Latest News
Last night's dialogue on the direction of Modern Orthodox education was extremely successful. Stay tuned for information about the video of the event.
Upcoming Events
August 1 SBM program at Cong. Ahabat Sholom in Lynn MA 11 am
August 6-7 SBM Shabbaton in Portland ME
August 8 SBM program at Congregation Beth Sholom, Providence RI
To see the schedule for this year's Summer Beit Midrash, go here.
Weekly Dvar Torah
What does this Devarim 4:15 command us guard our nefesh against? In context here, the phrase seems clearly to refer to a spiritual danger. However, in Yehoshua 23:11 the context is more ambiguous, as the overall risk is certainly to military success. In that light, it may be that our verse should be read as primarily a continuation of verse 14 – that failure to guard the nefesh will prevent us from reaching or maintaining ourselves in Israel. Thus interpretation offered by a Roman nobleman on Berakhot 32b – 33a, which sees this verse as establishing an obligation to protect one’s own life, is not that farfetched (see also Netziv’s defense of that interpretation), although at some other time I hope to discuss how much halakhic weight we ought to give that interpretation.
Most of rabbinic tradition, however, reads the verse as a caution against avodah zarah, perhaps even against thoughts of avodah zarah. (Perhaps this is a backformation from Ketubot 46a taking Devarim 23:10, “venishmarata mikol davar ra”, as forbidding erotic thoughts?). This raises the question of the connection between the two halves of the verse. One key question is whether the absence of a temunah (visual image?) at Chorev is the reason that making a pesel (sculpted image?) would be terribly wrong, or rather a reason that the Jews might be tempted to make a pesel.
Bekhor Shor suggests that, ironically, the absence of a visual image of the event, combined with an imperative to remember the actual event, might drive us to create a visual image as a mnemonic. Netziv accepts his psychology generally but rejects his interpretation, arguing instead that the verse simply requires us to redouble our efforts not to forget Revelation. Ramban may be suggesting (I don’t get the kabbalistic references) that, in the absence of a visual image, we might be led astray by imagining the producer of the voice we heard.
To read the whole article, go here.
Shabbat Shalom!
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SBM Alumni News
If you have any news to share with the SBM alumni, including graduations, please let us know at moderntorahleadership@gmail.com.
Jonathan Ziring ('09) has a few articles in the latest edition of Kol HaMevaser. In particular, the article on p. 17, Halakhah, More than Exegesis" mentions his experience in SBM.
Mazal Tov to these alumni:
Avraham ('02) and Daniela Bronstein on the birth on their son, Elisha Chanan
Rachel Katler ('06-8) on her graduation from McGill University
Ariel Diamond ('04,9) on his graduation from Yeshiva College
Josh Shrager ('00) on his engagement to Yehudit Weinberger
Elliot ('01) and Toby Kaplowitz on the birth of their son, Matan
Michael Pershan (’09) on winning this year’s Weinstein Prize in Jewish Studies at Harvard University and on his graduation. Michael's entry was “The Law of Closed Vessels in the Tent of Death: A comparative study of the law in the Temple Scroll and the Mishnah”.
Sara ('07) and Noam Greenberg on the birth of their daughter, Penina Hadas
Avishai Gebler ('09) on his graduation from Columbia
Yonatan ('01) and Elana Kohn on the birth of their son
