Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Weekly Torah portion:

Parashat Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9

In this week’s Torah portion, Moshe continues to his final speech to the Jewish people with a focus on the concept of צדק justice as a crucial component of any society. Moving beyond the principle incumbent on all for “tzedek, tzedek tirdof – justice shall you pursue”, the Torah deals with creating systems and safeguards to ensure society is just, such as appointing judges, the appropriate number of witnesses (3 rather than 1) and the importance of צדק-justice being impartial and not susceptible to bribery.

Family discussion: Justice –  צדק

• What is tzedek? Why is justice so important in the Torah – for God and humanity?
• What are examples of justice and injustice in our world?
• Why do you think the Torah commands us to activity ‘pursue’ justice? What forces in society can inhibit justice?

Israeli-themed podcasts: TLV1

Continuing our podcast theme is a recommendation from an Emanuel grandparent for TLV1 which offers a range of themed podcasts covering music, Hebrew language and Israeli culture, society and politics.

TLV1: Founded in 2013, TLV1 is an English-language podcast network based in Tel Aviv, programming shows that engage local and international audiences on topics in Israel that matter, whether from street-level or the hallways of government. TLV1 podcasts are produced and recorded in their studios located in Tel Aviv, a city which represents Israel’s progressive voice and is its cultural barometer. Each month, listeners from over 210 countries and territories, residing in more than 10,500 cities around the world, log on and tune in. https://tlv1.fm

The Promised Podcast: An inside view of how Israel can warm your heart and make your blood boil. It’s a show by a journalist, a professor and an NGO guy who live in and love Israel even though it drives them crazy, and who each week discuss the latest in Israeli politics, culture and society. https://tlv1.fm/podcasts/the-promised-podcast-show/

Tel Aviv Review: Hosts Gilad Halpern and Dahlia Scheindlin interview scholars, writers and thinkers for in-depth, long-form discussions about their work and ideas that make up the debate in and about Israel. https://tlv1.fm/podcasts/tel-aviv-review-show/

Kol Cambridge: A weekly showcase of the amazing talent and range of Israeli musicians, past and present. From time to time artists are welcomed onto the show in exclusive interviews. Past guests include David Broza, Subliminal, and many more. https://tlv1.fm/podcasts/kol-cambridge-show/

Israel in Translation A weekly podcast exploring Israeli literature in English translation. Host Marcela Sulak takes you through Israel’s literary countryside, cityscapes, and psychological terrain, and the lives of the people who create it. https://tlv1.fm/podcasts/israel-in-translation-show/

Streetwise Hebrew: A bite-size podcast that discusses Modern Hebrew language gems. From slang to etymology, textual graffiti, Biblical idioms that are still around, influences from other languages, and other linguistic phenomena – host Guy Sharett shows us what we can learn about the Israeli psyche, society, and culture through its language. https://tlv1.fm/podcasts/streetwise-hebrew-show/        

The descriptions of these Podcasts is from the TLV1 website.

Month of אלול Elul – Sound of the שופר  Shofar

This week we welcomed in the month of  אלול-Elul, the month preceding ראש השנה-Rosh HaShanah and  יום כיפור-Yom Kippur. It is customary to hear the shofar each morning as part of the process of preparing for the  ימים-Yamim Nora’im – The Days of Awe ( ראש השנה-Rosh HaShanah and יום כיפור-Yom Kippur.

As represented in the image above, the Hebrew letters for month of Elul form an acrostic for the saying ‘I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine’ (Song of Songs 6:3). This line is often incorporated into Jewish wedding celebrations to express the love, dedication and commitment between the bride and groom. In the context of the month of אלול-Elul, this saying from Song of Songs expresses a loving and close relationship with God and that the month of  אלול-Elul is a special time to work on this relationship and to make it even closer and stronger. Sounding the שופר-shofar serves many purposes and in this case is an expression of our connection to the Divine.