By: Judy Klitsner As we approach our third Simchat Torah since our great catastrophe, a now familiar question arises: how can we celebrate? While this year is not quite as searingly painful as the first two — thankfully, we are…
Tanakh, Ketuvim (Writings), Ecclesiastes, Jewish calendar, Simchat Torah, Sukkot
By: Rabbi Daniel Reifman The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), traditionally read on Sukkot, is noteworthy for the way it ranks among both the most challenging and beloved books of Tanakh. The author introduces himself as “Koheleth son of David, king…
Tanakh, Ketuvim (Writings), Ecclesiastes, Jewish calendar, Sukkot
By: Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is easily one of the strangest books in the Bible. Proverbs tells us that wisdom leads to a good life. Deuteronomy insists that righteousness brings blessing. The Psalms assure us that the world,…
Tanakh, Ketuvim (Writings), Ecclesiastes, Jewish calendar, Sukkot
This episode is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Barbara Hammer z”l. What if letting go of control is actually the key to joy? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Reuven Margrett explore why Sukkot, coming on the heels…
Podcast series, Pardes Parsha Podcast, Jewish calendar, Sukkot
What can the absence of the shofar teach us about how we approach God? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy explore what happens when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat and the shofar—the holiday’s defining sound—is absent.…
Jewish calendar, High Holidays, Podcast series, Pardes Parsha Podcast, Rosh Hashana
This year’s companion looks at the High Holiday season through the prism of our relationships: with others, with God, and with ourselves. Bring meaning, inspiration, and depth to your holidays and the upcoming year.
Jewish calendar, High Holidays, Self & spirituality, Reflection, Teshuvah
One of the best-known mishnayot in Pirkei Avot offers a deceptively simple distinction between types of disagreement: “Any disagreement (mahloket) that is for the sake of Heaven (le-shem shamayim) – it will endure. And one that is not for the…
Jewish calendar, 17th of Tammuz, Critical issues, Mahloket Matters/conflict resolution, The Three Weeks, Tisha B’av
On Shavuot, we return to Sinai. We stay up late, we learn, we reenact the moment when Torah entered the world. But what exactly are we receiving? Jewish tradition makes a bold claim: Torah is min haShamayim, from Heaven. And…
Jewish calendar, Shavuot
Shavuot marks the climax of the Exodus story—the giving of Torah at Sinai. But is redemption ever truly complete? In this thought-provoking teaching, Rabbi Dr. William Friedman examines the Beit haLevi’s striking connection between Pesach and Tisha b’Av, inviting us…
Jewish calendar, Shavuot
What kind of Jerusalem are we hoping to build together? What happens when we stop asking what’s required of us—and start asking what more we can do? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Daniel Reifman explore Megillat Ruth…
Podcast series, Pardes Parsha Podcast, Jewish calendar, Shavuot
What would change if we designed the Seder to be experienced—not just completed? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Aviva Lauer explore how the structure of the Seder shapes our experience of the Exodus story. Through creative reinterpretation and educational…
Podcast series, Pardes Parsha Podcast, Jewish calendar, Pesach
The Passover Seder, a lengthy, ritual meal commemorating our liberation from Egyptian bondage over three thousand years ago, is the most-widely observed tradition among Jews today. Jews of every denomination gather with family, friends, and community to recount the story…
Jewish calendar, Pesach
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