Climbing Sinai

This entry has been cross-posted at the JPS Blog.

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago recently announced that the PJ Library is launching its free book program in the city. Each month for three years, the PJ Library will send a new, free book to thousands of young Jewish families in the Chicago area. Children receive the gift of a great, age-appropriate Jewish storybook, and families receive the gift of being able to enrich their children’s Jewish learning experiences, and of feeling embraced by the broader Jewish community. Chicago, in fact, is only one of 100-plus communities throughout North America where PJ Library operates – each month, the program reaches over 50,000 children! According to the Chicago Federation announcement,

In each community where it is available, the PJ Library receives enthusiastic praise from parents and grandparents who cite the high quality of the books, and the thoughtful accompanying guides for parents to provide background on topics, among their favorite aspects of the program.

[...]And then, there is the excitement felt by children each month when an envelope arrives in the mail addressed to them, and the joy the parents feel when they watch their children’s faces light up when they learn something new. “The program isn’t just free—that it makes learning about Judaism fun, is priceless,” commented Deborah Cooper, PJ Library program director.

The books that PJ Library selects are age-appropriate and are meant to engage a broad spectrum of Jewish families. Themes tend of focus on Jewish holidays, the Bible, Jewish values, and folklore.

Wishing all the littlest residents of the Windy City happy reading,
Naomi

This entry is cross-posted at the JPS Blog.

Riddle me this: what’s better than Torah and the Wizard of Oz combined?

Uh… nothing.  Except this great cartoon on this week’s portion, Shoftim, brought to you by the fantastic folks at G-dCast:

Parshat Shoftim from G-dcast.com
More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

I really enjoyed this week’s edition of G-dCast – it’s a clear, concise overview of the parsha’s content through the lens of the famous Torah directive, “Justice, justice you shall pursue.”  I kind of wish, though, that G-dCast had taken a more analytical approach – what exactly does “justice” (”tzedek“) mean, at least in this context?  I certainly wouldn’t equate the “justice” of our parshah to contemporary concepts of social justice, although many people today like to use “tzedek, tzedek tirdof” as their biblical charge, as it were, to pursue social justice work.  In fact, at the end of  the cartoon, the narrator himself seems to indicate that the tzedek of our parsha is pretty much all about social justice (poverty, the environment, etc).

I’m inclined to disagree – it’s clear in the text (and in the cartoon) that the “justice” of our parsha is all about setting up a functioning legal system that will have to deal with all sorts of issues – resolving neighborly disputes, excommunicating false witnesses, even regulating the king’s religious life.  Limiting the definition of tzedek to only certain kinds of societal ills does no justice (ha ha!) to the parsha or to the intricate, fascinating legal system of ancient Israel.

Disclaimer: Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of social justice work… As Bob Dylan says, “I’ve made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.”

This entry is cross-posted at the JPS Blog.

After five years of determined city living, this week I’m going back to my roots: the suburbs.  That’s right.  Quiet, uncrowded streets, picket fences, and Donna Reed look-alikes everywhere!  Now, this is only a two-week stint of house (and dog and teenager)-sitting, but it’s already had a dramatic impact on my daily routine.  There’s the dog-walking and the much, much longer walk to the nearest coffee shop.  There’s also the longer morning commute – no more walking to work, or hopping on a bus.  But therein lies something truly wonderful.  In my five years of living a city life, I had almost completely forgotten something integral to my personality: I. Love. Driving.  I love it!  The freedom to go wherever I like, whenever I like – bus schedules be darned.  There’s the thrill of doing 60mph on the expressway, singing along to the radio…

… Wait.  Problem. This week isn’t just any old week.  Thursday marks what is perhaps one of the most somber days in the Jewish calendar: Tisha B’Av.  It’s a day of fasting and mourning, a day that marks not only the destruction of the First and Second Temples, but also the many other major disasters that have befallen the Jewish people.  It’s such a serious day that a tradition has arisen to extend the mourning period for the three weeks (or nine days) prior to the holiday.  For many people, that means three weeks of no weddings or parties, no new clothes… and no music.

So what’s a driver to do?  I can’t just drive in silence!  That’s when it hit me: Hey!  I work for a Jewish Publisher!  What about Jewish books – audio books?!  I can simply combine two of my favorite things – driving and Jewish learning – into one super-awesome activity!

JPS, in cooperation with the Jewish Braille Institute, has an audio Bible in the works.  In the meantime, here are some great Jewish audio book resources for you to enjoy during the Three Weeks and beyond:

● Audible.com offers about 60 Jewish-content audio books, ranging from “Maimonides and Medieval Jewish Philosophy” to “Yenta Unplugged (Excuse Me, I’m Talking).”
● ClassicSinai.com has 26 fascinating (and free!) mp3 downloads on topics like “Genesis and the Big Bang,” “The Matrix and Jewish Reality,” and “Crash Course in Jewish Holidays.”
● Want to learn about Judaism from the best the academic world has to offer?  The Teaching Company offers entire audio courses by renowned professors on subjects such as “Beginnings of Judaism,” “Jewish Civilization from Mohammad to Spinoza,” and “Jewish Intellectual History: 16th to 20th Century.”

Happy driving!
-Naomi

This entry is cross-posted at the JPS Blog.

For the past few months, the team at G-dcast has been producing and broadcasting a weekly 4-minute cartoon about the parshah – the Torah portion read that week in synagogue.  The G-dcasts are colorful, they’re creative, they’re an easy introduction to the parshah’s content, and – almost always – they raise insightful and thought-provoking questions posed by the text.

The parshah this week touches on one of my favorite vignettes in the entire Torah – the story of the daughters of Zelophehad (now, here is where I would normally recap that story for you myself, but I’ll let G-dcast do the work this time).  I was curious to see how G-dcast would approach this material, and I really like the “spin” that they’ve put on the story.  There is definitely a feminist undercurrent in this week’s parshah, and G-dcast has decided to run with it.

Parshat Pinchas from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

-Naomi