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Rosh Hodesh Elul | ראש חודש אלול
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Welcoming Elul
As we welcome the new Hebrew month of Elul, we invite you to read, listen, and share the words of Torah in this newsletter—bringing your lives to Torah and Torah to your lives. We again thank Nireh Or Instagram Project founders Rabbi Hayley Goldstein`19 and Lizzie Sivitz for their words and artwork.
This new month of Elul, which comes from the Akkadian word for “harvest time,” is also known by the Rabbis as an acronym for אני לדודי ודודי לי, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” The Nachal Eshkol explains that, “In the month of Elul, G!d reconciles with Israel, and becomes a Beloved to them, to draw them near in teshuvah (return).” It’s also in this month that many have the custom to sound the shofar daily, getting spiritually ready for Rosh Hashanah, the day of sounding. Perhaps the shofar call itself can awaken our souls to hear the voice of our Beloved, and also tap into our own beloved nature.
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Blessing, Curse, and the Freedom to Choose
Parashat Re'ah (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)
By Rabbi Shira Shazeer `10
I may have been at summer camp the first time I heard the story, attributed to the itinerant Rabbi Haim of Romshishok, of the difference between heaven and hell.
Reb Haim, the story goes, had the opportunity to visit the world to come, and was brought first to see hell. There, he observed banquet tables laden with food, surrounded by people clearly suffering from hunger. On closer inspection he could see that the people held spoons in their hands, but their elbows were splinted open, so they could not reach their mouths. Next, Reb Haim was taken to heaven. Here, too, were banquet tables laden with food, surrounded by people. But these people were satisfied, happily engaged in conversation. He saw that these people, too, had their arms splinted, but as he watched, one person filled a spoon and brought it to the mouth of the person across the table. That person thanked the first and returned the favor. Seeing this, Reb Haim went back to hell, to share the secret of how to eat and end the suffering. The inhabitants of hell, however, replied that they would rather starve than feed people whom they held in such great contempt.
I remember feeling amazed that the difference between suffering and satisfaction lay in attitude and cooperation.
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Why We Say "70 Faces of Torah"
The ancient rabbinic expression “70 Faces (or Facets) of Torah” is a simultaneous call for epistemological humility and interpretive creativity. It is a reminder that only the Divine possesses ultimate truth and that as finite seekers, we need the contributions of many distinct voices. Torah can be compared to a precious gem that refracts differently based on one’s perspective. We, must, therefore, “turn it and turn it” in the company of passionate and compassionate teachers, students, and peers, who each bring their own unique gifts—“faces”—to the ongoing search for light and life.
By Rabbi Or Rose (above), Director of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership at Hebrew College & Founding Editor of the Hebrew College Seventy Faces of Torah blog
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Challening Destruction: We Speak Up Despite the Odds
"[Rabbi Shoshana’s] sermon makes us think again about Noah, who is a great ecological hero. After all, he saved a breeding pair of every animal on Earth. But it makes us think again about his agency and ours. And to me, that’s at the absolute center of thinking about the climate crisis." — Bill McKibben
In this first episode of Season 3 of Speaking Torah, Rabbi Shoshana Friedman`14 brings us deep into the story of Noah’s Ark and reframes what has often been designated as a children’s story as a tale of exploration in personal responsibility, lost opportunity, and a pressing call to activism that the world can no longer ignore in the face of the existential threat of climate change. Her sermon is read by Bill McKibben, climate activist and founder of 350.org.
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Hebrew College High Holiday Companion
Jewish tradition teaches that as we traverse the winding path of teshuvah (return and renewal) each year during the High Holy Day season, it is wise to do so with fellow seekers. To help guide your steps, the faculty, alumni, and students of Hebrew College created a High Holiday Companion—collection of reflections on the prayers, scriptural readings, and sacred practices of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Featuring original essays, poetry, and visual artwork, this booklet will help illuminate the way into the High Holiday liturgy and the upcoming sacred days of return and renewal.
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