Why 1840?
Was the year 1840 the end of religion or the beginning? In this special podcast, David discusses the significance of the year and how it remains relevant today. Follow along with the source sheet and listen below
Social Justice
There is a growing debate within Jewish circles about the term “Tikkun Olam” – meaning to fix or change the world. For some Jews, this is our nation’s mission: to stand with the oppressed and bring societal change and redemption to the entire world. Others, however, have criticized this approach, saying that Tikkun Olam as the center of Judaism is a distortion of a religious movement into a political one. For all of us, considering this question is an invitation to think more seriously about our obligation to this world.
Science & Religion
Science and religion have long had a complicated relationship. Though they ask some of the same questions, one attributes things to God and the other to mathematical laws, often resulting in claims that are at face value mutually exclusive. But religion can be seen to operate within a different domain, serving to fill in the gaps left by science. Though the reductionism of science is useful, it still leaves us without purpose or meaning.
Mysticism
Our fast-paced, industrialized world seems to have little interest in mysticism, leaving reductionist thinking to lead the day. But this modernity can feel dry and unsatisfying, leaving the disenchanted to seek enchantment elsewhere. There can be more to the world and our experiences than what can be quantified. Mysticism is about transcendence of all kinds, including of our sensory experience, language, and rationality.
Jewish Peoplehood
In a world where globalization is the new norm, the notion of peoplehood has lost its former clarity. While on the one hand, the lines demarcating the identities of large groups of people have blurred, Jewish people still face anti-Semitism, the ultimate unifying force. The Jewish nation, numbering in the millions, is sizable when conceiving of as an extended family. Reflecting on what our peoplehood is, and can be, may inform our appreciation for this complex entity that is the Jewish people.
Who Wrote The Bible?
Though the Bible’s authorship was once largely uncontested, today it is the subject of raging debate. The stakes are high: billions of people follow religions hinging on the Bible’s divine origin. Many educators therefore gloss over or ignore this theological minefield, reasoning that it is an unnecessary challenge to their students’ faith. But this leaves the curious students, either on the internet or in their future college classrooms, without guidance for navigating these choppy waters. By engaging with these questions with honesty and faith, we can grow from the encounter.
Comedy
Comedy may seem unimportant, or even counterproductive, in a society that values productivity. Religion in particular is often treated with a seriousness that seems antithetical to comedy, as are its texts. But comedy, alongside and within religion, can help us construct meaning from mundane occurrences and even construct further meaning from notable ones.
OTD: Leaving Religion
In order to understand why some people leave religion, we need to understand why people join and stay in the first place. Religion provides different things for different people, including community, moral, and intellectual guidance. The broad stereotyping of OTD people that sometimes happens isn’t helpful or accurate. It is a complex phenomenon with no surefire solutions, and so the first step is understanding.
Talmud
The Talmud is a chaotic text with a few frustrations. When you open to the first page, it assumes that you’ve already read the whole thing. Its logical path is a non-linear patchwork of discussion across time and space. Some of its resolutions feel like deus ex machinas. While the Talmud has many possible interpretations, the structure (or lack of) may provide meaning to our own lives, if we approach it openly.