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The long awaited saga Steampunk Torah continues with Rivkah Raven’s new chapters: Noah, Lech Lecha and Vayeira.
Not familiar with Steampunk Torah? Check out the unfolding saga here at PunkTorah.org.
Click below to download the newest chapters:
Beshalach is a tough one not because of moral ambiguity but because the most recognizable Torah tale takes place right here in this week’s portion. Yep this week Moses parts a large body of water and if that is not enough sweetens water to quench thirst, negotiates for daily quail, and survives an impressive endurance test during a battle with the Amalekites.
My Dvar for this week is deliberately short because we all know this portion better than any other and since Circle Pit the Bimah is a reference to a hardcore punk dance move it is appropriate to have a least one brief parsha.
So here we go, Beshalach is about being a leader and focal point for our Jewish communities. Unlike the Shoah we do not have individual accounts of triumph and tragedy we have Moses being the focal point as the leader and with Hashem as provider, we have Miriam as the feminine focal point leading the dance, we have Aaron and Hur being focal points of support. Be Jewish, be yourself, be the focal point.
In this week’s podcast, Patrick (with cohost Stefanie) respond to the outrage over the Atlanta Jewish Times article suggesting that Israel may want to assassinate President Obama. Patrick also answers your questions about rabbinical school!
Click here to listen to this week’s podcast.
Never read Taste & See? Catch up on Laura Cooper’s Jewish conversion
comic start and follow up, “one year later“.
At PunkTorah, our most valuable asset is our people. Our dedicated staff and volunteers serve the Jewish community through web based and in-person programs that promote independent Jewish spirituality and culture. Interested in joining us? PunkTorah welcomes all qualified internship applicants, regardless of gender/gender identity, race, age, sexuality, or disability.
Position: Spring Intern, Part Time (6-8 hours/week)
Timeframe: Spring 2012 (March 5th – June 1st, 2012). Additional intern opportunity available in the summer.
Description:
This unique internship opportunity will allow a hard-working, self-motivated, creative individual to work with PunkTorah’s entire network of projects to advance Jewish spirituality and community.
Our goal is to help you learn everything you need to know to start your own non-profit, web company or multimedia project. Be prepared to learn more than any classroom will ever teach you.
Some exciting things include: WordPress website development, podcasting, graphic design, social media, creative writing, non-profit management, business/job skills, and of course, Jewish studies. Experience in these areas preferred, but not required.
Including the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people and to learn job skills, interns will also receive free tickets to Jewish events, merchandise such as CDs and books, and upon completion of internship, letters of recommendation to schools and employers.
Interns will work out of our new office two days a week for four hours each day assisting Patrick Aleph as well as via Skype/phone with volunteers around the world. We honor all Jewish and secular holidays and will work with you to craft a consistant work schedule that is best for you and for the organization. Candidates must have reliable transportation and a commitment to PunkTorah’s values.
Please email a short resume and an email explaining why you are applying for this internship to patrick@punktorah.org.
The G-d Project will be filming at Limmud Chicago on Sunday, February 19th. Also, Patrick Aleph will be leading at least one session on contemporary views of God in the Jewish community.
If you have never been to a Limmud, you are missing out!
Limmud Chicago’s family friendly annual festival of Jewish learning will be held February 19th at the University of Illinois Chicago Student Center East. This all day event includes dozens of lectures, discussion groups, workshops and films on all things Jewish. Participants come from all backgrounds, all ages and all levels of observance. It’s an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of what Judaism means to you – and your family.
Go to www.limmudchicago.com for more details and registration information. Interested in reserving a time for being interviewed for The G-d Project? Click here to email us.
Ahhh Parsha Bo, finally the plagues burdening the Egyptians come to an end and Hashem gives us Jews the holiday Passover. No matter how hard I might try I will never know where to begin to make sense of the final plague which subsequently leaves the first born male in every Egyptian household without life, and yet Bo is an integral portion in trying to understand Hashem and just how we are created in His image.
Judaism is monotheistic period. This means everything, or lack thereof, emanates from one source, Hashem. Whether it is righteousness, wickedness, or something in between the root, the seed, the source is the same and never wavering. We as human beings are created in Hashem’s image and this does not mean He looks like us externally but that we encapsulate pure dualism just like Him. Every act, belief, and feeling we have is only present because its opposite is not acted upon. Sure we exist but we emanate good and evil based on our will just like our creator.
Passover is the perfect lesson to explain the compulsions of good versus evil we all have seeded inside of us. In fact this week’s portion is the blossomed fruit matured from the seed sprouting out of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Hebrews marking their door posts is a conscious choice to do good when faced with doing evil. This choice to mark themselves apart saves their sons and leads directly towards breaking the yoke of bondage. The Egyptians refusal to do the right thing results in the evil inclination running rampant in their hearts and minds leading to death, sorrow, anger, and the lust for vengeance. Such a heavy portion.
Bo is the perfect moral lesson to carry as a reminder while navigating all of life’s temptations. Sometimes we are the ancient Hebrew yearning to cast off the burden of evil inclinations and sometimes we are the ancient Egyptian willfully afflicting those around us. Bo is more than just the first Passover it is the morality of where we as human beings created in the divine image of Hashem exist. Actions have consequences and only you the individual can choose which path to take.
Jeremiah@punktorah.org Twitter: @CirclePitBimah
Tree of Life Concept by Ketzirah
When most people think of Shevat, they think of Tu b’Shevat, the “new year” of the trees. Tu b’Shevat is one of the four new years in the Jewish religion. What began thousands of years ago as a tax day on fruit trees, has grown into the Jewish arbor day and/or a spiritual opportunity to explore new growth and our connection to the environment. Like so many of our holidays there are so many layers, so Tu b’Shevat can offer an amazing array of in-roads to exploring Jewish practice.
Tree Planting
It’s no wonder that Jews love Tu b’Shevat, after all we call the Torah the “tree of life.” In ancient Israel we even planted trees when children were born to commemorate their birth and then these trees were used as the chuppah poles at their weddings. That’s just one of many amazing tree-based traditions in Judaism! If you want to plant a tree for Tu b’Shevat, there are lots of organizations that you can donate to that will help you with that, since it’s a lousy time of year to actually plant trees in most parts of the world. If this is what you are looking for, then check out Casey Trees and Jewish National Fund. I’m sure there are tons of other great organizations, and I hope you’ll share your favorite in the comments.
Seders
By now most people have heard of a Tu b’Shevat seder, even if they’ve never been to one. So where do you start? Thankfully, there are many free, and really good, Tu b’Shevat seders available online. Here are few of my favorites to explore:
If you are a more DIY kind of person, check out this Tu B’Shevat Seder Outline, from Kolel. It gives you a bit of a mix and match set up that allows you to easily create your own Tu B’Shevat seder.
Editors Note: we will also be having a Tu B’Shevat class on Monday, February 6th at 7PM EST at OneShul.org as well as an online Tu B’Shevat seder on Tuesday at 7PM EST.
Psalms
I learned about the tradition of reciting the fifteen “Psalms of Ascent” (120-134) during the first fifteen days of Shevat from my teacher, RK’Jill Hammer. She has taken this practice further by associating a specific type of tree with each psalm. Since the psalms have become a big part of my daily spiritual practices right now, I’m very excited to explore this concept this year.
You could even create prayer trees by writing or printing out pieces of the psalms of ascent and tying them to trees in your yard. Imagine if you write the psalms on pieces of ribbon or fabric, how pretty the tree would look! You could leave the fabric up just during Shevat, or if you use unbleached cotton or muslin, you could even just leave it to disintegrate naturally over time.
Final thought…
Whatever you do, take some time to appreciate Judaism’s long and complicated history with trees. You might even want to take time to reflect on your own relationship with trees and nature. No matter where you live, take some time to appreciate these amazing partners in life. Without trees, we couldn’t breath, have paper, firewood, and a million other things!
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Ketzirah is a Kohenet, Celebrant, and Artist. She works with individuals and groups to explore, discover, and create meaningful rituals and ritual artwork to mark moments in life.
We’ve started a fun, new Twitter account @JewishLaw. Every day (hopefully!) we will post a line of text or an insights from the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, an abbreviated compilation by Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried (translated by Hyman Goldin). Please follow us and get involved in the dialogue about Jewish law, spirituality and text!
Do you want to support @JewishLaw? Please give a donation of $5.99 to support one month of our tweeting!
And I appeared or by its proper Hebrew name Va-eira is probably best known to everyone as the Torah portion where Pharaoh’s heart softens and then hardens while Hashem afflicts the Egyptian populace with plague after plague after plague. Moses and Aaron continue their presence in Pharaoh’s court demanding the end of slavery for the Hebrews, and Hashem in a very indirect way appears and then disappears with the hardening and softening of Pharaoh’s heart. Makes for a great moral lesson tackling ones intent and the motivation for actions emanating from the heart, but Pharaoh is not the only example for this so is Moses.
Va’eira begins with Moses doubting his ability and really not wanting a leadership position, and from what the Torah tells us the Hebrews agreed with Moses. This personality trait of Moses I can relate to in a complete and whole way, because like Moses I have made the same suicidal gestures with my career. On multiple occasions and to different levels of leadership I have made it clear that taking the step into management is not my goal and in so many words something I never plan on pursuing. This is not career suicide but it can be read as a suicidal gesture, in reality the incredibly small increase in pay is just not worth the stress of having to be available around the clock while “parenting” grown adults most of whom are many years older than me, and worse of all terminating the income of someone with children. I like to think this is Moses’s outlook as well besides it is not like there are no other candidates for the position, there is Aaron who becomes the head of the Hebrews 40 years after liberation and we learn later on of other Hebrews who really want the job as well.
Moses is smart enough, educated enough, and a believer enough to know the Hebrews will be set free. . . eventually. He knows it will be a long hard road to lead, move, and settle a new land with a people who have a collective body disfigured with deep scars from generations of slavery. Moses’s life is different than those he is charged to lead he understands more and leads for the greater good not the lesser few. Growing up in the west in a pursuit of wealth driven society it is nice to see that Moses’s lesson on humbleness over power is what makes him the most influential leader to Jews and one of the most influential leaders to all other people.
What does Moses’s reluctance say about Jews today? Are we as human beings scattered across a globe living comfortably under different types of government at odds with the type of character and leadership Hashem would like? Or are we so far removed from the Exodus that model is no longer relevant? Comment below or send me a message jeremiah@punktorah.org Twitter: circlepitbimah
