The inclusion of Shirat HaYam (Ex. 15:1-19) in daily shaharit is a relatively recent phenomenon, although it has been used as a prayer elsewhere for a long time. What can we learn from the history of its liturgical use?
This week, we'll look at an understudied, untranslated commentary on Bereishit 49, and in the process learn about why Karaites aren't what you imagined them to be.
What counts as "Torah commentary?" What is the line between commentary and scholarship? A half-destroyed page from the Cairo Genizah can help answer this question.
The Binding of Isaac is a tough story for anybody to deal with, but Saadia Gaon's concerns are not the most intuitive. This week, we'll explore Saadia's commentary through the Islamic context in which it was written.
Was the flood a Jewish event? This week's haftorah raises important questions as to the centrality of Judaism in the Torah's worldview and how it influences our reading of Biblical events.
Can't make it in person? Watch live on UStream. Video and audio recordings will also be made available on our website shortly afterward.
Session I: Meaning (September 19, 2011)
Taught by Rabbi Elie Kaunfer
Is prayer meant to be read as prose or interpreted as poetry? This session will look at the many layers beneath the text of the siddur and the mahzor and see how words and phrases have the potential to unlock deeper meanings beneath the text. Take home a methodology that will open up new pathways to make meaning from the text of prayer. Download sources
The words are only the beginnning. How loudly we say them, how we move, where we stand and the nature of our prayer space significantly impacts the prayer experience. We will explore all of these issues by examining traditional sources, with the goal of emerging with a greater consciousness of how aesthetics are critical to prayer.
Watch Session II (Not fully audible. See audio file above to listen without video.)
Session III: Music (October 3, 2011)
Taught by Joey Weisenberg
The printed page only has a hope of penetrating to the soul through music. In this session, we will explore the ways in which music can not only enhance prayer, but build communities who truly know how to pray together.
