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JTS @JTSVoice

The Jewish Theological Seminary, a preeminent institution of higher education, trains leaders and provides vision for the Jewish community worldwide

Joined October 2011
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JTS@JTSVoice
Jun 10
The Sayable and the Seeable. Images have both power and limitations.  #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/grapes-of-can…

Grapes of Canaan - Jewish Theological Seminary

The spies’ illustration epitomizes the power of images but also their hermeneutic limitations. Of the complex story that Parashat Shelach Lekha relates concisely, the grapes are a central motif in...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Jun 3
More Than a Craving. The rejection of manna emerges as a rejection of Moses himself. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/independence-…

Independence Day - Jewish Theological Seminary

In Escape from Freedom (1941), Erich Fromm argued that freedom is not merely liberation from external constraints (“freedom from”) but also entails the capacity for self-realization and responsible...

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JTS@JTSVoice
May 28
Special Privilege and Responsibility. There is no place for greatness in the presence of God. jtsa.edu/torah/barefoot-and-… #JTSTorah

Barefoot and Backwards Levites - Jewish Theological Seminary

Towards the end of Parashat Bemidbar, God commands Aaron and Moses to undertake a census of the Levitical clans (Numbers 4:2). They begin the census with the Kohathites, which is odd for three...

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JTS@JTSVoice
May 21
What Ruth Represents. Why do we read the Book of Ruth at Shavuot? #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/we-were-all-c…

We Were All Converts at Sinai - Jewish Theological Seminary

One of the few age-old rituals that distinguishes the holiday of Shavuot is the public reading of the Book of Ruth. The reason for this association may be no more than that the narrative of Ruth...

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JTS@JTSVoice
May 14
When to Count Off. It is important to know when to start and how long to keep going. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/how-do-you-me…

How Do You Measure a Year? - Jewish Theological Seminary

“Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?” The question asked in the chorus of “Seasons of Love,” made ever more poignant by the tragic death of its...

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JTS@JTSVoice
May 6
Living Faithfully. The land also deserves its rest. loom.ly/q-0H1Hc #JTSTorah

Remember the Land - Jewish Theological Seminary

Spring is my favorite season because it draws me outdoors, enticing me to leave the city and enjoy the rivers, fields, and mountains of this glorious earth. Even near the city I often find myself in...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Apr 30
Read about Chancellor-Elect Uram in @JTAnews and how he’s “the right person to help JTS meet this important moment.” loom.ly/FLn_Ogc

Jewish Theological Seminary 'breaks mold' in naming campus innovator Rabbi Mike Uram as next...

Uram does not hold a doctorate, in a departure for the Conservative Judaism flagship.

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JTS@JTSVoice
Apr 30
JTS is proud to announce that Rabbi Mike Uram will serve as our next Chancellor. This appointment positions JTS for continued strength and expansion following Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz’s planned transition at the end of the current academic year. loom.ly/yaXinRY
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JTS@JTSVoice
Apr 29
Challenging the Order of Things. Indifference is the luxury of those who expect nothing. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/holy-frustrat…

Holy Frustration - Jewish Theological Seminary

Like much of Leviticus, Parashat Emor opens with yet more of these rules. But now the Torah needs to acknowledge that even when everything is in the right place, there is still death. What’s a priest...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Apr 23
A Start in the Right Direction. Love is not the only part of holiness. jtsa.edu/torah/how-to-be-hol… #JTSTorah

How to Be Holy - Jewish Theological Seminary

This week, we read two parashiyot from Leviticus: Aharei Mot and Kedoshim. Taken together, they cover five clearly defined topics. Aharei Mot deals with the rituals of the high priest on Yom Kippur;...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Apr 15
Recognizing Differences. The Torah never encourages us to exclude, exile, or stigmatize. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/gender-inside…

Gender Inside and Outside the Camp - Jewish Theological Seminary

Most benei mitzvah would do anything to avoid having to talk about Parashat Tazria-Metzora, a section of the Torah that focuses communal attention on intimate changes in human bodies. In Leviticus...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Apr 6
In the Midst of Our People. By becoming a community that embodies holiness, we can approach God without fear. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/the-deathly-p…

The Deathly Power of the Holy - Jewish Theological Seminary

Finding the right words after loss is hard, but Moses’s comments to Aaron in this week’s parashah are unusually difficult. At the moment that God fills Aaron’s hands with abundance, appointing him as...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Mar 31
Laboring in Torah. Every relationship we enter into comes with responsibilities. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/freedom-throu…

Freedom through Torah - Jewish Theological Seminary

Freedom in biblical and rabbinic Judaism is a highly complex idea. Consider the mishnah above. At first glance one might think the law, the Ten Commandments carved on the two tablets, would be...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Mar 25
The Presence of the Prophet. Why is Elijah part of the Passover seder? #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/elijah-and-sa…

Elijah—and Santa Claus?! - Jewish Theological Seminary

I am certain that I am not the first to point out the similarities between the figures of Elijah the Prophet and Santa Claus…at least in the way those figures

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JTS@JTSVoice
Mar 18
An Unusual Covenant. Why does Judaism emphasize the covenant of salt? #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/a-covenant-of…

A Covenant of Salt - Jewish Theological Seminary

Covenant is a central concept in Judaism. The Torah and later tradition make clear that the people Israel have a special relationship with God, and Jews have acquired the epithet “the chosen people”...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Mar 11
Neither Prison Nor Refuge. Closure rituals give us space to begin anew. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/the-give-and-…

The Give and Take of Strength - Jewish Theological Seminary

Rituals of closure are common in both the secular and religious realms. An example of the first is the sounding of retreat and the lowering of the flag marking the end of the official duty day on...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Mar 4
Between the Laws of Rest. Why is the shameful story of the Golden Calf framed by the laws of Shabbat? #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/kept-by-shabb…

Kept By Shabbat - Jewish Theological Seminary

Ahad Ha’am famously said: “More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” Pretty remarkable coming from the founder of cultural Zionism! Parashat Ki Tissa either supports or challenges...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Feb 25
A Call for a Better World. Fighting against ignorance is a fight against evil. #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/zakhor-in-a-f…

Zakhor in a Fractured Age - Jewish Theological Seminary

“Could you have chosen a more loaded week?” said my husband with a face that can only be described as both bemused and pitying when I told him that I had agreed to write my first JTS Torah Commentary...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Feb 19
A Menorah of Fire. Why are key details omitted from the description of the Second Temple's menorah? #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/a-symbol-of-p…

A Symbol of Peace - Jewish Theological Seminary

The Arch of Titus in Rome is simultaneously one of the saddest and most exciting places for a Jew to stand. It is but a short distance from the Colosseum, the stadium made famous by its cruel sports,...

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JTS@JTSVoice
Feb 12
The Contradictions of Our Legal Tradition. How do we understand laws that haven't aged well in our modern society? #JTSTorah jtsa.edu/torah/before-them-b…

Before Them, Before Us: Law as Master, Law as Servant - Jewish Theological Seminary

וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם

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