Ta Shma

The Kaddish contains an anomaly: a liturgical phrase used to respond to God's name, but no triggering mention of God's name. Noting God’s missing name in the prayer, how are we meant to experience the Kaddish? This is a prayer that highlights our sense of the reality in which we dwell, where God’s presence is often experienced as distant. In a world with so much suffering and destruction...

The concept of the “קדושת הארץ - sanctity of the Land” simultaneously gives meaning to, and creates a tremendous challenge to, life in the State of Israel. Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, the birthday of the State of Israel, is an opportunity to ask: What is the meaning of living in a place to which holiness is attributed? In what ways is it possible, worthwhile, and appropriate to exist on a daily basis in that...

Asking God for healing is a core aspect of prayer. But the ideal form of this prayer (as expressed in the Amidah) pushes us to widen the circle of our concern. What is the proper model for prayers of healing?

There is no Judaism—no understanding of Jewish history or culture or theology—without accounting for the Shoah. This part of the Jewish story is now canon. For the past eighty years, we have encountered this story directly from the people who endured it. When this last generation of survivors are gone, what will change? How will their absence impoverish us? How will their memory and lessons live o...

Imagine how Aharon must have felt, watching his sons die, on what should have been the greatest day of his life: the inauguration of the system of sacrifices meant to draw God and Israel closer to one another. What is the emotional stance encouraged by the Mourner’s Kaddish? How might the words of Mourner’s Kaddish reflect the grief that mourners experience?

What can cleaning for Pesah teach us about the limits  ownership and responsibility? R. Avi Killip shares reflections on the holiday from this year's Hadar Pesah Reader, "L'Or haNer: The Light of Discovery."

How can God command us to feel a particular emotion? While we often can't change feelings on demand, Shabbat offers a pathway for how actions and rituals can cultivate emotions.  "Mitteler Rebbe's Kapelya" and "Nigun Hisva'adus" from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar's Rising Song Records.

How are we meant to conclude the Amidah? What is the emotional orientation to the end of an intense encounter with God?

Every single Jewish soul is as integral to the Jewish people as every letter in the Torah scroll. No person is dispensable.  "Mitteler Rebbe's Kapelya" and "Nigun Hisva'adus" from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar's Rising Song Records.

It can feel impossible to approach an infinite and all-powerful God. But God desires closeness with us, with the limited power that we do have, in all of our imperfections and humanity.                                                                       "Mitteler Rebbe's Kapelya" and "Nigun Hisva'adus" from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weise...

There are many instances in our prayers where we repeat phrases, paragraphs, or whole sections. What is the significance of repetition in prayer? God's repeated calls of "Moshe, Moshe!" can help us look at this repetition in new ways.

On Shabbat, the liturgy is missing a central element: petitioning for our needs. What is the purpose of prayer on Shabbat and what can it teach us about having a relationship with God?                                                                "Mitteler Rebbe's Kapelya" and "Nigun Hisva'adus" from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg an...

The revelation at Mt Sinai transformed the relationship between God and Jewish people. After the sin of the Golden Calf, both had to find a way to move forward - not in spite of their broken-heartedness, but because of it.  "Mitteler Rebbe's Kapelya" and "Nigun Hisva'adus" from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar...

The rhythm of our week includes a day dedicated to feeling God’s presence differently from the rest of the week: Shabbat. A prayer recited only on Shabbat, beginning with the words Yismah Moshe (“Moshe rejoiced”), explores our connection to God and Shabbat through the lens of Moshe’s experience of God.

Welcome to a new mini-series for Ta Shma, the Tisch with Dena Weiss: A Taste of Hasidut. Each episode will feature bite-sized insights from Hasidic thought on spirituality, ethics, and character development. These episodes are short – but they are packed with big ideas. But first: what is Hasidut? How is it like or unlike other kinds of Jewish learning, and why should more people try it? To set th...

Moshe asks to know God’s ways. But this is not a philosophical exploration about the nature of God. It is a question with a purpose. What is the knowledge we need in order to pray and to connect to God? How might this knowledge help us approach God, even if we might feel distant from God’s presence?

The revelation at Sinai is a high point in the Jewish story. It is the moment when God gives us the mitzvot—and we accept them. But, the Talmud tells us that the commandments were actually accepted twice: once at Sinai, and again in Persia, during the time of Ahashverosh. Exploring these two moments in tandem allows us to see how personal empowerment can lead us to approach God with love.

In the moment of prayer, how are we meant to feel close to God, beyond reciting the words of the Siddur? How might we feel a connection to God through our tactile experiences? The plate of the High Priest ( tzitz ) and our tefillin hold some answers.

One of the classic questions about the book of Esther is: why isn’t God mentioned? What does this mean for the book and for us? R. Shai Held explored some of the most vexing theological questions in this recording from summer 2017.

If God’s presence fills the whole world, why does it seem easier to connect to God in some places rather than others? This paradox is central to understanding the concept of the mishkan , God’s dwelling place on earth.

The midrashic composition, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, develops the allegorical reading of Song of Songs as a love story between Israel and God. The verse "Let God kiss me with the kisses of God's mouth," for example, is read as reflecting a close, even radically close, intimacy between Israel and God. According to the midrash, the verse implies an instance of direct and close-up interact...

How are we meant to orient to our day when we wake up? In what ways can a short blessing about God opening our eyes set our intention for the day to come?

As we watch storms surge and fires burn, the changing climate has moved from an abstract fear to an ever-present reality. The enormity of this crisis demands a complex type of faith, a different kind of prayer, and a theological reckoning. How can we bring our fears and hopes to God? What might it look like to pray about climate change? In the Dr. Eddie Scharfman Memorial Lecture from January 2023...

Ideally, prayer is a pouring out of the soul. But in Jewish practice today, people don’t only pray when they feel moved to pray. We are mandated to say the Amidah multiple times a day, and we can’t guarantee that each of those moments will be characterized by intention, or kavanah . Should I pray even if I don’t know if my heart will be in it?

Growth is gradual, so slow in fact that it cannot be tracked in real time. We need an annual date as a marker of a specific moment, before and after seasons of change. Like all birthdays, Tu Bishvat invites us to celebrate, to notice the beauty in slow growth, and to appreciate the potential of what is yet to be born.