A Blessing for the Month of Nisan:
Telling Stories in the First-Person Plural

By Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Hebrew College President

This year, as we enter the month of Nisan and begin the process of preparing for our Passover seders, I am thinking about the quiet courage of Jewish parents everywhere who are choosing to continue to tell this story in the first-person plural. Parents of preschoolers at Temple Israel in Detroit. Parents of young children at the Cheider school in Amsterdam. Parents of children all over Israel who are doing their Passover shopping between trips to the bomb shelter. Parents of children in my own community and in communities across the United States who are feeling a new, unfamiliar twinge of anxiety as they drop their own kids off at synagogue or school. Parents who will sit with their children at the seder table and joyfully sing, “Avadim hayinu. We were slaves to Pharaoh. And the Holy One brought us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.”

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SEVENTY FACES OF TORAH

A Humble Letter

By Rabbi Rachel Tali Kaplan `21, Hebrew College Director of Student Life

Parashat Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1-5:26)

The vayikra | וַיִּקְרָא that we read 
In this particular place in the Torah
Is written with a tiny aleph 
We can read Moshe as choosing the small aleph
To denote not only his trepidation 
To step into the fullness 
Of the relationship he craved with G!d
But also his willingness and desire to do so
It’s entirely plausible 
That Moshe simultaneously craved
An ongoing partnership with G!d
And doubted his own capacity 
To uphold his end of their dynamic

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HEBREW COLLEGE GRADUATE JEWISH EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Ancient Wisdom. Modern Relevance.

"Part of what motivates Hebrew College’s graduate education programs is a belief that our world is changing so fast. Just like one would not like to go to a doctor who hasn’t stayed current or advanced in their learning since graduating, so we want to help our Jewish educators stay knowledgeable about educational trends. Moreover, our sacred ancient texts continue to speak to existential issues. They were written a long time ago, but they have something to say to us today. Educators are on the front lines of creating the conditions in which our students develop intellectually, emotionally, spiritually. This is as true in a second-grade classroom studying our biblical ancestors, as it is in an adult learning cohort wrestling with Israel, antisemitism, or the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. This is why professional development in Jewish education cannot be treated as optional or peripheral.”

— Dr. Susie Tanchel, Hebrew College Vice President

Learn about our Master's in Jewish Education and graduate certificate programs. Now accepting applications.

Hebrew College is reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world, making our lives more meaningful, our communities more vibrant, and our world more whole.