Search Results
Back to JTS Torah Online's Main page
Remembering Together
Apr 22, 2022 By William Plevan | Commentary | Pesah
The celebration of Pesah is an outstanding example of the central role that memory plays in ΊΪΑΟΙη tradition. Underscoring the importance of memory for sustaining human societies, Elie Wiesel wrote, βWithout memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.β Communal memory, of course, goes far beyond what any one individual can remember and experience. And yet, what makes memory so powerful as a vehicle for communal identity is that it speaks to us on a personal level.
Read More
Clothes That Make Us Human
Sep 1, 2017 By William Plevan | Commentary | Ki Tetzei
Among the many joys of summertime in Manhattan is the chance to see a performance of Shakespeare in the Park. This yearβs feast for eyes and ears was the magical romantic comedy A Midsummer Nightβs Dream. One of the key turns of the plot involves the sprite Puck casting a spell on the wrong young lover, because his only instructions were to enchant one with βAthenian garb.β Judging on fashion alone, poor Puck thought he had discharged his duties. Puckβs comedic error is of course another instance of one of Shakespeareβs favorite themes, the way our clothing becomes synonymous with our identity. Most famously, in Hamlet Shakespeare has the Danish noble Polonius tell his son Laertes that βthe apparel oft proclaims the man.β
Read More
SUBSCRIBE TO TORAH FROM JTS
Our regular commentaries and videos are a great way to stay intellectually and spiritually engaged with ΊΪΑΟΙη thought and wisdom.