In the days before GPS devices, you could prepare for a trip by going to the AAA office and requesting a “TripTik.” A TripTik was a series of maps bound together and hi-lited to show your route from your house to your destination. The Torah Portion, Mas’ei, the final Portion in the Book of Numbers […]
Archives for July 2011
Episode Two: How To Emulate God
In Episode Two of The Tisch Rabbi Michael Rose Knopf and his students at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley, PA continue their studies. Rabbi Knopf and his students are in the midst of studying Rabbi Moses Cordovero and his concept of forgiveness in preparation for the High Holidays. http://media.blubrry.com/jcasttotalfeed/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/jcastnetwork.com/storage/Tisch/002.mp3Podcast: Download
Podcast: Download
Torah Commentary – Matot
The Torah Portion, Mattot, opens with God’s commandment that: “A man who will make a vow to YHWH or has sworn an oath to make a restriction on himself shall not desecrate his word. He shall do it according to everything that comes out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:3)* As with all Torah Portions, Mattot, […]
Mas’ey Limerick
This weeks Parasha, Mas’ey, begins with a travelogue, of sorts. Moses lists all of the places where the Israelites have encamped up to this point. It then switches gears and Moses relays God’s command to destroy all of the remnants of the Caananites in the land of Israel – both people and religious shrines. It […]
Summertime, and the Living is Miserable
It’s 100 degrees here in Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. It’s sweltering, humid, buggy and dusty. Pretty miserable. But then, miserable is just what high summer should be on the Jewish calendar. This week we marked the 17th of Tammuz, the minor fast day marking the date when a number of mythic calamities befell Israel, […]
Episode Nine: Fiscal Sponsorship
In the ninth episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about figuring out all of the legal issues that are needed to begin a new non-profit venture. Darone talks about the frustrations in trying to find a lawyer who would do the paperwork for incorporation, EIN filing, and 501(c)(3) status filing pro bono. […]
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Episode One: How To Emulate God
In Episode One of The Tisch Rabbi Michael Rose Knopf invites us to join him in his weekly tisch at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley, PA. Rabbi Knopf is in the midst of studying Rabbi Moses Cordovero and his concept of forgiveness in preparation for the High Holidays. http://media.blubrry.com/jcasttotalfeed/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/jcastnetwork.com/storage/Tisch/001.mp3Podcast: Download
Podcast: Download
Mattot Limerick
This week’s parsha, Mattot, has some difficult passages. It contains the laws of vows and the consequences for failing to carry them out. It also speaks about how women are not responsible for fulfilling vows if their husbands or fathers do not want them to. We then plunge head first into battle with the Midianites- […]
Torah Commentary – Pinchas
In terms of story qualities, the Torah Portion, Pinchas, stands in direct contrast to the previous Portion, Balak. Where the narrative of Balak was dramatic, poetic, and visually memorable, Pinchas is more like a series of memoranda. According to commentary, it is the 40th year of the Israelites’ wandering. They are encamped at “an eastern […]
Episode Eight: Flexibility
In the eighth episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about his need to be flexible as he continues to explore and refine what JCast Network will be. While Darone initially conceived JCast Network to be an audio podcast network, he has been slowly convinced to think more broadly, now including video podcasts […]
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