Ki Tisa 5779: Shattering the Tablets: Uncovering the Meaning of Jewish Life

Posted by Leon Morris on February 18, 2019
Topics: Torah, Pardes from Jerusalem, Shemot (Exodus), Ki Tisa

Moses’s breaking of the Tablets is usually understood to be a result of his uncontrollable anger toward the people for building a golden calf. In the rabbinic imagination it is far more. It is at the very heart of the Jewish narrative and central to the way the ancient rabbis understood the meaning of Torah. The story becomes a warning to avoid even the idolatry within religious life, and a reminder of how essential human initiative is for shaping an expansive and interpretative tradition.

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Credits
Larry Kluger – Creative Consultant
Arlene Harel – Production Coordinator

About Leon Morris

Rabbi Leon Morris is the President of Pardes and is the first alumnus to head the institution (Year Program alumnus '94-'95; Summer Program alumnus '93 and '94). Leon made aliyah with his wife Dasee Berkowitz (Pardes Year Program alumna '94-'95) and their three children in June 2014, after serving as the rabbi of Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor, NY. He was the founding director of the Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning at Temple Emanu-El (now the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center) in Manhattan. Before coming to Pardes, Leon served as a Vice President for Israel Programs at the Shalom Hartman Institute and was a faculty member at Hebrew Union College. Click here to read more.

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