National Scholar Updates

To our members and friends: I extend best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. Shalom al Yisrael, and shalom on all good people everywhere who promote peace and understanding.

With the holiday season approaching, we consider new beginnings. The newly created position of National Scholar enables the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals to bring classes and special programs to communities, college campuses, and the wider public through publications and the internet. Response thus far from Institute members and from the communities I have visited has been most gratifying. There is a deeply felt sense that the vision represented by our Institute is relevant and necessary for the spiritual health and growth of the Jewish community.

Thank you to those who support the work of the Institute—we are spreading our wings more than ever before and can do so because of the community-wide support of our members. Here is what is coming up for the fall: · We are nearing the final editing stage of a Synagogue Companion with commentary on the Torah, Haftarot, and the Shabbat morning prayer service. This volume will contain short pieces—generally 300-500 words each, to deliver meaningful content to people of all backgrounds.

The Institute will publish this volume in January 2014, and will distribute it to Institute members and to synagogues across the country. If you are interested in contributing toward the publication of this volume, please contact me no later than October 1 for co-sponsorship and dedication opportunities. [email protected]. ·

One of my major projects over the summer has been the development of a lecture series on the religious philosophy of our Institute. Through a series of lectures in Manhattan (we are currently working on time and location, and will let you know), and a number of lectures elsewhere, we will explore several central topics that impact on contemporary Jewish life. Our goal is to create a faithful, expansive worldview that incorporates great rabbinic voices from throughout history and from all over the Jewish world. This series, along with my ongoing teaching of Bible, will play a major role in my teaching in Manhattan and in different communities and campuses throughout the country over the next couple of years.

Here are some upcoming lectures that I will be giving. They are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. ·

Stanley Rudoff Memorial Lecture at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education (37 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan), “Introduction to Kohelet: confronting religious challenges.” Tuesday, September 10, 7:30-9:00 pm. ·

Lecture for a Book Reception for a new commentary by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik on the Torah: Chumash Mesorat HaRav: Chumash with Commentary Based on the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. This project was sponsored by pillars of our Institute, Stephen and Nataly Neuwirth. The event will be held at the Young Israel of New Rochelle, Sunday October 6, 9:30 am. Books will be available for purchase. ·

Queens College Annual Sephardic Lecture, “A Sephardic Approach to Tradition and Modernity: Its Value to Us All,” Wednesday October 9, 7:30-8:30 pm.

Sponsored by our member, Mrs. Elsi Levy. · Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Chovevei Tzion in Chicago, Shabbat December 6-7. This weekend will combine themes in Bible and a Sephardic philosophy. Reservations are through Cong. Chovevei Tzion. ·

Weekly classes in the Book of Judges at Lincoln Square Synagogue (68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan).

Wednesdays from 7:15-8:15 pm from October 16-December 18 (except for November 27). There are sponsorship opportunities available (suggested sponsorship: $360). For more information contact Ms. Elana Stein-Hain, [email protected]. ·

A course on “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” to the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Study at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University). The goal is to train these elite students how to serve more effectively as scholars-in-residence or as future synagogue professionals. This is for students in the Graduate Program only.

Here are several other projects that I've been working on: ·

Reprinting my first collection of biblical studies, Through an Opaque Lens, as an electronic book (with Kodesh Press). The goal is to bring this project to fruition and then do the same for the next two collections, Revealed Texts, Hidden Meanings and Creating Space between Peshat and Derash. ·

Working with the Aleph Beta Academy (alephbeta.org) to develop online classes that survey the Bible.

Thank you for your support and encouragement, and I look forward to building this vision with you and the broader community in the coming year and beyond. Shanah tovah.

I welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. To join the Institute, to contribute, or to learn more about our work, please go to our website, www.jewishideas.org.

Hayyim Angel

National Scholar, Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals

October, 2013

To our members and friends: Thanks again for your enthusiastic support and encouragement. Here are a number of updates on my work as National Scholar of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. ·

We have created a new area on our website, jewishideas.org, Online Learning. On this page you can find a list of links to online classes I have given. We expect this area to grow rapidly as we offer new classes through the Institute. Please join in the online learning at jewishideas.org. ·

The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals is co-sponsoring a nine-part series of weekly classes with Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Book of Judges. This course will be held at Lincoln Square Synagogue, 68th and Amsterdam, New York City. Classes are on Wednesday evenings 7:15-8:15 pm, from October 16-December 18 (except November 27). Classes are free and open to the public. There are sponsorship opportunities available (suggested sponsorship: $360). For more information contact Ms. Elana Stein-Hain, [email protected]. ·

I will be giving a four-part mini-course at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, Queens: Three classes on Biblical Wisdom (Proverbs, Job,Kohelet), Sunday evenings, 7:30-8:30 pm, October 13, 20, 27. On Sunday, November 17, 7:30-8:30 pm, separate lecture on “The Books of the Maccabees and Rabbinic Thought: Getting to the Roots of Hanukkah.” Classes are free and open to the public. ·

I am lecturing for the Columbia/Barnard Hillel, in conjunction with our University Network program: “Learning Faith from the Text, or Text from Faith: The Challenges of Teaching and Learning the Avraham Narratives and Commentary.” Sunday, October 27, 12:00pm. ·

I am teaching a course course this fall semester on “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” for the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Study at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University). The goal is to train these elite students how to serve more effectively as scholars-in-residence or as future synagogue professionals. This course is open to students in the Graduate Program only. ·

I spoke at the Book Reception for a new commentary by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik on the Torah: Chumash Mesorat HaRav: Chumash with Commentary Based on the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. This project was sponsored by pillars of our Institute, Stephen and Nataly Neuwirth. The event was held at the Young Israel of New Rochelle on October 6. ·

I delivered the Queens College Annual Sephardic Lecture, “A Sephardic Approach to Tradition and Modernity,” on October 9. The lecture was sponsored by our member, Mrs. Elsi Levy. Here are some other projects I have been working on: · Development of a lecture series on the religious philosophy of our Institute.

Through a series of lectures in Manhattan (we are close to determining time and location, and will let you know as soon as we do), and a number of lectures elsewhere, we will explore several central topics that impact on contemporary Jewish life. Our goal is to create a faithful, expansive worldview that incorporates great teachings from throughout the Jewish world. This series, along with my teaching of Bible, will play a major role my work in different communities and campuses throughout the country.

If your community is interested in a lecture/program, please contact me at [email protected] ·

I have prepared a Synagogue Companion with commentary on the Torah, Haftarot, and the Shabbat morning prayer service. This volume will contain short pieces—generally 300-500 words each, to deliver meaningful content to people of all backgrounds. The Institute will publish this volume in January 2014, and will distribute it to Institute members and to synagogues across the country. ·

There will soon be a new revised version of my first collection of biblical studies, Through an Opaque Lens: The Bible Refracted through Eternal Rabbinic Wisdom, as an electronic book (with Kodesh Press). The goal is to bring this project to fruition and then do the same for the next two collections, Revealed Texts, Hidden Meanings and Creating Space between Peshat and Derash. ·

I am working with the Aleph Beta Academy (alephbeta.org) to develop online classes that survey the Bible. Thus far my classes on the Books of Joshua and Lamentations are online, and Judges should follow shortly. I welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

If you are a member of the Institute, I thank you for your support. If you are not yet a member, please join us by making your membership contribution at jewishideas.org.

January, 2015

To our members and friends, I hope you are enjoying your winter.

We have completed the year’s first semester with a host of programs and classes, and eagerly anticipate our upcoming offerings.

Here are some of the major highlights coming up in January and February:

Sunday, February 22, 10:00am-1:00pm: I am organizing a symposium to be held at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan on the topic of “From the Academy to the Religious Community: How we can gain religious insight from academic Jewish Studies.”

· Dr. Chaviva Levin: “What Medieval Jewish Apostates Can Teach Us about the Mitzvah of Ahavat HaGer”

· Rabbi Hayyim Angel: “Afterlife in Jewish Thought: The Evolution of an Idea and Implications for Religious Life Today”

· Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder: “Berlin in Volozhin? The Relevance of Academic Talmud to the Denizens of the Beit Midrash” Light refreshments will be served. This exciting new program is co-sponsored by The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals and Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun. Free and open to the public.

Kehilath Jeshurun (114 East 85th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan): My next two Shabbatot as part of a monthly Rabbinic Scholar program will be a sermon on the morning of Shabbat January 17 at the Sephardic minyan (services begin at 9:00am), and then a talk on “Coffee and Halakhah” after Kiddush.

On Shabbat February 21, I will give the sermon at the Sephardic minyan, and other classes (to be determined) later in the day. Classes are free and open to the public.

Second Samuel: In-Depth Bible Study: I will continue our in-depth Tanakh learning at Lincoln Square Synagogue (68th Street and Amsterdam in Manhattan). This semester we begin with 2 Samuel chapter 11. Newcomers are always welcome. Classes meet on Wednesday evenings, 7:15-8:15pm. Dates for the spring semester are: Jan 28; Feb 4, 11, 18, 25; March 11, 18, 25 (not March 4, Purim) Classes are co-sponsored by our Institute and Lincoln Square Synagogue. Registration is required, please go to lss.org/RabbiAngel.

On Shabbat February 7, I will give a class on the Ten Commandments after services at Congregation Ohab Shalom, 270 West 84th Street (between Broadway and West End Avenue in Manhattan). Services begin at 9:00am. Free and open to the public.

On Thursday February 12, 8:00pm, I will be speaking on the Book of Esther at the Yeshiva University Sefarim Sale, followed by a book signing and launch of my newest book, Jewish Holiday Companion, published this past November by the Institute.

On Shabbat February 27-28, I will be scholar-in-residence at Congregation Ahavath Torah, 240 Broad Avenue, Englewood, New Jersey. Free and open to the public. This past fall, I taught an eight-week course, entitled Creating Jewish Unity. This series explored and promoted many of our core values at the Institute. You now can hear the entire series on our website jewishideas.org, and go to Online Learning. Continuing with our teacher training program, I will be giving a nine-part series to Honors Rabbinical Students at Yeshiva University on how to teach Bible in synagogues. This course is open to Honors Rabbinical Students at Yeshiva University. Here are some of the highlights from the past two months:

· October 24-25: Scholar-in-residence program, Congregation Anshei Sphard, Memphis, Tennessee.

· November 14-15: Scholar-in-residence program, Young Israel of Hillcrest, Queens.

· November 30: “Modeling the Flood Story: Midrash and Movie”: Panelist discussing interpretations of the Biblical account and the 2014 film Noah

· December 5-6: Scholar-in-residence program, Congregation Beth Israel Abraham and Anshy Voliner, Overland Park, Kansas.

· December 9: Lecture to Yeshiva University Women’s Group.

· December 15: Frisch High School, Paramus New Jersey. Lectures to student body and their parents.

· January 2-3: Scholar-in-residence program, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. · January 5: Lecture at the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah-Maharat Winter Intensive. As always, I thank our members and friends for their support and for enabling us to spread our Institute’s vision through teaching and publications throughout the country and beyond.

November, 2013

To our members and friends: It is so inspiring to feel the excitement for learning I have encountered wherever I have been teaching. There is a palpable thirst in our community for Torah that combines tradition and contemporary scholarship; an open intellectual-textual approach that simultaneously inspires and elevates. These classes lie at the heart of our goals of the Institute, and we are grateful for the widespread positive response and support we have been receiving. Thank you for being part of our vision, and making this possible.

Here are some current highlights and upcoming classes:

· We have created a new area on our website, jewishideas.org, Online Learning. On this page you can find a list of links to online classes I have given. We expect this area to grow rapidly as we offer new classes through the Institute. Please join in on the Torah learning at jewishideas.org.

· The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals is co-sponsoring a nine-part series of weekly classes with Lincoln Square Synagogue in the Book of Judges (68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan). The classes are taught at a high level and accessible to people of all learning backgrounds. Wednesdays from 7:15-8:15 pm from October 16-December 18 (except November 27). Classes are free and open to the public. Although the course has begun all are welcome to join as each lecture stands on its own.

As a sequel to this course, I will be giving a ten-part series on the First Book of Samuel on Wednesday evenings at Lincoln Square Synagogue from January 29-April 2.

· On Sunday, November 17, 7:30-8:30 pm, I will give a lecture at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, Queens: “The Books of the Maccabees and Rabbinic Thought: Getting to the Roots of Hanukkah.” The class is free and open to the public.

· On Monday, November 25: I am lecturing to students at the New York University Hillel, in conjunction with our University Network program.

· I am teaching a course this fall semester on “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” to the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Study at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University). The goal is to train these elite future educators how to serve more effectively as scholars-in-residence or as future synagogue professionals. This is open to students in the Graduate Program only.

· I am teaching four undergraduate courses at Yeshiva University: Judges, Prophecies of Consolation (an Honors course), and two sections of Trei Asar (the “Minor Prophets”). Here are some other projects I have been working on:

· Development of a lecture series on the religious philosophy of our Institute. Through a series of lectures in Manhattan (we are close to determining time and location, and will let you know as soon as we do), and a number of lectures elsewhere, we will explore several central topics that impact on contemporary Jewish life. Our goal is to create a faithful, expansive worldview that incorporates great rabbinic voices from all over the Jewish world. This series, along with my teaching of Bible, will play a major role in different communities and campuses throughout the country over the next few years.

· I have prepared a Synagogue Companion with commentary on the Torah, Haftarot, and the Shabbat morning prayer service. This volume will contain short pieces—generally 300-500 words each, to deliver meaningful content to people of all backgrounds. The Institute will publish this volume in January 2014, and will distribute it to Institute members and to synagogues across the country.

· I just published a revised version of my first collection of biblical studies, Through an Opaque Lens: The Bible Refracted through Eternal Rabbinic Wisdom, as an electronic book and as a paperback on demand. Both versions are available from amazon.com.

· I am working with the Aleph Beta Academy (alephbeta.org) to develop online classes that survey the Bible. Thus far my classes on the Books of Joshua and Lamentations are online, and Judges should follow shortly.

Thank you for your support and encouragement, and I look forward to building this vision with you and the broader community in the coming year and beyond.

I welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. To join the Institute, to contribute, or to learn more about our work, please go to our website, www.jewishideas.org.

Rabbi Hayyim Angel

National Scholar, Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals

National Scholar Six Month Report June 1-November 30, 2013

I am pleased to report that I now have completed the first six months of working as National Scholar of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. It has been an honor and privilege working to support our vision, primarily through teaching and also through writing and internet classes. We have hit the ground running, and this report summarizes our various projects and activities over the past six months. Our initial goals reflect a desire to reach broad segments of the community, joining them in learning dialogue and representing the kind of Torah Judaism that is authentic to tradition and intellectually sound, engaging, and vibrant.

Our major areas of focus are:

University Students:

o Teaching four courses this semester to undergraduates at Yeshiva University forms the heart of this educational element. I will be teaching four more courses in the spring semester. Many of my students have gone on to rabbinical school and careers in the rabbinate and in Jewish education, and many others form the lay backbone of communities nationwide and in Israel.

o Through our University Network, I have given classes at Columbia University and at New York University. A class at the University of Pennsylvania is coming up and I am in touch with campus representatives in several universities as we work on logistics for upcoming classes.

Community Education:

o There is a serious thirst for the kind of learning represented by our Institute, and a growing number of communities have pursued us. Through a combination of Shabbat scholar-in-residence programs, several series’ and lectures in different communities, and many more to come, we are reaching many hundreds of interested adults directly.

o I have developed a series of lectures on the underlying worldview of our Institute. Thus far I have given several lectures in different communities, and look forward to giving a fuller series in the New York area in the near future. • Teacher Training:

o One of our central goals is to train other leaders and educators to spread Torah to schools and communities. In this manner we create bridges with many people in the field to work together.

o Last year I taught a year-long course in “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” to the honors rabbinical students at Yeshiva University. This past semester I taught a one-semester version of the course to the women in the Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University.

o I have given teacher-training seminars to Bible faculties at the Ida Crown Academy (Chicago) and the Ramaz High School (New York). Given the complexities of Bible and Jewish Studies our graduates are likely to encounter on secular university campuses, our training focuses on how to better equip Jewish Studies high school faculties to prepare their students for the University setting.

Internet Learning:

o We have created an Online Learning section on the Institute’s website, jewishideas.org. You will find links to a number of classes of mine, and this section will grow as more of these classes are recorded and posted online.

o I have developed a new kind of class with the Aleph Beta Academy (alephbeta.org), in which I record classes and their video editors create an online video experience. Thus far my classes on the Books of Joshua, Judges, and Lamentations are online, and Samuel and Kings are in process, with more to come.

Publications:

o We are publishing my newest book, A Synagogue Companion, through the Institute this January and it will be distributed to all Institute members and interested synagogues, educators, and laypeople across the country. This volume makes accessible comments on the Torah, Haftarot, and Shabbat morning prayers.

o I have published a second revised edition of my first collection of essays on Bible, Through an Opaque Lens. It is available at amazon.com.

o I have begun organizing a Holiday Companion to be published through the Institute that will contain commentary on the holidays and their major themes. Below is an itemized listing of the various classes and programs over the past six months, as well as some upcoming highlights.

• May 31-June 1: Scholar-in-residence, Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, Queens, NY.
• June 10: Teachers’ in-service at the Ida Crown Jewish Academy (High School) in Chicago.
• June 21-22: Scholar-in-residence, Young Israel of Stamford, Connecticut.
• June 26 Lecture in the Experiential Education program by Yeshiva University, “Teaching the Book of Job.”
• July 19-20: Scholar-in-residence, Mashadi Persian community in Great Neck, NY.
• July 26-27 Scholar-in-residence, Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.
• August 16-17 Scholar-in-residence, Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.
• September 10: Stanley Rudoff Memorial Lecture at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education: “Introduction to Kohelet: confronting religious challenges.”
• October 6: Speaker at Book Reception for new commentary by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik: Chumash Mesorat HaRav: Chumash with Commentary Based on the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Young Israel of New Rochelle.
• October 9: Queens College Annual Sephardic Lecture, “A Sephardic Approach to Tradition and Modernity.”
• Oct 13, 20, 27: Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. Three-part series on Biblical Wisdom (Proverbs, Job, Kohelet).
• October 27: Columbia-Barnard Hillel/Institute University Network. “Learning Faith from the Text, or Text from Faith: The Challenges of Teaching and Learning the Avraham Narratives and Commentary.”
• November 17: Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, “The Books of the Maccabees and Rabbinic Thought: Getting to the Roots of Hanukkah.”
• November 21: Teacher training session, Ramaz Bible faculty, New York.
• November 25: Lecture at New York University Hillel/Institute University Network, “Orthodoxy and Confrontation with Modern Bible Criticism.”
• October 16-December 18: Weekly classes in the Book of Judges at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.
• October 2-December 11: A course on “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” to the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Study at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University.

Upcoming lectures and scholar-in-residence programs

• December 8: Lecture at University of Pennsylvania/Institute University Network. “The Book of Chronicles: a window into how the Bible was written.”
• Shabbat December 13-14: Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Chovevei Tzion in Chicago.
• January 2: Teacher training session, Ramaz Bible faculty, New York.
• Shabbat January 3-4: Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Keter Torah (Roemer) in Teaneck.
• January 13: Megillat Esther, at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.
• January 29-April 2: Weekly classes in the First Book of Samuel at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.
• Shabbat February 7-8: Scholar-in-Residence, Yeshiva University.
• Shabbat March 7-8: Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Shaarei Orah in Teaneck.
• Shabbat, June 20-21: Scholar-in-Residence, Young Israel of Oceanside.

To our members and friends

All of our educational programs and projects continue apace. I sent out my six-month summary last month, and here are some upcoming programs and projects for January:

The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals is proud to co-sponsor a new ten-part series of weekly classes with Lincoln Square Synagogue in the First Book of Samuel (68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan). The classes are taught at a high level and accessible to people of all learning backgrounds. Ten Wednesdays from 7:15-8:15 pm from January 29-April 2. Registration for the entire course costs $150, or it costs $20 per class if you register in advance/$25 at the door per class. You can register at lss.org/RabbiAngel. If you have any registration questions, please contact Ms. Elana Stein Hain, [email protected].

Shabbat Jan 3-4: Shabbat scholar-in-residence at Keter Torah (Roemer) in Bergenfield, New Jersey. This Shabbat will have a strong biblical focus.

Monday Jan 13, 3:40-4:20 seder, 4:20-5:10 shiur, “Megillat Esther: What They Didn’t Teach Us in Day School.” At Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in Riverdale (3700 Henry Hudson Parkway). Students and alumni free, adults $50, students $36 for day. You can register at yctorah.org. This class is part of a Bible study-day conducted by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.

This month, my newest book, A Synagogue Companion, will be published and distributed to members of the Institute and to interested synagogues and others. It is published by the Institute, in lieu of Conversations issue 18. If you are interested in ordering multiple copies for your school or synagogue at a very reduced rate, please contact Rabbi Marc Angel, [email protected].

The regular Conversations schedule is on track, with the next regular issue scheduled for publication in May.

I have recorded my classes on the Book of Samuel, and will be recording my classes on the Book of Esther for the Aleph Beta Academy. Their video editors will then create the educational videos that will be put on their website. Check out alephbeta.org to see my courses on Joshua, Judges, and Lamentations, as well as many other classes by other educators in this engaging format.

I will be continuing my teacher-training sessions at the Ramaz High School in New York on January 2. We are working with their Bible faculty in reviewing aspects of their curriculum. This session is open to the Ramaz faculty only.

I am beginning four new undergraduate courses at Yeshiva University: Samuel, Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi (an Honors course), and two sections of Jeremiah. These course are open to students at Yeshiva University.

In addition to classes to adults and college students, teacher training, and publications, part of my role as the Institute’s National Scholar is to be a resource, and I regularly correspond with many people on important issues in Jewish thought and education.

I recently received a note from a student who lives in Israel. This is a very lightly edited and abridged version of what he wrote: “I am currently in my fourth year in a hesder program. I recently finished my mandatory service in the army and during my service your online classes on Tanach and your books kept Torah alive for me. During a time in my life when Torah learning was not as accessible as one would want, your teachings made it accessible for me…Again I wanted to let you know just how much I enjoy listening to your classes and reading your books, they have really helped me learn Tanach in an entirely new fashion, and I owe my passion for Tanach study to you.” Needless to say, I was deeply moved by this note. This heroic young man who serves our nation took whatever free moments he had to learn Torah. I thanked him for sharing his thoughts and referred him to our Online Learning section on our Institute’s website so that he may access a growing number of our lectures online and perhaps find other materials and articles of interest.

My father, Rabbi Marc Angel, often receives far-away inquiries and comments through our Institute from every corner of the globe. Thank you for your support and encouragement in making all of this a reality, and we look forward to expanding our scope and reach in the coming years.

Thank you for your support and encouragement, and I look forward to building this vision with you and the broader community in the coming year and beyond. I welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Rabbi Hayyim

Angel National Scholar

To our members and friends

As Shavuot approaches, Torah study through our Institute continues full-throttle. I am grateful to have worked for the Institute as its National Scholar for nearly a year, and look forward to continuing to teach for many years to come as we promote our vision in communities and college campuses, and through our publications and online classes. I thank all of you for your continued encouragement and support.

Here are some upcoming events: We have begun a new seven-part series on the Book of Samuel at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan (68th Street and Amsterdam). It will be on the Wednesday evenings in May and June from 7:15-8:15 pm (with the exception of June 4, Shavuot). It began this past Wednesday with 1 Samuel chapter 16. Registration is $100 for the course, or $20 per lecture, at lss.org/RabbiAngel. All are welcome.

Over Shavuot, I will be the scholar-in-residence at the Young Israel of West Hartford (2240 Albany Ave, West Hartford, CT). They are celebrating a community-wide study of Tanakh over the past year, and this Shavuot will be a culmination of that learning. All are welcome.

On Shabbat, June 20-21, I will be the scholar-in-residence at the Young Israel of Oceanside. Their community also has been pursuing a Tanakh program, and this weekend will feature in-depth learning in the Books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. All are welcome.

On Tuesday, June 24, I will be teaching in Yeshiva University’s Experiential Learning program. This is their fourth year of this innovative graduate program for creative Jewish educators. This class is open to participants in that program.

On Sunday-Monday June 29-30: I will be teaching at the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yemei Iyyun in Tanakh and Jewish Thought. The Institute is one of the co-sponsoring organizations of this annual learning. This year, the program will be held at Manhattan Day School (310 West 75th Street in Manhattan). Registration forms and more information available at http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/895/17/ All are welcome.

On the five Wednesdays of July (11:30am-12:45pm), I will be teaching a series on the weekly Haftarah as part of the inauguration of the new program Lamdeinu in Teaneck, New Jersey. The classes will be held at Congregation Beth Aaron, 950 Queen Anne Road. The course costs $75, and is open to the entire community. For more information and other offerings, please contact [email protected]. All are welcome.

As always, a growing number of my online classes are available at the “Online Learning” section of our website, jewishideas.org. Two more books are on the way. I am in the final stages of editing of a new collection of essays on Tanakh, with a focus on learning methodology. It is entitled Peshat Isn’t So Simple: Essays on Developing a Religious Methodology to Bible Study, and will be published by Kodesh Press.

My next publication project through the Institute is a Jewish Holiday Companion that will contain insights and explanations of the readings, prayers, and rituals of the holidays. As with my Synagogue Companion, we hope to distribute copies of this book to all members of our Institute, and to interested synagogues and schools across the country.

Looking forward to much continued learning together,

Rabbi Hayyim Angel

National Scholar

National Scholar One Year Report June 1, 2013—May 31, 2014

Rabbi Hayyim Angel National Scholar, Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals [email protected] jewishideas.org

To our members and friends, I am pleased to report that I now have completed the first year of working as the National Scholar of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. We have hit the ground running, and it has been an honor and privilege working to promote our vision nationwide primarily through teaching, and also through writing and creating internet classes.This report summarizes my various projects and activities over the past year.

Overall, I gave over 220 classes, spoke in dozens of communities and campuses, published four books (including two through the Institute), and created a series of online classes. I thank the supporters of the Institute, as well as all of the interested communities and campuses, for making this explosion of learning possible.

The major areas of focus are:

• University Students:

o Teaching four courses per semester to undergraduates at Yeshiva University forms the heart of this educational element. Many of my students have gone on to rabbinical school, graduate school in Jewish Studies, and careers in the rabbinate and in Jewish education, and many others form the lay backbone of communities nationwide and in Israel. I remain in touch with a sizable number of former students. More significantly, a growing number of rabbis and educators who were not my students have found an address for their questions at the Institute.

o In conjunction with our University Network, I have given classes at Columbia University, New York University,University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Brandeis University, and University of Chicago. It has been a valuable experience learning together with students on various campuses, exchanging ideas, and connecting them with our vision.

• Community Education:

o There is a serious thirst for the kind of learning represented by our Institute, and a sizable number of communities have invited us. Through a combination of scholar-in-residence programs and lectures in different communities, we reached thousands of interested adults directly in the past year.

o I have developed a series of lectures on the worldview of our Institute. This past year I gave several individual lectures in different communities, and look forward to offering a full series in the New York area in the coming year.

• Teacher Training:

o One of our central goals is to train other rabbis, community leaders, and educators to spread Torah to schools and communities. In this manner we create bridges with many people in the field to work together. o Last year I taught a year-long course in “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” to honors rabbinical students at Yeshiva University. This past year I taught a one-semester version to the women in the Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University.

o I participate annually as faculty in Yeshiva University’s graduate program in Experiential Education. o I taught a course to rabbinical students at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in Riverdale, NY, with an emphasis on both content and methodology.

o I gave teacher-training seminars to Bible faculties at the Ida Crown Academy (Chicago) and the Ramaz High School (New York). Given the complexities of Bible and Jewish Studies our graduates are likely to encounter on secular university campuses, our training focuses on how to equip Jewish Studies high school faculties to prepare their students for the University setting.

• Internet Learning: o We have created an Online Learning section on the Institute’s website, jewishideas.org. You can find links to a growing number of classes of mine there.

o I have developed a new kind of onlinevideo class with the Aleph Beta Academy (alephbeta.org). Thus far my classes on the Books of Joshua, Judges, Lamentations, and Esther are online, Samuel and Kings are in process, and more is yet to come.

• Publications:

o The Institute published my Synagogue Companion this past January. It was distributed to Institute members and interested synagogues, educators, and laypeople across the country. This volume makes accessible comments on the Torah, Haftarot, and Shabbat morning prayers. Additional copies are available at the Institute online store and at amazon.com.

o I published a revised second edition of my first collection of essays on Bible, Through an Opaque Lens. It is available at amazon.com.

o I published a new collection of essays on Bible with a focus on methodology, Peshat Isn’t So Simple. It is available at amazon.com.

o I am in the editing stages of a Jewish Holiday Companion that will be published through the Institute. It contains commentary on the holidays and their major themes and readings.

Below is an itemized listing of the various classes and programs over the past year, as well as some upcoming highlights.

• May 31-June 1: Scholar-in-residence, Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, Queens, NY.

• June 10: Teachers’ in-service at the Ida Crown Jewish Academy (High School) in Chicago.

• June 21-22: Scholar-in-residence, Young Israel of Stamford, Connecticut.

• June 26 Lecture in the Experiential Education program by Yeshiva University, “Teaching the Book of Job.”

• July 19-20: Scholar-in-residence, Mashadi Persian community in Great Neck, NY. • July 26-27 Scholar-in-residence, Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.

• August 16-17 Scholar-in-residence, Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.

• September 10: Stanley Rudoff Memorial Lecture at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education: “Introduction to Kohelet: confronting religious challenges.”

• October 6: Speaker at Book Reception for new commentary by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik: Chumash Mesorat HaRav: Chumash with Commentary Based on the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Young Israel of New Rochelle.

• October 9: Queens College Annual Sephardic Lecture, “A Sephardic Approach to Tradition and Modernity.”

• Oct 13, 20, 27:Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. Three-part series on Biblical Wisdom (Proverbs, Job, Kohelet).

• October 27:Columbia-Barnard Hillel/Institute University Network. “Learning Faith from the Text, or Text from Faith: The Challenges of Teaching and Learning the Avraham Narratives and Commentary.”

• November 17:Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, “The Books of the Maccabees and Rabbinic Thought: Getting to the Roots of Hanukkah.”

• November 21: Teacher training session, Ramaz Bible faculty, New York.

• November 25: Lecture at New York University, “Orthodoxy and Confrontation with Modern Bible Criticism.”

• October 16-December 18: Nine-part series on the Book of Judges at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.

• October 2-December 11: An eight-part course on “How to Teach Bible in Synagogues” to the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Study at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University.

• December 8: Lecture at University of Pennsylvania, “The Book of Chronicles: a window into how the Bible was written.”

• Shabbat December 13-14: Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Chovevei Tzion in Chicago.

• January 2: Teacher training session, Ramaz Bible faculty, New York.

• Shabbat January 3-4:Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Keter Torah (Roemer) in Bergenfield, New Jersey.

• January 13: A class on Megillat Esther, at the Yemei Iyyun of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in Riverdale, New York.

• January 29-April 2: Ten-part series on the First Book of Samuel at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan.

• Shabbat February 7-8:Scholar-in-Residence, Yeshiva University.

• Shabbat Feburary 15: Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Ohab Shalom in Manhattan.

• Shabbat February 28-March 1: Scholar-in-Residence, Cornell University.

• Shabbat March 7-8: Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Shaarei Orah in Teaneck. This was a Sephardic-themed Shabbat, and lectures throughout the weekend focused on great Sephardic thinkers and ideas that are good for all Jews.

• Thursday March 20: Book Reception for my books: Vision from the Prophet and Counsel from the Elders, and A Synagogue Companion.

• March: Four-part series in the Book of Jeremiah at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School.

• May-June: Seven-part series on the Book of Samuel at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan. Coming attractions include:

• Shavuot, June 3-5: Scholar-in-residence, Young Israel of West Hartford, Connecticut.

• Monday, June 16, 7:30 pm: Book Launch for my just-published book, Peshat Isn’t So Simple. At Lincoln Square Synagogue, 68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. Free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available at a discounted price.

• Shabbat, June 20-21: Scholar-in-residence, Young Israel of Oceanside.

• Tuesday, June 24: Lecture on the Book of Job, Yeshiva University Graduate Program in Experiential Education (open only to participants in their program).

• Sunday June 29-Monday June 30: Three lectures on Tanakh at the yemei iyyun of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, held this year at Manhattan Day School, 310 West 75th Street in Manhattan. Registration forms and more information at http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/895/17/ All are welcome.

• Wednesdays in July: Five-part series on the Haftarot for Lamdeinu. The classes will be held at Congregation Beth Aaron, 950 Queen Anne Road. The course costs $75 and is open to the entire community. For more information and other offerings, please contact [email protected].

Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm, and I look forward to promoting our Torah vision for many years to come.

Rabbi Hayyim Angel

National Scholar Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals

September, 2014

To our members and friends, As we approach the New Year, we look forward to another robust season of educational programming. Here are some of the major highlights thus far in place, and more will continue to develop throughout the year. I will be the Rabbinic Scholar at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City (85th Street between Park and Lexington Avenue) for the coming year. This will involve eight Shabbatot in the KJ community, as well as High Holy Day sermons to their Sephardic minyan on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

This coming Shabbat, September 20, I will speak on Sephardic and Ashkenazic Liturgy. That will take place around 11:00 am after services at the Sephardic minyan. All are welcome.

KJ Shabbat dates: October 18 December 20 (Hanukkah) January 17 February 21 March 7 May 9 June 6

After the holiday season, I am excited to offer a brand-new eight-part series, entitled Creating Jewish Unity. This course, sponsored by our Institute, outlines some of the most important areas of developing a religious worldview that is authentic to Jewish tradition, reasonable, and relevant to life in the 21st century. A wide range of opinions is considered, seeking those approaches that best address our complex contemporary reality. These classes present some of the core values of our Institute. It will be held on Tuesday mornings, from 8:40-9:30 am, at the Apple Bank on 73rd Street and Broadway in Manhattan.

Creating Jewish Unity Dates: October 21, 28, November 4, 18, 25 (not Nov 11, Veterans Day) December 2, 9, 16 ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: if you wish to attend, please let us know by emailing [email protected] We also will continue with our in-depth Tanakh learning at Lincoln Square Synagogue (68th Street and Amsterdam in Manhattan). This year we are learning the Second Book of Samuel. These classes will be on Wednesday evenings, 7:15-8:15.

Second Samuel fall dates (eight sessions): October 22, 29 November 5, 12, 19 (not 26, Thanksgiving weekend) December 3, 10, 17 These classes are co-sponsored by our Institute and Lincoln Square Synagogue. For registration information, please go to lss.org. In addition to these regular offerings, I will be a scholar-in-residence at Anshei Sphard Beth El Emeth in Memphis, Tennessee; Beth Israel Abraham and Voliner in Overland Park, Kansas; Young Israel of Woodmere-Cedarhurst; Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey; Young Israel of Century City, in Los Angeles; and a four-part series for Lamdeinu, Teaneck New Jersey. Details to follow as these events get closer.

Finally, we are putting the finishing touches on my upcoming book, A Jewish Holiday Companion. This book, a sequel to my Synagogue Companion, will be published in November by our Institute. I am deeply grateful to the book’s co-sponsors, who made this project possible. They will all be thanked on a dedication page and in the introduction. The books will be distributed to members of our Institute, and will also be available at amazon.com.

As always, I thank our members and friends for their support and for enabling us to spread our Institute’s vision through teaching and writings throughout the country and beyond.

I wish you all a Shanah Tovah, a year of peace for us all, Israel, and the world.

The Kosher Bookworm
The Study of Bible Commentary--Fascinating
by Alan Jay Gerber

This past week the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst hosted one of America's
leading interpreters of the Bible text and commentaries, Rabbi Hayyim Angel.
Rabbi Angel's presentments that Shabbat to a total of over 700 attendees was
both impressive as to their attentiveness of the listeners as well as to the
comprehensiveness of the content of his message. As reflected in his literary
output over the past decade Rabbi Angel's message is to parse the inner workings
of the text of the holy writ, to define to "amcha" the methodology of peshat and
derash, so as to enable the average layperson to better understand the basic
content as well as the hidden theological message of the divine text.

This review is intended to serve as a literary followup to Rabbi Angel's message
through bringing to your attention a sample of Rabbi Angel's literary works for
your edification and hopeful use. This review is not intended to be an
analytical study, just a "taste" of the wisdom and gifted thought of Rabbi
Hayyim Angel.

Recently, Kodesh Press published Rabbi Angel's "Peshat Isn't So Simple" Essays
on Developing a Religious Methodology to Bible Study", a collection of twenty
one essays spanning the entire Bible dealing with some of the most interesting
chapter of Bible narrative. Within these pages are reflected Rabbi Angel's
method of analysis wherein we get a first hand up front view of what constitutes
real Bible commentary. Among the commentators whose commentary is given the
"Angel treatment" are Rambam, Abarbanel, Sforno,Moshe Shamah, and Leon Kass.
Rabbi Angel's method in defining parshanut envelops much of this work making for
some interesting and truly informative teachings.

From the very outset, Rabbi Angel defines for us his method for us to
understand and to hopefully ultimately apply in our future study of the Bible.

Consider the following:

"Developing a religious methodology for learning Tanach requires many
ingredients. Foremost, the belief in Revelation, that the sacred words of the
Bible reflect G-d's word speaking directly to us, lies at the very heart of
learning. Tanach shapes our religious worldview, our religious and moral
behavior, and our core values and ideals."

This is as plain and as straight as one can write on a subject that has been the
source of questionable theological takes among our people for over two
centuries. The blunt honesty of the writer is a refreshing change of pace from
those of his more liberal contemporaries who use the Bible as a whipping post
for their questionable beliefs.

Further on in his introduction Rabbi Angel notes the following:

"Although peshat often is translated as the plain or simple sense of the text,
there is nothing plain or simple about it when we take it seriously. Sifting
through many centuries of scholarship and methodology coupled with pursuing
contemporary approaches and research is a life-long endeavor, as we continue our
attempts to refine truth and approach G-d's word through our eternal sacred
texts."

Among the more interesting chapters in this work that relate to the current
Torah readings, you will surely find the following to be of must interest:
"Joseph's Bones: Peshat, Derash, and in Between", and "Learning From and living
our History: Lessons from the Exodus in Tanach".
Both of these two essays will give you a broader understanding as well as
appreciation of the inner meanings and messages of Torah text, as well as the
various nuances of Torah commentaries.

Related to these essays, in a previous work by Rabbi Angel entitled, "Revealed
Texts, Hidden Meanings" [Ktav 2009] we find a short yet fascinating essay, "The
Genesis-Exodus Continuum: What Happens When They Are Viewed As A Larger Unit"
that details the thematic links between the first two books of the Bible that
further enhance their theological as well as literary messages. This chapter
alone would make for some interesting conversation as the Seder table, indeed a
warm thought for this time of year.