On the morning of Yom Kippur we read from the Torah about the procedures for Yom Kippur in biblical times. To understand this more deeply, we invite you to explore these teachings from Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Ari Hoffman, the Judaism Unbound Podcast, and more.
Judaism Unbound: Torah 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 Leviticus 16, which outlines the ancient scapegoat ritual.
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson: There is Such a Thing as “Too Close”
Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles. Rabbi Artson has long been a passionate advocate for social justice, human dignity, diversity, and inclusion.
Nizakher Venikatev: A Reflective Guide for Torah on Yom Kippur Morning
Imagine that attitude or behavior being thrown into a fire and burning up into ash. Do you feel a sense of release? Does this image help you to let go? Now imagine, instead, sending that negative thing off into the wilderness. See it running away from you, never to return. Do you feel different? Does it feel freeing? Consider these questions and more in our reflective guide for Torah on Yom Kippur Morning.
Ari Hoffman: To Sacrifice Publicly, While Mourning Privately
Ari Hoffman is currently pursuing a JD at Stanford Law School. He holds a BA and PhD in English Literature from Harvard University. His first book, This Year in Jerusalem: Israel and the Literary Quest for Jewish Authenticity, is forthcoming from SUNY Press. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Observer, Tablet magazine, and a wide range of other publications. This summer, he has served as a legal clerk for Judge Hanan Melcer of the Supreme Court of Israel.