Displaying 1 - 10 of 59
Stories We Tell: What it Takes to Get in
Three souls are met by the Heavenly Tribunal as they approach the gates of Paradise: a learned rabbi, a pious man, and a tavern keeper. Each one makes their case as to why they should enter Paradise, but who among them instantly earns the Tribunal's favor?
Audio file
Wholly Jewish: Max Antman: The Queerness and Politics of Torah
How can we embrace Judaism from not only a queer perspective, but also a “political” one? Max Antman (he/him), a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, discusses how being a gay man influences his reading of Torah, how his Reform synagogue empowered his gay identity, and the sacred relationship between activism and studying Jewish text.
Audio file
Wholly Jewish: Laura: Creating Peace Out of Wholeness
This week’s guest, Cantor Laura Stein, shares her perspectives on how we can best care for those around us, the (lack of) tension between being Jewish and being a lesbian, and how her spiritual leadership inspires her social work at Mount Sinai Hospital's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.
Audio file
Building the Temple
When King Solomon decided to build the temple in Jerusalem, he hired the best artists, architects, and stonemasons. The work came along a little slower than King Solomon expected, and he decided to check in on what was taking so long. What did he find? Listen to this story, retold by Cantor Rosalie Will.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: Finding God on the Mountain
A man was told that he could find God at the top of the highest mountain, so he climbed to the peak and waited patiently for God to show up. Join Rabbi Phyllis Sommer as she tells this story about what it truly means to find God in ways we might have never even considered.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: The Weight Of One Good Deed
A wealthy man dies at the age of 120. He wasn't a particularly good man, nor a particularly bad one. So, when asked by the heavenly court if he can think of a truly good deed he's done that will outweigh the bad, he recalls one in particular. However, he needs some help from his defending angel attorney to make his deed look better than it actually was. Originally included in the collection Three Times Chai by Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, this story compels us to reexamine our own deeds and if they can truly measure up on their own.
Audio file
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Under the Sky - Parashat Vayeishev
In this week's Torah portion, as Joseph searches for his brothers, he also seeks the shalom (peace) that comes with rebuilding their relationship. How can we, too, find shalom through connecting with one another?
Audio file
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: The Meaning of Our Miracle - Parashat Mikeitz
As this week’s Torah portion focuses on Joseph and his brothers, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses another band of “brothers,” the Maccabees, and how their victory and the miracle of the oil can inspire us to shine our light on the rest of the world.
Audio file
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Formed in the Wilderness - Parashat Vayigash
This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs sits with Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of The Foundation for Jewish Camp, to discuss the impact and benefit that Jewish summer camp has on so many young people.
Audio file
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Born to Lead, Born to Serve - Parashat Sh'mot
This week, as we move into the book of Exodus, we transition from learning about Joseph to learning about another Jewish leader: Moses.
Audio file