Yom Kippur morning’s Haftarah from Isaiah seems to challenge the very spiritual practices that define the holy day, pushing us to investigate not just our spirituality but also our ethical deeds. To investigate further, explore these powerful teachings, including some timely messages from our partners at St. Paul and St. Andrew and the West Side Campaign Against Hunger.
Judaism Unbound: Haftarah for Yom Kippur Morning
This Yom Kippur, Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg look at the four major biblical readings associated with the holiday. They ask how these texts can apply to twenty-first-century life, and they provide a variety of answers, including many that incorporate historical understandings of the Bible gleaned from biblical source criticism. In this episode, they tackle Isaiah 57–58.
Rev. K Karpen and Rev. Lea Matthews: A Yom Kippur Message on Isaiah
Rev. K Karpen is the senior pastor of St. Paul & St. Andrew and has served this progressive congregation since 1984. Rev. Lea Matthews is the Associate Pastor, committed to being a part of the queer liberation movement within the United Methodist Church, moving intersectionally and with intention toward God’s justice. As a leadership team, they are an integral part of the deep partnership that has existed between SPSA and B’nai Jeshurun since the early 1990s.
Rabbi Michael Strassfeld: A Prophetic Reading for America
Rabbi Michael Strassfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, the Reconstructionist synagogue in Manhattan founded by Mordecai Kaplan. He is the author of A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice and is one of the co-editors of The Jewish Catalog.
West Side Campaign Against Hunger: Community, Dignity and Choice
West Side Campaign Against Hunger works to change our perception of hungry people by working in partnership with them, providing food with dignity, and empowering customers to find solutions. With the words of Isaiah on our minds, WSCAH Executive Director Greg Silverman invites us to consider the vitality of this work in our society.
Ronald Guttman: A Dramatic Reading of Isaiah
Ronald Guttman is an actor, producer, and founder and president of Highbrow Entertainment. His long list of acting credits includes film, television, and theater. He was recently seen in the Amazon Prime series Hunters, starring Al Pacino, and On The Basis of Sex, a biopic about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He is an active BJ member, attending services and supporting the community since 1993. This recording is shared with the permission of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Nizakher Venikatev: A Reflective Guide for Haftarah on Yom Kippur Morning
Where have your Jewish and social justice journeys intersected? Where have they run parallel? What is your vision of a world that is free of oppression? What steps could you take in the coming year to contribute to making that vision a reality? Explore these questions and more in our reflective guide for Haftarah on Yom Kippur Morning.