Rooted and Relevant: 21st Century Jewish Life
In her presentiation, Rooted and Relevant: 21st Century Jewish Life, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., explores how Reconstructionist Judaism can lead the way in the post-COVID world toward a religious revival that meets this century’s new realities.
Posted on March 5, 2021 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
May We All Be Liberated Soon
Usually, on Passover, we ask “How is this night different from all other nights?”. This year, many of us are asking, “How does this Passover resemble any we’ve ever experienced?” While social distancing has seemingly changed everything, Passover is still about telling the story of going from oppression to freedom.
Posted on April 3, 2020 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
Divine Justice: A Jewish Perspective
Video of Chautauqua Institution talk on Jewish views of Divine Justice (July 19, 2019)
Posted on November 7, 2019 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
A High Holiday Message
The Talmud tells us that God created repentance (teshuvah) before creating the physical world. As Billy Joel once sang, “we’re only human, we’re supposed to make mistakes.” It’s how we respond to mistakes, how we grow, that matters. This video explores the twin themes of teshuvah and gratitude (hakarat hatov.) Our tradition offers us practices that cultivate self-reflection and humility, relationship and repair. We hope these words offer some comfort and guidance as you undergo your own process of teshuvah and, in meaningful relationships with others, make Godliness present in the world.
Posted on September 20, 2019 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
High Holiday Message from Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D.
At Rosh Hashanah, as we turn to new beginnings, we seek to repent—to do teshuvah—for what we have done wrong. And we can also affirmatively foster ourselves toward resilience—toward a thriving, loving outlook in spite of whatever challenges we encounter in life. In this video, I explore themes of resilience embedded into Jewish practice.
Posted on September 19, 2017 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
The Cornerstone of a Better World
A powerful Reconstructionist message responding to recent acts of anti-Semitism, as well as inspiring examples of the best of humanity.
Posted on March 3, 2017 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
Light and Darkness
In this video, Rabbi Deborah Waxman offers a High Holiday message of hope in spite of the problems confronting the world and the personal travails we all face.
Posted on September 21, 2016 by
Rabbi
Deborah Waxman
Ph.D.
Jewish Peoplehood: Educational Resources
Rabbi Jeffrey Schein has created this suite of educational resources on Jewish peoplehood, under the auspices of the Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood.
Posted on June 28, 2016 by
Rabbi
Jeffrey Schein
Fighting for a Good Name
With few transgender role models, Rabbi Jacob Lieberman, ’15, faced harassment and bullying almost entirely alone growing up. As an adult, he found acceptance within the Reconstructionist community and from himself. In this d’var torah, Rabbi Lieberman shares how Jewish resources can help comfort those who struggle to find acceptance and wholeness.
Posted on April 18, 2016 by
Rabbi
Jacob Lieberman
A Kiss is Just A Kiss?
In this talk from the 2015 Global Day of Jewish Learning, Professor Joel Hecker discusses the diverse meanings ascribed to kissing in Jewish mystical literature.
Posted on November 15, 2015 by
Joel Hecker
Ph.D.
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