Mechon Hadar Online Learning

R. Abraham Joshua Heschel taught us that "in the realm of the spirit only he who is a pioneer is able to be an heir." Yet he also insisted that "only he who is an heir is qualified to be an pioneer." Join us as Tova Hartman and Shai Held explore whether and how, in this day and age, we can combine deep fidelity to tradition, on the one hand, and openness to deep critique of it, on the other.

The Dynamics of Covenantal Commitment. Rabbinic interpretation of parashat Tetzaveh paints a powerful portrait of covenantal mutuality—of God’s commitment to Israel and Israel’s commitment to God. But it also claims, crucially, that covenantal mutuality depends less on ecstasy than on constancy. Covenant thrives, ultimately, less on high drama than on the day-to-day commitment to living with God.

Too often discussion about the mechitzah (the boundary that separates the sexes in many Jewish prayer spaces) is politically charged—the conversation becomes about movements rather than about values. This class cuts straight to the values behind the three models of sex separation we see in modern Jewish communities: (a) absolute sex separation in all parts of life; (b) denying that sex separation has a place in any part of life; and (c) maintaining sex separation in public prayer spaces but not others. What underpins each of these three positions? And how can we turn the discussion away from politics and back to the principles and values that underly them?

Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish law)? Join R. Avi Killip interviewing R. Ethan Tucker with questions sent in by Yeshivat Hadar alumni and others on all sorts of details of Jewish law. We release longer episodes and regular shorts. This is a joint project between the Center for Jewish Law and Values and Open Quorum.

An Island of Wholeness in a Fractured World. Biblical texts remember a perfect past and dream of a redeemed future. Jewish life offers us glimpses of those idealized moments in the hopes that they will nourish, sustain, and inspire us as we make our way through a far-less-than-perfect present. And yet potent and powerful as they are, dreams of perfection also have their dangers: they can keep us so rooted in a longed-for future that we grow indifferent—or even oblivious—to the blessings and possibilities of the present.

The Shemitah Year and the Social-Theological Vision of the Book of Devarim. We are currently in a Shemitah year. Despite our usual associations of Shemitah with land, Shemitah in Devarim is about something else: It is a year for remitting debts and liberating slaves. In this session, we’ll do a close reading of Devarim 15, and explore such questions as: What kind of social ethic does Devarim seek to instill? How does it work to ensure that there will be no permanent underclass in the land of Israel? What strategies does it use to motivate people to treat one another generously? Along the way, we'll see how Devarim radicalizes the social vision of Shemot. Recorded live at the Rabbis' Yeshiva Intensive 2015.

Or: We Are All Responsible. Biblical laws make specific, concrete demands upon us. But discerning the meaning of these laws for our own time can sometimes be extremely difficult: How does a law rooted in the ancient world continue to speak, inspire, challenge, and provoke even in our own radically different one? Parashat Mishpatim offers a fascinating case study.

What are the parts of the prayer experience which are not encapsulated by the words of the siddur / prayerbook? In what ways are the words designed to conjure up an experience which isn't contained within the plain meanings of the words? How does the volume of prayer change the exprience? Elie Kaunfer takes you on a journey beyond the words of the siddur and into a more holistic prayer experience.

Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish law)? Join R. Avi Killip interviewing R. Ethan Tucker with questions sent in by Yeshivat Hadar alumni and others on all sorts of details of Jewish law. We release longer episodes and regular shorts. This is a joint project between the Center for Jewish Law and Values and Open Quorum.

(Sometimes) the Hardest Mitzvah of All. The fifth of the Ten Commandments reads: “Honor (kabed) your father and mother, that you may long endure on the land that the Lord your God is giving to you (Exodus 20:12).” And yet the parameters of the obligation are not obvious: What is required by the commandment, and what isn’t? And perhaps most significantly, what is it about our own time that makes honoring parents at once especially challenging and especially urgent?

In this class we'll explore the content and style of some of Dr. King's most famous addresses with an eye toward exploring the role of these speeches and speech as a means to change minds and attain justice. Recorded live at Race Inequality in America: Judaism, Human Equality and the Quest for Justice, the Avi Schaefer Fund Symposium 2015.

Ever wanted to know the answer to some deep and challenging questions in halakhah (Jewish law)? Join R. Avi Killip interviewing R. Ethan Tucker with questions sent in by Yeshivat Hadar alumni and others on all sorts of details of Jewish law. We release longer episodes and regular shorts. This is a joint project between the Center for Jewish Law and Values and Open Quorum.

Learning to Trust. Long after liberation, the lingering effects of dehumanization endure. For the people of Israel, a long and tortuous road lies “between bondage and well-being.” One of the many things Pharaoh has taken from them is the ability to trust. God’s provision of manna (and Shabbat) is intended to restore that ability to the people, and thus to open them to the possibility of healthy dependence and real relationship.

Few beliefs are as foundational as revelation—and few things are as shaky. This shiur explores the traditional sources on revelation, with an eye towards revealing something new: more than they focus on what we (don't) believe happened, they're mostly concerned with the approach we take up towards the Torah, and whether we honor it, its students, and its messages for our lives.

What is true justice all about? By comparing the vision of the Mishnah, Talmud and Rishonim with modern law practices, Ethan Tucker puts into sharp focus the values of Jewish law courts and what they can teach us today.