious divisions in the Orthodox community, and many of its other problems. -
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Hb 510
1 INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE HB 510 Instructor: Paul Kim Spring 2016 (Wednesdays 8:30 – 11:20 am) COURSE DESCRIPTION “For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of discernment; for acquiring the discipline for success” (Prov 1:2) 1. This is an introduction to the study of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament, Hebrew Scriptures, or Tanak). We will attempt to acquire both broad and in-depth knowledge of the HB for a diverse, enriching, and thereby better understanding, appreciation, and application of it toward our life, ministry, and world. 2. In order to attain broad and in-depth understanding, this course aims at (a) acquainting the students with the basic data of biblical history and literature and (b) having them be exposed to and digest diverse critical and theological readings of the Bible, such as literary, historical, gender-oriented, ethnicity-oriented and Third World approaches in order that what is learned can become the ground for the students’ own interpretive appropriation (in reading and interpreting the Bible) in the contexts of multiple issues, concerns, and tasks of the church, as well as in incorporating into pastoral care and counseling. 3. For these goals, I would like us to pursue mutually open respect, disagreement, and dialogue among ourselves during lectures and discussions. I would like to encourage you not to be confined to one orientation or method but be willing to explore various angles, theories, and perspectives, even if your view may differ significantly. TEXTBOOKS “Of making many books, there is no end” (Eccl 12:12) Joel S. Kaminsky and Joel N. -
The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿavoda Zara By
The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿAvoda Zara By Mira Beth Wasserman A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in Jewish Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair Professor Chana Kronfeld Professor Naomi Seidman Professor Kenneth Bamberger Spring 2014 Abstract The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿAvoda Zara by Mira Beth Wasserman Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair In this dissertation, I argue that there is an ethical dimension to the Babylonian Talmud, and that literary analysis is the approach best suited to uncover it. Paying special attention to the discursive forms of the Talmud, I show how juxtapositions of narrative and legal dialectics cooperate in generating the Talmud's distinctive ethics, which I characterize as an attentiveness to the “exceptional particulars” of life. To demonstrate the features and rewards of a literary approach, I offer a sustained reading of a single tractate from the Babylonian Talmud, ʿAvoda Zara (AZ). AZ and other talmudic discussions about non-Jews offer a rich resource for considerations of ethics because they are centrally concerned with constituting social relationships and with examining aspects of human experience that exceed the domain of Jewish law. AZ investigates what distinguishes Jews from non-Jews, what Jews and non- Jews share in common, and what it means to be a human being. I read AZ as a cohesive literary work unified by the overarching project of examining the place of humanity in the cosmos. -
Bulletin for October 2018
Rabbi Alan Cook Rabbi Emeritus Norman Klein Rabbi Emeritus Isaac Neuman Z”L MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 SHEMINI ATZERET/SIMCHAT TORAH 10:00 am Egalitarian Traditional Minyan Shemini Atzeret Service w/Yizkor 5:30 pm Simchat Torah FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 Monday, October 1st 7:30 pm Erev Shabbat Service Please join us on Monday morning, October 1 at 10:00 AM in the SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 sanctuary for Shemini Atzeret services conducted by the 9:30 am Zachi Dankowicz’s Bar Mitzvah Egalitarian Traditional Minyan. This service will feature Yizkor 9:30 am Egalitarian Traditional Minyan memorial prayers. A kiddish luncheon will follow. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 On Monday evening, we will gather for our community celebration 7:30 pm Erev Shabbat Service of Simchat Torah. We will begin at 5:30 PM, with a pizza dinner courtesy of Ralph Senn and Garcia's Pizza in a Pan. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 5:30 pm Shabbat Rocks!/Next Dor Following dinner, we will have a festival service featuring liturgy 7:30 pm Erev Shabbat Service drawn from our Torah scrolls, and consecration of our newest Sinai Temple Religious School students. Then we'll enjoy festive SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20 dancing and rejoicing with the Torah! It's fun for all ages! 10:00 am Egalitarian Traditional Minyan FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 7:30 pm Erev Shabbat Service SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 A BIG Thank You to all the Volunteers 10:00 am High School Service Thank you to everyone who volunteered your time and energy in helping clean the outside and inside of our Temple during the Labor of Love. -
Mourning Dove (Zenaida Macroura)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) February 2006 Fish and Wildlife Habitat Management Leaflet Number 31 General information The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America. Fall populations of this game bird in the United States are estimated to be slightly more than 400 million birds. In recent years, the annual harvest by hunting in the United States has been estimated at 18 to 25 million birds, similar to the harvest of all oth- er migratory game birds combined. Mourning doves are highly adaptable, occurring in most ecological types except marshes and heavily forested areas. The mourning dove is a medium-sized member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Columbidae family. While this family consists of ap- Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) proximately 300 species of doves and pigeons, only 8 species, including the mourning dove, are native tends his wings and begins a long spiraling glide back to the United States. The mourning dove is approxi- down. The perch coo is one of the few vocalizations mately 11 to 13 inches in length, with a 17– to 19–inch that mourning doves make. It consists of one note fol- wingspan, weighing on average 4.4 ounces. Mourning lowed by a higher one, then three to five notes held at doves have delicate bills and long, pointed tails. They great length, and it is used by males to court females. are grayish-brown and buff in color, with black spots A female will respond to the perch coo in one of three on wing coverts and near ears. -
A Guide to the Shabbat Morning Service at Heska Amuna Synagogue Common Terms and Phrases Adonai (Lit. Sir Or Master) – Word Th
A Guide to the Shabbat Morning Service at Heska Amuna Synagogue Common Terms and Phrases Adonai (lit. sir or master) – word that is substituted for the holiest of God’s personal names, YHVH, in Hebrew prayer. The prayer book in use at Heska Amuna translates this word as Lord. aliyah (pl. aliyot) – a Torah reading. Also, the honor of reciting the blessings for a Torah reading. The aliyot on Shabbat are: (1) Kohen (3) Shelishi (5) Hamishi (7) Shevi’i (2) Levi (4) Revi’i (6) Shishi (8) Maftir amidah – standing prayer, the central prayer of every service. Aron Kodesh (lit. holy ark) – the cabinet housing the Torah scrolls when not in use. b’racha (pl. b’rachot) – blessing. barukh hu u-varukh sh’mo (lit. praised is He and praised is His name) – the congregational response whenever the prayer leader begins a blessing with barukh attah Adonai (praised are You, Lord). At the end of the blessing, the congregation responds with amen. bimah – the raised platform at the front of the sanctuary where the Ark is located. birchot hashachar – the morning blessings, recited before the start of shacharit. chazarat hashatz (lit. repetition of the shatz) – the loud recitation of the amidah following the silent reading. chumash – the book containing the Torah and Haftarah readings. The chumash used at Heska Amuna is Etz Hayim (lit. tree of life). d’var Torah (lit. word of Torah) – a talk on topics relating to a section of the Torah. 1 gabbai (pl. gabbaim) – Two gabbaim stand at the reader’s table during the Torah reading. -
A Guide to Our Shabbat Morning Service
Torah Crown – Kiev – 1809 Courtesy of Temple Beth Sholom Judaica Museum Rabbi Alan B. Lucas Assistant Rabbi Cantor Cecelia Beyer Ofer S. Barnoy Ritual Director Executive Director Rabbi Sidney Solomon Donna Bartolomeo Director of Lifelong Learning Religious School Director Gila Hadani Ward Sharon Solomon Early Childhood Center Camp Director Dir.Helayne Cohen Ginger Bloom a guide to our Endowment Director Museum Curator Bernice Cohen Bat Sheva Slavin shabbat morning service 401 Roslyn Road Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 Phone 516-621-2288 FAX 516- 621- 0417 e-mail – [email protected] www.tbsroslyn.org a member of united synagogue of conservative judaism ברוכים הבאים Welcome welcome to Temple Beth Sholom and our Shabbat And they came, every morning services. The purpose of this pamphlet is to provide those one whose heart was who are not acquainted with our synagogue or with our services with a brief introduction to both. Included in this booklet are a history stirred, and every one of Temple Beth Sholom, a description of the art and symbols in whose spirit was will- our sanctuary, and an explanation of the different sections of our ing; and they brought Saturday morning service. an offering to Adonai. We hope this booklet helps you feel more comfortable during our service, enables you to have a better understanding of the service, and introduces you to the joy of communal worship. While this booklet Exodus 35:21 will attempt to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the synagogue and service, it cannot possibly anticipate all your questions. Please do not hesitate to approach our clergy or regular worshipers with your questions following our services. -
“Cliff Notes” 2021-2022 5781-5782
Jewish Day School “Cliff Notes” 2021-2022 5781-5782 A quick run-down with need-to-know info on: • Jewish holidays • Jewish language • Jewish terms related to prayer service SOURCES WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOOKLET WAS TAKEN FROM: • www.interfaithfamily.com • Living a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant with Howard Cooper FOR MORE LEARNING, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES: • www.reformjudaism.org • www.myjewishlearning.com • Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin • The Jewish Book of Why by Alfred J. Kolatch • The Jewish Home by Daniel B. Syme • Judaism for Dummies by Rabbi Ted Falcon and David Blatner Table of Contents ABOUT THE CALENDAR 5 JEWISH HOLIDAYS Rosh haShanah 6 Yom Kippur 7 Sukkot 8 Simchat Torah 9 Chanukah 10 Tu B’Shevat 11 Purim 12 Pesach (Passover) 13 Yom haShoah 14 Yom haAtzmaut 15 Shavuot 16 Tisha B’Av 17 Shabbat 18 TERMS TO KNOW A TO Z 20 About the calendar... JEWISH TIME- For over 2,000 years, Jews have juggled two calendars. According to the secular calendar, the date changes at midnight, the week begins on Sunday, and the year starts in the winter. According to the Hebrew calendar, the day begins at sunset, the week begins on Saturday night, and the new year is celebrated in the fall. The secular, or Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar, based on the fact that it takes 365.25 days for the earth to circle the sun. With only 365 days in a year, after four years an extra day is added to February and there is a leap year. -
Counterfactual Truth in Science and the Talmud
Article Gulliver and the Rabbis: Counterfactual Truth in Science and the Talmud Menachem Fisch The Cohn Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; [email protected] Received: 3 March 2019; Accepted: 23 March 2019; Published: 26 March 2019 Abstract: The paper presents Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels as the first systematic attempt to claim that the normal methods of testing belief and opinion for clarity, consistence, coherence, and how they stand to the facts are powerless when applied to deep-seated normative commitments, or what Wittgenstein dubbed “framework truths.” To subject our norms to normative critique requires a measure of self-alienation that cannot be achieved merely by looking hard at or thinking hard about our world and ourselves. However, by closely examining the contrived counterfactual scenarios (or, as I have shown in former work, by exposure to the normative critique of significant others), that Swift is shown to claim, such normative framework assumptions can be challenged to great effect! The standard epistemologies of his day—Baconian empiricism and Cartesian rationalism—fiercely ridiculed in the course of Gulliver’s third voyage are cruelly dismissed as powerless to change the course of science and keep it in normative check. The transformative effect of the clever thought experiments presented in the three other voyages (of imagining London shrunk to a twelfth of its size and enlarged to giant proportions, and a more responsible and intelligent race of beings inserted above (normally sized) humans) enable Swift to obtain critical normative distance from several major assumptions about politics, religion, aesthetics, ethics, and much more, including the limits of the thought experiment itself.