TINW Torah Study

When the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, they were a cohesive group which was always close to God. In Deuteronomy, they are about to enter the larger territory of the Promised Land, and the people will spread out. This part of the journey confronts the reality of secular living. The Torah anticipates that people need a way to connect. The synagogue today is our modern version of how we connect with the sacred and with the community. Our connection to the Jewish community continues with the rituals we observe, such as observing the High Holidays.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.

When the loosely banded tribes of people who became the Israelites demanded that the prophet Samuel find them a king, Samuel warned that a king would force the people to work for him, and a king would impose taxes. As we continued our look at King Solomon, we find that Samuel's prophecy came true. Solomon imposed forced labor on the Israelites. But what is remembered of Solomon's reign is that it was an idyllic time to be an Israelite. This week, we took a closer look.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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Does it make a difference if we think of God as a bearded man on a throne, or as a nurturing woman? This week our guest Torah Study leader, Rabbi Janet Roberts, showed us passages where the gender of God is ambiguous or—using a term in use today—genderfluid. 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.

The stories we tell reflect an understanding of the world we live in, and the way we tell the story reflects something about ourselves and our audience. We might imagine writing the story of our own life, and the aspects we might highlight, at the age of 20 vs. 40 vs. 60 vs. 80. The same is true of the writers of the 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.

Enjoy life while we have it,and don’t deny yourself pleasure.Know that some pleasures will have consequences,but life is to be enjoyed and lived fully!     (a lesson of Ecclesiastes 11:8; paraphrased by Rabbi Jaech)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.

Professor David Sperling guest-led our session today and showed us how the text of the Bible changed with the times: From polytheism to monotheism. From strength in military might to strength in studying Torah and following God's laws.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.

The book of Jonah—which is the haftarah reading for Yom Kippur—is one of the books found in The Prophets, but it stands apart from the other prophetic writings: The book of Jonah is written as a narrative story, and not as a harangue. Also unusual is the fact that Jonah is given a mission to save gentiles from the wrath of God, not Jews. This week we review the book of Jonah and the lessons we can learn from it.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.

Rabbi Janet Roberts guest-led our group in a discussion about the ancient legal system of the Israelites, and how the system survived even after the Israelites no longer ruled their own land. This system provided the foundation for the Rabbinic Judaism  we practice today, and for judicial review in American constitutional history.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.

We may all be familiar with a line from the Passover Haggadah that says, "My father was a wandering Aramean." This week we learned who the Arameans were, and who it might have been referring to: the patriarch Jacob? Or perhaps his father-in-law, Laban.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.

In our sacred text it is written that "There shall be no man’s item on a woman, and a man shall not wear a woman’s garment" (Deuteronomy 22:5). Well . . . why not? The passage has been debated over the centuries and been given a wide spectrum of interpretations. Rabbi Jaech looks at what it might have meant over the years, and what—if anything—it could mean 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.

This Labor Day weekend, Rabbi Jaech led us in an exploration of Jewish commentary on labor. Happy Labor Day, everyone!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.