Episode 29: The Torah is Your Business (Live at NewCAJE)
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The Torah is Your Business
This week, Eliana and Ellen are live from the NewCAJE Jewish education conference! Together we dive deep into, appropriately, the blessing for studying Torah. Whether it’s the Torah of the James Webb Space Telescope or the Torah of grammar nerdery, small-t torah or big-T Torah, a knot in a string of pearls or a sparkly letter “aleph,” it is sweet and it is your business.
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(0:24) Learn more about NewCAJE here.
(3:13) Shannah – שנה – year. It has the same root as שונה – Shoneh – change.
Rosh – ראש – head.
Learn more about Rosh Hashanah here.
(3:39) Veshinantam – ושננתם – from the Shema, meaning to repeat.
(4:41) You can find the James Webb Telescope pictures here: photos
(5:59) You can find Psalm 8 here.
(8:36) The blessing for studying Torah:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו .וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסק בְּדִבְרֵי-תורָה
Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech haolam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu la’asok b’divrei Torah.
Blessed are You, the One of Sinai, our g?d, the Sovereign of all worlds, who made us holy with your mitzvot, and commanded us to occupy ourselves with words of Torah. (Translation from Kol Haneshama Weekday Siddur)
(11:40) Aron – ארון – ark that contains the Torah scroll.
(12:03) Moreh/morah – מורה מורה – teacher.
Morim – מורים – teachers.
Horim – הורים – parents.
(12:35) You can find My People’s Prayer Book Volume 5 here.
(13:32) Brachot 11b
(14:07) De’oraita – דאורייתא – an aramaic word meaning “from the Torah”
(16:05) Tisch – טיש – a Yiddish word for a gathering with learning and singing.
(18:57) Lilmod – ללמוד – to learn.
(20:23) Havruta – חברותא – a learning partner.
(23:54) Shacharit – שחרית – morning service. Learn more here.
וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מְסַיֵּים בַּהּ הָכִי ״הַעֲרֵב נָא ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶת דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָתְךָ בְּפִינוּ וּבְפִיפִיּוֹת עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנִהְיֶה אֲנַחְנוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵינוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלָּנוּ יוֹדְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ וְעוֹסְקֵי תוֹרָתֶךָ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ הַמְלַמֵּד תּוֹרָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל״.
V’rabi yochanan mesayem bah hachi haarav na hashem eloheinu et divrei toratecha befinu uvifiyot amcha beit yisrael v’nihiye anachnu v’tzetzeinu vtzetzaei amcha beit yisrael kulanu yodel shmecha v’oskei toratecha baruch atah adonai hamelamed torah leamo yisrael.
So Adonai our g?d, make the words of your Torah sweet to us and to the house of Israel Your people, that we and our descendants, and the descendants of Your people, the house of Israel, that we all should know your name and study your Torah for its own sake. Blessed are You Adonai who teaches Torah to Your people Israel.
(27:25) Torah Lishma – תורה לשמה – Learning for the sake of learning.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכׇּל הָעַמִּים וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת תּוֹרָתוֹ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ נוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה
Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech haolam asher bachar banu mikol haamim vnatan lanu et torato baruch atah adonai notein hatorah.
Blessed are You Adonai our g?d ruler of the world who chose us from all peoples and gave us g?d’s Torah. Blessed are You Adonai who gives the Torah.
(40:05) Learn more about Noah benShea, who teaches the story about knots in a string of pearls, here.
(40:48) Learn more about SVARA here.
(42:40) You can listen to Jeff Klepper and Danny Freelander’s melody here.
(43:20) You can listen to Dan Nichols’ version “Sweet As Honey” here.
(44:38) You can watch “Rashi: A Light after the Dark Ages” here.
(45:36) You can listen to Abbie Strauss’ melody here.
(45:44) You can listen to Rabbi David Paskin’s melody here.
(46:53) Yofi – יופי – great.
The “golden shimmering aleph” Eliana invites in for the closing practice was inspired by another Jewish VHS from her childhood, Lights open ark on Shabbat. .