Back Pocket Torah Blasts

What's Jewish about a personality test? This week, Emily and Madelynn explore the religious connections to the highly popular Enneagram test which categorizes people into one of nine types based on their innermost desires.

On this week's episode, Emily and Tucker take a deep dive on some of life's biggest questions about Jewish identity, human capacity, and divinity as they explore Genesis 17:1:4-5, "לפני, as if you were looking for guidance Me in all your undertakings and trying to emulate Me. We have adopted this concept when we inscribe our synagogues with the verse שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, "I am ever mindful of the Lord's presence." והיה תמים, "acquire the maximum degree of perfection human being are capable of attaining. Be intelligent so that you can acquire more intimate knowledge of Me through recognizing the way I operate in the universe. As a result you will be emulate My attributes to the degree that this is possible for humans."

This week Emily and her guest Alex dive into immigration, identity, and the ways each of us walks through the world according to our own stories as they study Genesis 1:13 "God gathered the dust [of the first human] from the four corners of the world - red, black, white and green. Red is the blood, black is the innards, and green for the body. Why from the four corners of the earth? So that if one comes from the east to the west and arrives at the end of his life as he nears departing from the world, it will not be said to him, "This land is not the dust of your body, it's of mine. Go back to where you were created." Rather, every place that a person walks, from there she was created and from there she will return."

Double the guests means double the fun on this week's episode of Back Pocket Torah Blasts! Emily and her co-workers at Vanderbilt Hillel, Leetal and Veronica, get together for a very special Hanukkah episode! Hear all about their favorite holiday memories, what lessons they take from Hanukkah, and the miracles they're celebrating this year.

BPTB is BACK for a second season, and Emily is kicking it off with special guest, Isabel. Listen here as Emily and Isabel chat about a special Kol Nidre project they worked on together, High Holidays in the time of COVID, and life after college as a Jewish adult! The full video of the Blair student ensemble performance of Kol Nidre can be found here.

Emily is joined by Rachel this week, one of Vanderbilt's newest graduates, to discuss vivacity and Pirkei Avot: 5:21 "He used to say: At five years of age the study of Scripture; At ten the study of Mishnah; At thirteen subject to the commandments; At fifteen the study of Talmud; At eighteen the bridal canopy; At twenty for pursuit [of livelihood]; At thirty the peak of strength; At forty wisdom; At fifty able to give counsel; At sixty old age; At seventy fullness of years; At eighty the age of “strength”; At ninety a bent body; At one hundred, as good as dead and gone completely out of the world."

On this week's episode, Siri joins Emily as they uncover some timely lessons about stillness in Pirkei Avot 2:7 "The more sitting (in the company of scholars), the more wisdom; the more counsel, the more understanding; the more charity, the more peace".

Today is Israel's national holiday to celebrate and remember all those who have served in the army. Unlike the United States, Israel requires compulsory service of it's citizens, so this holiday is deeply personal for all Israelis. This week, Emily hosts our Nashville Shlicha, Noam, as they talk about Noam's role in the army as a social worker, her time doing a gap year before her service, and her connection to this important day.

Join Emily and this week's two special guests, Maddie and Maya, as they discuss an educator's perspective on Pirkei Avot 5:16: "There are four types (of students) that sit before the sages -  a sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. A sponge, which absorbs everything; a funnel, which lets in from one end and out from the other; a strainer, which lets the wine flow through and retains the sediment; and a sieve, which allows the flour dust to pass through and retains the fine flour."

This week Emily and Rachel unpack the beauty of silence and stillness through Pirkei Avot 1:17 "Shimon, his son, used to say: all my days I grew up among the sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence. Study is not the most important thing, but actions; whoever indulges in too many words brings about sin."

This week Emily and Julia discover Passover themes surrounding growth within Pirkei Avot 4:1 "ben Zoma says: Who is the wise one? The one who learns from all men. Who is the mighty one? One who conquers his impulse. Who is the rich one? He who is happy with his lot.  Who is honored? He who honors the created beings."

This week Emily and Rose explore all kinds of love through the words of Pirkei Avot 5:16 "All love that depends on a something, [when the] thing ceases, [the] love ceases; and [all love] that does not depend on anything, will never cease."

Each week, Emily Kahn-Perry and a Vanderbilt student will go on a journey through sacred Jewish texts, and learn how ancient wisdom applies to our modern day!