Ḥoni's Circle

In this week’s episode of Ḥoni’s Circle we study a text from Mishneh Torah, a halachic tract by the Rambam, about the sacrifice of wood and the customs surrounding it. We imagine the practice of having a rotation of families bringing the wood that would be used on the altar in the temple, and how the practice might have emphasized the joy of volunteerism, facilitated an appreciation and respect fo...

In this week’s episode of Ḥoni’s Circle we study Psalm 121, with commentary by Malbim. This is the psalm we’ve been adding to our services since October 7th and is traditionally recited by Jews in times of distress. We discuss the unusual metaphor of divine protection from dangers from the moon, possibly referring to protection from despair, changes in the water cycle, and the unanticipated. All a...

In this week’s episode of Honi’s Circle we study Tractate Rosh Hashana 1:2, a section of the Mishna that talks about the four days of judgement in the year. We discuss how, while all creatures mentioned: animals, grains, and fruit trees, depend on the rain for their survival, in a way the judgement of people affects the other three because of human-caused climate change. We also talk about how rit...

In this week’s episode of Ḥoni’s Circle we study the Prayer for Rain, Geshem, and a supplemental piyyut (liturgical poem) by Ruth Gan Kagan that adds Miriam to the list of ancestors whose merit we call upon to be given rain for a blessing. We talk about how this ancient prayer points to the fact that humans have always understood that water is a powerful force on which our lives depend, and in the...

In this week’s episode of Ḥoni’s Circle we study the end of the book of Jonah, 4:5-4:11. We get an interesting perspective on a thousands of years old urban/rural divide, and a retreat into nature that has Jonah diving deep into his feelings. We discuss the benefit of planting more trees in urban areas to combat rising temperatures, analyzing our own feelings in relationship to Climate Change, and...

In this week’s episode of Honi’s Circle we study the book of Jonah, 3:6-4:4, where Jonah goes to Nineveh to proclaim the city’s destruction if they don’t repent, the city repents and is not destroyed, and Jonah gets mad. We discuss Nineveh’s amazing turnaround and what we might implement in our own lives to be able to change our own community’s habits and practices that contribute to climate chang...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we read a section from Nehemiah about the Jewish people returning from Babylon and celebrating their first Sukkot, according to the text, in centuries. We talk about the value of tying new rituals back to old traditions, Sukkot as a holiday that connects us to the nature around us, and needing diversity in both our ecosystems and the people that are part of...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study a Rashbam commentary on a verse from Leviticus explaining why we dwell in sukkahs for the holiday of Sukkot. Rashbam explains that the holiday comes right after we have gathered the bounty of the fields  into our houses so that we will not grow arrogant about our place in the world. We discuss how acknowledging our vulnerability within a loving comm...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss Psalm 93. The psalm is a striking portrait of the raging seas and the divine, with no human or animal presence. We see this as a reminder both of the enduring awesomeness of a natural phenomenon that preceded humanity, but also as a reminder of the power of water in human lives (as seen in floods, droughts, and sea level rise) as the true signs of...

Enjoy this special crossover episode from Climate Papa. Find Climate Papa at https://www.climatepapa.com/ and wherever you get podcasts. To follow along see Unetaneh Tokef here: https://www.sefaria.org/Unetaneh_Tokef.4?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en For the complete show notes, the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m1Rnoc8w5yfQcGtotQyNa

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss Psalm 23. This psalm, most famous for the line "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." is often said at funerals or shivah minyans, but also at the closing of Shabbat. We discuss how it's themes of the comfort of the natural world and trust in G-d help can relieve distress. We also discuss the phrase "only good and steadfast love...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss Psalm 147. We talk about how the psalm specifically refers to G-d as "the healer of broken hearts", and how our hearts break when we hear about species extinction, agricultural failures, and forced migration due to climate change. We then go on to discuss how psalms have been traditionally used as a source of comfort, and how the awe of nature (as...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss two sources: Deuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten your fill, give thanks" and a section from the tractate Brachot giving over a rabbinic explanation for blessing before eating. We explore how both asking for permission to eat (blessing before) and gratitude for the food eaten (blessing after) can be powerful tools for viewing food as part of the...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study a verse from Devarim (Deuteronomy 20:19) and the accompanying Rashi and Ibn Ezra commenting on the phrase "For is the tree of the field a man". This is the source text for bal tashchit, the rabbinic injunction against needless destruction or waste. We first look at the commentators' different readings of the verse, and how whether we view trees thro...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study two texts from the Talmud and Midrash that both address the question "Is it better that humans should have been created or not?" When Bet Shamai and Bet Hillel voted on this question, not having been created won out, when the ministering Angels debated it at creation, they were split down the middle, and in our own day and age it is a question that...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Psalm148, a psalm read each day during P'Sukei D'Zimrah. In the psalm, all levels of creation, from angels to the sun and moon, to hail and smoke, to humans, are all joyfully praising G-d. We ask if we can see ourselves and the natural world in a state of joyous awe daily? We also ask if we can continue to imagine this when climate change worsens di...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Psalm 104, the psalm read on Rosh Ḥodesh, the new month holiday. We discuss the themes of interdependence, humanity's smallness compared to the complex and large surrounding ecosystem, and the natural world's independent relationship with the divine. We also discuss the how the mention of sinners at the end of the psalm can relate to our current des...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Deuteronomy 15:4-11, a section of the Torah with conflicting messages about whether or not there will always be poor people, as well as our obligation to lend to them and raise them out of poverty. Through this passage we see the Torah's conception of the land being a "loan" from G-d, our obligation to pay forward the abundance we get from the land...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study excerpts from three prayers: Bore Nefashot, Birkat HaMazon, and Ashrei. In these prayers we find themes of our dependence on the Divine via the land, our kinship with the animal realm, and the importance of continuously cultivating gratitude and keeping entitlement at bay. While these prayers can serve as a source of hope during times of scarcity, w...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study the story of Elijah's flight from Jezebel, his deep despair over the children of Israel's abandonment of the covenant with G-d, and G-d's revelation in the "small still voice". We find parallels in Elijah's anguish and our own climate despair, and look in the passage for coping inspirations. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefar...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we we juxtapose two texts from Pirkei Avot and the Zohar about trees and Torah study. We discuss how these texts see the relationship between Torah study and appreciation of the natural world. Are they antagonistic, hierarchically ranked, or can we hold them both as a holistic system informing each other?  We also discuss the Mishnaic times as being a perio...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study a section of Maasechet Brachot where Ben Zoma enumerates all the steps that lead to a loaf of bread or a piece of clothing. We discuss how, implicit in this text, is a sense of gratitude for the entire community of artisans active in the process of providing our daily needs, and relate this to climate change by acknowledging that we need a communit...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study side by side the descriptions of the Burning Bush and Mount Sinai at the giving of the Torah. We discuss how the fire in both circumstances cultivated attention and awe, but how in the case of Mount Sinai also cohered the people with a shared experience that was necessary for them to embark on the communal mission of nationhood, similarly to how la...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study a section from Vayikrah in which Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, are consumed by divine fire after bringing "strange fire" into the new tabernacle. We talk about this story from a few angles including the need for humility, how one conveys one's story being important to its acceptance, and how the disasters of climate change can feel like a mis...

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study a section from Dvarim (that also appears in the second paragraph of the daily Shema) about how in the land of Israel the weather and consequently agricultural yields depend on fidelity to G-d and the commandments. We talk about how this section has become meaningful in the context of climate change both for individual and communal responsibility, t...