JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Masei

Mattot (Pinehas)

Episode 1: Who Were the Rabbis?What led to the emergence of the group of scholars and teachers we call the Rabbis? What motivated them and what did they value? The Rabbis looked to their forebear, Hillel, as an exemplar of religious leadership, and in this episode, we’ll look at three stories they told about Hillel to see what we can learn about the Rabbis’ self-conception.Subscribe now:Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-evolution-of-torah-a-history-of-rabbinic-literature/id1488RSS: http://www.spreaker.com/show/4136441/episodes/feedCredits:Produced by Rabbi Tim BernardCover art: Rabbi Tim BernardTheme music: Stock media provided by u19_studios / Pond5

Introducing The Evolution of Torah: a history of rabbinic literature

The Haftarah portion for Hukkat (Judges 11:1-33) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: In this very troubling story, Yiftah foolishly vows in a moment of vulnerability that if God rescues him, he will offer as a burnt offering whatever comes out of his house when he returns home safely. Later in the narrative, we learn that it is daughter who emerges from the house. • In addition to being a horrific example of the dangers and abuses of patriarchal power, the story might also cause us to think about other ways in which we put our loved ones at risk because of our own fears. What examples can you think of? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Hukkat

The Haftarah portion for Korah (1 Sam. 11:14-12:22) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: Samuel makes clear to the people that although God has acceded to their request for a king, their desire for a king is ill-advised. • Why do you think the people insisted on a king despite God’s warnings? • What causes people today to yearn for authoritarian leadership, despite the risks and dangers? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Korah

The Haftarah portion for Beha'alotekha (Zech. 2:14–4:7) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: This haftarah reminds us that physical strength and power are very limited tools when compared to the Divine spirit. • What do you see in our world that is more potent that physical strength and worldly power? • Might those things be what we mean by God’s spirit? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Beha'alotekha

The Haftarah portion for Naso (Judges 13:2-25) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: • Samson’s future parents, Manoach and his wife (like many women in the Hebrew Bible, she is unnamed), are visited by an angel or messenger of God. The angel first appears to Samson’s mother, who immediately recognizes him as such and tells her husband. Later, the angel appears to both of them. But the text suggests that Manoach only realizes that it is in fact an angel after the fact (Judges 13:21). • Have you ever felt that you were encountering a Divine messenger in your life? • What made you think so, and what opened you to that possibility? • Have you ever looked back after the fact and suspected that perhaps Divine intervention was involved in some way? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Naso

The Haftarah portion for Second Day of Shavuot (Hab. 3:1-19) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: Habakkuk’s prophecy, chosen for the second day of Shavuot, portrays all of creation in a state of fear and trembling at God’s approach. • What role does yirah (awe or fear) play in your theology? • Where in your life do you experience that sense of awe, and what spiritual pathways does it open for you? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Shavuot Day 2

The Haftarah portion for First Day of Shavuot (Ezek. 1:1-28; 3:12) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: • Why do you think Ezekiel’s bizarre vision of four-faced heavenly creatures was chosen as the haftarah for the first day of Shavuot? How does a surreal vision such as this complement the account of the giving of the Torah at Sinai? • How does a personal mystical experience this differ from a communal encounter like the Sinai narrative? What does each offer that the other doesn’t? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Shavuot Day 1

In this opening episode of JTS’s new podcast, What Now?, host Sara Beth Berman tells her story and speaks with Professor Alan Mittleman. Dr. Mittleman shares his own experiences with loss, framing tragedies as taking place in a world that is nevertheless good and that gives us reason for hope. We also learn why giving Professor Mittleman advice is never a good idea. Subscribe now:RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/3550593/episodes/feedApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-now-a-jts-podcast/id1465791989 Cover art: Aura LewisTheme music: “Jat Poure”by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).Funding: The Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious & Social Studies at JTS.Contact us at onlinelearning@jtsa.edu, and find other JTS podcasts at www.jtsa.edu/podcasts.

Introducing What Now? A JTS Podcast

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Behukkotai (Jer. 16:19–17:14) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: Jeremiah’s prophecy here is about the futility and worthlessness of idolatry; grounded as it is in delusion, idolatry leaves one vulnerable and rootless, and ultimately enslaved. Suddenly, in verse 11, the prophet decries those who amass wealth through unjust means, saying they will in the end be revealed as fools. • What is the connection between financial injustice and idolatry? • Why does the prophet describe both as a form of foolishness? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Behukkotai

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Emor (Ezek. 44:15-31) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: The selection here of the Zadokites, and only the Zadokites, to serve as priests in the Temple follows the prophet’s decrial of the corruption of the earlier group of priests, who led the people into idolatry. Now the Zadokites are chosen, and strict rules regarding their functioning are emphasized. • How does corruption of religious leadership manifest in our world today? • What safeguards and restrictions can help religious leaders remain true to their mission? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Emor

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Kedoshim (Amos 9:7-15) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: In many places, the Torah speaks of a unique relationship between God and the Jewish people, often referred to in the language of “chosenness.” Here, through the prophet Amos, God warns the people that if they sin, they are just like any other nation in God’s eyes. • To what extent do we excuse our behavior—whether as individuals, Jews, or Americans–by telling ourselves that we are somehow special or exceptional, and therefore exempt from the consequences of our behavior? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Kedoshim

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Mahar Hodesh (1 Sam. 20:18-42) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: Despite Biblical commands to honor and revere parents, and despite the respect and loyalty due to a king, Jonathan here is disloyal to his father the king in order to protect and remain loyal to his beloved friend David. • How do you resolve conflicting loyalties in your own life? • At what point does unethical, inappropriate or irrational behavior—such as Saul’s rage here—forfeit the loyalty and respect even of family? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Shabbat Mahar Hodesh

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 8 (Isa. 10:32–12:6) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.Questions for Discussion: Isaiah’s famous and beautiful prophecy of the wolf dwelling with the lamb is part of his larger vision of messianic redemption—a world in which former enemies and predators peacefully coexist and justice reigns. Here, the “messiah” is portrayed as a sprouting twig or shoot emerging from what appears to be a dead stump—not the majority and the masses, but a small remnant with the ability to see beneath the surface of things and lead all the nations back to truth and justice. • Are there individuals or small groups whose voices have had transformational impact? • Do you feel empowered to be one of those voices? • What role can each of us have in redeeming what is broken in our world? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Pesah Day 8

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 7 (2 Sam. 22:1-51) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.Questions for Discussion: In praising God for saving him, David sees his salvation as a reward for his own righteousness. In times of difficulty, we often feel unfairly wronged, and question whether indeed there is justice in the world. But when we prosper or have been spared or vindicated, we often attribute our success or victory to our own merit. • How do we keep a genuine sense of vindication and justice having prevailed from sliding into self-righteousness and self-congratulation?  • What role does gratitude and prayer have in modulating our natural inclination to take sole credit for our victories? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Pesah Day 7

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 2 (2 Kings 23:1-9, 21-25) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.Questions for Discussion: This haftarah tells of a communal return to core principles, values, and practices as prescribed in the Torah, as well as the destruction of all the instruments of idolatry that had captivated and distracted the people, leading them astray. • What are the “idols” that enrapture and delude us today? • Can a return to Torah study and religious practice help discipline us so that we’re not seduced by false gods? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Pesah Day 2

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 1 (Josh. 3:5-7; 5:2–6:1, 27) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: In this story from the book of Joshua, the second generation of Israelites, born after the Exodus from Egypt, are circumcised. This is the culmination of a process in which the “disgrace” of their prior enslavement is removed, and it results in the cessation of the miraculous manna that fed the people throughout the wilderness. • How does our observance of Passover continue the process of taking the slavery out of the Jew, long after the Jew was taken out of slavery? • What are the lasting impacts of oppression of any group, and what steps are necessary for an individual or group to take in order to become truly free? • What support and assistance from others is required? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Pesah Day 1

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hagadol (Mal. 3:4-24) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: The haftarah opens with a list of behaviors that God identifies as incompatible with genuine awe or fear of God: magical thinking (sorcery), adultery, swearing falsely, underpayment or nonpayment of workers, and mistreatment of the vulnerable—exemplified by the widow, orphan and stranger. • When you think of “God-fearing” piety or lack thereof, is this what you picture? The haftarah closes with a call for parents to reconcile with children and children to reconcile with parents as a necessary forerunner to redemption. • Why is intergenerational learning and reconciliation so important? • What are the challenges to intergenerational understanding and respect in our day? • What causes us to undervalue the potential contributions and insights of both older and younger generations? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Shabbat Hagadol

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hahodesh (Ezek. 45:16-46:18) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: This haftarah provides instructions for the ritual purification of the Temple from both intentional sins and the damaging impact of ignorance. • What are today’s equivalent of “offerings” that we might make to restore a sense of sanctity and integrity in our homes and public institutions? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Voice of the Prophet

The Voice of the Prophet

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