A 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center found that the intermarriage rate among all American Jews was 58%, and among non-Orthodox American Jews was 71%. Since the mid-1980s, the Reform Jewish Movement has been welcoming of interfaith families. This week we looked at the interfaith marriages of two of our most important biblical heroes: Joseph and Moses. And we looked at how the ancient Rabbis spun those ancient stories to tell the narrative they wanted to tell.The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

300. Interfaith Marriage - January 21, 2023

Guest leader, Rabbi Janet Roberts, continued our exploration of the Joseph story by comparing it to another biblical tale: the story of Daniel. While sharing a lot of similarities, unlike the Joseph story, the Daniel story emphasizes that Daniel stayed true to his roots. The Joseph story may remind us of our own lives in America today. As Reform Jews, we may feel a pull toward the dominant culture. Each of us must decide how we adapt. How far are we willing to go toward assimilation, and where do we draw the line and say ‘No, this is important to me as a Jew.’The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

299. Assimilation - January 14, 2023

In biblical times, interpreters of dreams were consulted because people believed their dreams contained omens about the future. Even today, people do not like to live with uncertainty, which is one reason that some homes keep cable news on all day long. People are hoping to gather as much information as possible in order to feel some sense of control. But in reality, we often have no control over what the future will bring. The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

298. Dreams - January 7, 2023

The story of Joseph includes a scene where his boss's wife tries to seduce him, but he rebuffs her advances. Manufacturing a story of rape, the wife manages to have Joseph thrown into prison. From this low, Joseph will rise in prominence, eventually becoming second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. This story was inspired by an older, Egyptian story with a similar scene of attempted seduction, followed by a rise to great heights in Egypt. The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

297. Seduction - December 31, 2022

We have not had a deep dive into the Joseph story in several years, so Rabbi Jaech thought the time was right! At 13 chapters, Joseph’s story is the most complete literary narrative in the Bible. Like so many other biblical tales, although this can be viewed as a story about family dynamics, it is also a stand-in for the larger concerns of the ancient Israelites.    Note: Torah Study member Lauren pointed out that this story is an illustration of family estrangement, which can be difficult especially at holiday-time. Wherever you are, we hope that you will share your holidays with loved ones. The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

296. Family Dynamics - December 24, 2022

The New Testament book of Revelation is a frightening story about the End of Days; also known as The Apocalypse. But that story has its origin in older stories from the Hebrew Bible that remind the audience of bad times. A power of religion is that, even in bad times, it brings us rays of light that we will prevail. As we light the Hanukkah candles, our guest leader today, Rabbi Janet Roberts, reminds us that the candles are also rays of light that remind us that we will prevail. Happy Hanukkah to All! The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

295. Four Horses - December 17, 2022

At Temple Israel of Northern Westchester, we do not insist that the text in the Bible should direct our way of thinking today, or that it is in line with our modern values. We recognize that the text can run from sublime to abhorrent, and it is up to us to determine what, if anything, is meaningful to us today. The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

294. The Rape of Dinah - December 10, 2022

The stories in the Torah may seem to be stories about families, but they are actually political and polemical stories. They are used as arguments against what other people are doing in their worship. When we hear disparaging stories of people who worship differently than we do, we should carefully consider whether there might be an ulterior motive. This week, with thanks to Dr. Erin Darby of the University of Tennessee, we take a close look at differences between practices of the people from the northern kingdom of Israel vs. those of people from the southern kingdom of Judah—and how those differences are recorded in our Bible.The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

293. Rachel and the Idols

He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. (Genesis 28: 12) This week our guest-leader, Rabbi Janet Roberts led us in an exploration of angels in the Hebrew Bible.The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

292. Angels - November 26, 2022

This week we looked at the story of David & Bathsheba. Some people may remember Bathsheba as an innocent woman, lusted after by David. But today we story we read about her role in gas-lighting David while on his deathbed. She proves herself to be a  powerful woman who knows how to play at palace intrigue. Our ancient texts are rich and full of surprising stories for us to ponder and debate—warts and all!The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

291. Palace Intrigue - November 19, 2022

Bible scholar James Kugel (born: 1945) says of the biblical tales: ". . . if they were written down in the Bible, it was not so as to record what has occurred in some distant past, but 'for our instruction, so that . . . we might learn some vital lesson for our lives." This is an understanding of the biblical tales which Paul, founder of Christianity, understood, as did the Jewish medieval sage Rashi—and as does Rabbi Jaech today. The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

290. Vital Lessons - November 12, 2022

All of humanity suffers, but hope can help keep humans strong. Many biblical stories tell us that perhaps there is a purpose for suffering, and that our suffering may be a path to something better.  The text of this podcast is available on our blog.If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.

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