This week's Torah reading is the first of several that detail the construction of the Mishkan, the portable temple that the Jewish people took with us on our journeys through the desert. Even the most mundane technicalities of construction are reviewed thoroughly. This is still important for us to study although we will never build another Mishkan, because it teaches us about the nature of having a relationship with the divine, and bringing holiness and meaning into our lives. It isn't accomplished by separating from the world around us or making grand gestures. Rather, it is found in the tiny details of everyday life. "Make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell within you." (Exodus 25:8)
"Exploring Tomer and Tehudah: A Degendering Experiment
Two weeks ago, we built a shared vocabulary to discuss the difference between gender and sex and how they manifest in Toratah and Torato. Last week, we asked what change is acceptable in Torah, in midrash, and in aggadah. Join us as we read a grammatically degendered English translation of the story of Tomer and Tehudah, also known as Tamar and Yehudah, and here known as Date Palm and Gratitude.
We will discuss if the story works when we attempt to degender it, if neopronouns could help clarify the meaning of the story, and how our perception of the tale changes from masculine Torato to feminine Toratah to agendered Toratam (Their Torah). Degendering version written by and discussion led by Beit Toratah community volunteer Sahar Bareket.
In describing the giving of the Torah on Sinai, the Torah writes that G-D spoke in “a great voice that did not cease.”
The Midrash offers 3 explanations:
The voice was not limited to Hebrew. but spoke the languages of all 70 foundational nations.
The voice is continuous - speaking to each of us now, this very day, although we cannot hear it.
The voice did not have an echo.
Of these three reasons, the third seems the most perplexing. After all, shouldn’t the Creator of all speak with a little reverb? One would expect the giving of the Torah to have all the bass, the Dolby Digital Surround Sound that you’d expect from the Master of the Universe.
The reason is because when the Torah was given, it was not meant to stand in contradiction to Creation, but rather to part of our world. An echo shows that the sound waves bounced off everything - but the Torah was absorbed and became one with all.
@baruch In other words: a babel fish. I honestly think of that in my head each time I read that portion of the Torah. I don't know that G-D would mind. (at least I hope not)
The Hebrew word for life, chaim, is phrased in the plural and literally translates as “lives,” indicating multiple phases and expressions of a single, never-ending life…
In stark contrast to the culture of “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die,” when Jews have occasion to drink, they say “l’chaim!” (to life) reminding each other that there is so much more to life than the shallow indulgences of the here and now, and that every meaningful act one does and every mitzvah one performs creates an energetic imprint that outlives our temporary time in a physical body.
Remember kids, it's not antisemitic to create a climate of fear and intimidation for all of those kikes I mean Jews I mean zionists involved in the checks notes Richmond Jewish Food Festival.
"The annual #Richmond#Jewish Food Festival has been postponed indefinitely over what organizers call a "volatile climate" of #antisemitism surrounding the war between #Israel and #Hamas.
Rabbi Dovid Asher, director of Keneseth Beth Israel — a "center of traditional #Torah#Judaism in Richmond" that puts on the yearly event — cited a rise in #antisemitic threats and the prohibitive costs of security as the war in #Gaza enters its 42nd week."
Stumbled across this on YouTube last night whilst going down the nusach rabbit hole. It's made me write out something metaphysical and hopefully motivational.
God is what is. Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh! Rashi says this means God is with us in these bad times just as God is with us in any bad times, which is a powerful message. But what resonates with me the most is Ramban - "As you are with me, so I am with you". What we receive - what all that is gives us - can only be a reflection of what we give.
God gave us the world, and we moulded it into the way it is today. But just as we made it this way, we can make it another way.
If God fixes the world for us, then it is as if we were never here at all. The unrepaired world is our shame. Tikkun Olam is our burden and our brilliance.
What is it that drives our ability to change things? The moments that we connect, to each other and to God. That supercharge us, in gatherings and in crowds and in stadiums - in minyans. Moments like this beautiful sight and sound that I've linked to.
A charity can be a minyan. A trade union can be a minyan. I might lose some of you here, but a state can be a minyan.
Maybe I'll only be one tenth, one hundredth, or one thousandth of each one, but that's exactly why we come together.
I want to repair the world.
I can repair the world.
I will repair the world.
The word mazal is sometimes translated as “luck,” something that happens perchance. According to this interpretation, mazal tov would mean good fortune or good luck...
Interestingly, mazal is an etymological cognate of the word nozal, which means a downward flow.
This follows the Jewish belief that every person has a reservoir of spiritual energy in the higher realms that can either remain “above” in the ethereal realms as dormant potential, or descend “below” and translate into actual physical blessings in the form of children, health, wealth, or other blessings, depending on our actions and input...
Our “fate” may be decreed “above,” but our “destiny” is determined by our actions “below.”
While the English word humility originates from the Latin, humilis, meaning meekness or lowliness, the Hebrew equivalent, anavah (עֲנָוָה) stems from the word anu (ענו), meaning “to respond.”
In Judaism, humility is rooted in a sense of responsibility and accountability. From this perspective, the awareness of privilege or proficiency does not perversely inflate one’s sense of self-worth and supremacy above others; rather, it fills one with immense gratitude and indebtedness, generating greater dedication to one’s mission...
In the words of R. Lord Jonathan Sacks: “True humility...does not mean undervaluing yourself. It means valuing other people.”
We are now accepting submissions for an upcoming book of essays that explores the dynamic intersection between neurodiversity, Torah, and Judaism.
Our project aims to amplify the diverse voices within the Neurodistinct Jewish community, inviting contributors to share their personal narratives, insights, and reflections on how their unique ND perspectives shape their interactions with Torah and Jewish practices.
Neurodistinct can mean a number of things. While thought about primarily as autism and ADHD, it also includes Bipolar, Downs Syndrome, Tourettes, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and many more.
Submissions are encouraged from individuals who identify as ND and Jewish, offering a platform for authentic, diverse expressions that will be compiled into a thought-provoking book that explores the multifaceted connections between neurodivergence and Judaism. Jewish people from ALL denominations are encouraged to submit. NO ONE has a monopoly on Torah!
If you know anyone that may want to contribute or be interested in the project, please spread the word!
The idea that the body must be tamed or even “beaten” into submission is a pervasive one. In his book, Walking Words, the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano sums up prevailing contemporary views of the body succinctly: “The church says: the body is sin. Science says: the body is a machine. Advertising says: the body is business. The body says: I am a fiesta.”
The Jewish perspective on the body is quite different. Whereas some traditions view corporeal life as an obstacle course—a series of challenges designed to test our spiritual resolve and integrity—Judaism sees the body as the interface and means of expression for the soul in physical reality. In this way, the body gives the soul a voice, and the soul provides the song.
@baruch fascinating. Sums up my issues with the (Christian) church as I don't believe in "sin" (highly illogical/irrational, everything that's against Occam's razor and nature). I never understood why it couldn't just be that we're all here to hang out and experience the world in our own ways. They gotta make all these rules, make it all overly complicated 🤣
@baruch I heard about some Jewish anti-body traditions, but I never understood how can they resolve the contradiction that lots of mitzvot require a physical action and than they cannot be performed without a physical body.