Rabbi Joe’s Torat Tel Aviv

THINK: Kibbud Av v'Em II

In the second part of our series on the mitzva of honouring parents we consider a remarkable passage in the Talmud Yerushalmi that approaches the mitzva from multiple angles and raises the question of whether care for one's parents should be viewed as 'repaying the debt' for everything that they have done for the child
Source sheet here

THINK: Kibbud Av v'Em #1

We begin a four part series on Kibbud Av v'Em , the mitzva of honouring one's parents. 
Where to start? One of the most beautiful yet challenging and complex parts of our lives and an area of Torah which we often don't critically examine past a young age. The material is fascinating and nuanced -  accessible Gemara with a blend of halacha / aggada / midrash and Tanakh. 
Tonight's class begins with a discussion of the nature of kibbud av v'em as a mitzvah, what distinguishes it from other areas of halacha and what are the particular challenges of honouring one's parents in our generation
We then begin to look at the opening sugya in Masekhet Kiddushin which highlights themes of the challenges of conflicting obligations (to one's parents, spouse and children) and consider the gemara's comparison of honouring one's parents to honouring Hashem.
Source sheet here.A couple of recording bugs: for the first couple of minutes, heavy rain can be heard in the background of the recording. At the very end of the class, the last thirty second of the recording is cut off. The poem by Yehuda Amichai being read at the end of the recording is at the end of the source sheet (above)
 
 
 

THINK Shemot: Mosheh - The First 80 Years

The first two-thirds of Mosheh's life all take place within the four chapters of Shemot. What were the experiences that affected the young Mosheh, and why does Hashem choose him as his agent of liberation? What does Mosheh do for all those many years in Midyan? And if it is justice that drives Mosheh why is he so hesitant to return to Egypt when offered? 
Source sheet here
THINK is sponsored by Dr. Alan Wecker and family, in loving memory of his dear uncle and      aunt, Yechiel and Chaya Kleinman, ז״ל.

Short Drash for Vayehi: Max Nordau Responds To Rachel's Tears

A little chassidish immigrant boy in late 19th century Paris related the story of Rachel's death and afterlife with such passion that he changed Max Nordau's life foreverA drash for Vayehi told on Sderot Nordau in Tel Aviv

THINK Vayehi - Ba’alei Selicha? Yosef, Yehuda & The Possibility Of Forgiveness

THIS EPISODE IS OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PODCAST - THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS LISTENED, SHARED AND COMMENTED!
In this week's THINK we examine the long and heroic journeys of both Yosef and Yehuda as they arrive at an acceptance of the wrongs that have been done to them - Yosef towards brothers and Yehuda towards his father.From this vantage point we then consider the intriguing concept of the ba'al selicha - not one who asks for forgiveness, but the person who does the actual forgiving and is able to find the ability within themselves to accept whatever evil was done to them and move on. Why is the ba'al selicha so much less prominent in our tradition than the ba'al teshuva? Is it because to forgive should be so obvious that it shouldn't be named as a loft value? Or could it be the opposite - that true forgiveness is such a challenging concept as to be almost impossible for humans, and that the best we can hope for is the chance to move on and not be defined by the wrongs done to us
Source sheet here

THINK Vayeshev: How To Sell A Brother

Yosef had a dream and told his brothers... and then they sought to kill him?! That escalated quickly!How does a brother, even one that one deeply dislikes, become someone that you are willing to kill or sell? In this week's THINK we focus on a number of small details in the story of the sale of Yosef that give terrifying insight into the ways in which siblings can cease to see one another as human even as they continue to call them their brother. As relevant today as everSource sheet here
THINK is sponsored by Dr. Alan Wecker and family, in loving memory of his dear uncle and  aunt, Yechiel and Chaya Kleinman, ז״ל. This shiur is also in loving memory and l'ilui nishmat of Professor Mark Mirsky who passed away today - a true downtown Jew.
 

Amos, Yosef & A Pair Of Shoes (cross-posted from The Matan Podcast)

This week Rabbi Joe had the pleasure of being a guest once again on the Matan podcast joining Yosefa Fogel Wruble for a conversation about the haftara of Parshat Vayeshev taken from the prophet Amos.
You can listen to the consistently excellent Matan parsha podcast at https://www.matan.org.il/en/matan-podcast/
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In this conversation with R. Joe Wolfson, we explore Amos’ rebuke of the opulent and socially corrupt N. Kingdom of Israel from this week’s Haftorah.   A.J. Heschel, political theorist Michael Walzer, and Louis Brandeis all help connect Amos’ criticisms with the ways a society can erase people’s humanity and how we might mend this.
For more info on R. Joe’s community visit the JLIC Tel Aviv website: https://tlv.oujlic.org/
This week’s episode is dedicated in memory of Daniel Shalom ben Refael Yaakov, by his children, on his third yahrzeit.
This year The Matan Podcast is exploring the weekly Haftorah.

THINK Vayishlach: The Brothers' Reunion, or, Letting Go Of Eisav's Heel

Yaakov returns to Israel after more than two decades away from home and is reunited with his brother Eisav. Their reunion might at first glance appear anti-climactic - hugs and gifts instead of war -  but just below the surface, major movements in personality development and the story of the family are taking place as Yaakov accepts himself for who he is and is able to let go of the heel that he had been holding onto for so long.
Source sheet here
THINK is sponsored by Dr. Alan Wecker and family, in loving memory of his dear uncle and       aunt, Yechiel and Chaya Kleinman, ז״ל. Tonight's learning should be for a refuah sheleima for Gershon Hayim ben Tova Tsofia

THINK Vayetze: In Lavan's House

Yaakov flees his brother's wrath and heads north to find a wife. And ends up staying with his uncle Lavan for twenty years.
Who is the Yaakov that Lavan meets? Why does Yaakov agree to work for free? How does the way that he left his father, mother and brother impact his relationship with his new family? And despite Lavan's manipulation, what does Yaakov learn and gain during these two decades?
Source sheet here
THINK is sponsored by Dr. Alan Wecker and family, in loving memory of his dear uncle and       aunt, Yechiel and Chaya Kleinman, ז״ל.

THINK Toldot: A Tragedy Of Communication

Yaakov's taking of the beracha that was intended for Esav is one of the most challenging stories of the Torah.
We will look at the relationship dynamics of Rivka and Yitzchak, their difficulties of communication, and suggest that in fact Rivka had completely misunderstood Yitzchak's intention. The tragic irony of the story is that Yitzchak had always intended to give the bracha to Yaakov and that Rivka needlessly split the family apart to achieve an end that her husband would have readily agreed to. Inspired by, but differing from, Rav Yehuda Gilad's work in his beautiful work 'Et Kolcha Shamati'
 
Source sheet here
THINK is generously sponsored by Dr. Alan Wecker and family, in loving memory of his dear uncle and aunt, Yechiel and Chaya Kleinman, ז״ל.