Welcoming Tishrei

By Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President of Hebrew College 

Dear Hebrew College community,

At sundown this coming Monday evening—as we light the candles of Rosh Hashanah—we will enter the Hebrew month of Tishrei and walk through the gateway into a new year.

This year, more than most, I have been wondering how we might orient ourselves to that gateway, to a moment that holds so much—memory and tenderness, sorrow and fear, yearning and possibility. For many of us this year, the weight of this moment for our people feels almost crushing—the gateway crowded and cluttered with the debris of collective grief, guilt, and mutual recriminations. How do we begin to pass through?

How do we keep walking—alone and together—through the gateway of this new year?

Perhaps the language of the Torah portion for this Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah—Parashat Nitzavim—can offer us an opening.

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SEVENTY FACES OF TORAH
Making Torah Expansive

By Rabbi Daniel Klein `10, MJED`10, Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College

Rosh Hashanah

...In this midrash, Rabbi Yochanan recognizes Rabbi Shmuel is knowledgeable and dedicated but still in a critical stage of growth. He has information, not knowledge – data, not da’at, which is a deep, intimate form of knowing. Rabbi Yochanan’s message to his student, and to us, is that if we really want to bring our tradition’s insights and teachings out into the world, we need to transform ourselves in relation to Torah. To do so, we must go to a place where Torah becomes expansive so that Torah can become expansive in us. And when we do so, that expansiveness can flow through us out into the world.

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NEW ESSAY
Taking Hold of the Shofar

By Rabbi Or Rose, Founding Director, Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership 

Read an essay from Rabbi Or Rose about the power of ritual to help us reorient ourselves spiritually and ethically at the New Year, published in the most recent edition of Gashmius Magazine, co-founded by Editor-in-Chief and Hebrew College rabbinical student Jonah Gelfand: 

As much as I love to sing, chant, and discuss the liturgy and biblical readings of the High Holy Days, the elemental sounds of the shofar somehow reverberate through me differently, mysteriously calling forth thoughts and emotions that are otherwise very difficult to access...As luck (or providence) would have it, in the late spring of 2022, I began reading Sand Talk by the Australian Aboriginal writer Tyson Yunkaporta just as I was beginning my annual preparations for the High Holy Days. I was immediately intrigued by Yunkaporta’s practice of carving objects as part of an intentional embodied approach to sharing the wisdom of his people and of non-human kin—past and present. Seeing Yunkaporta’s drawings of his woodwork and learning about his distillation of Australian Aboriginal wisdom holistically led me to think anew about the shofar.

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KAVANAH IN 60: ROSH HASHANAH 5786

By David Malamud, Hebrew College Rabbinical Student

Kavanah in 60 is a Hebrew College digital series of “short teachings” (~60 seconds) by our rabbinical students to mark Jewish and secular holidays. Here Shanah Heh student David Malamud shares his kavanah for Rosh Hashanah. Watch more kavanot and subscribe to our YouTube channel for notifications about future videos.

"...Our High Holiday liturgy is full of two distinct images of God, Avinu Malkeinu, our father, our king. In the current month of Elul, we say the king is in the field. This means God is close at hand. Lately, I have struggled to find God in my fields..."

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SHARED CAMPUS PARTNER: JEWISH STUDIO PROJECT

Renewal and Return: A Creative High Holidays Retreat

Step into the sacred space between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with intention, creativity, and connection. Through the Jewish Studio Process—blending Jewish text study, creative exploration with art materials, and reflective writing—consider themes of renewal, forgiveness, and transformation. Together we’ll uncover fresh insights, deepen connections, and open our hearts to possibilities of growth and repair. No art experience needed—just bring an open spirit.

When: Sunday, September 28, 1-5 PM
Where: In Person at The Jewish Studio Project, Newton, MA
Cost: $36-$72 (sliding scale)

Remembering Loved Ones Who Died by Suicide

Sunday, September 28 | 6:30-7 PM | Zoom

As the High Holy Day season approaches, we are reminded that remembrance is integral to the Jewish experience. Hebrew College is proud to co-sponsor Jewish Family & Children’s Service’s virtual Yizkor moment and gentle remembrance of those who have died by suicide on Sunday, September 28. We are grateful to JF&CS for offering this Jewish response to suicide loss, remembering those who have died and supporting those who live with this unique loss.

Register ... 

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