Turn it and Turn it

In 1968, a committee at Harvard University sparked an intense bioethical debate when it redefined medical standards of death to allow for vital organs to be taken from brain-dead patients. Halakhic authorities have weighed in on both sides of the issue, and it remains one of the most emotionally charged topics in contemporary halakhic discourse. Through a close reading of the central halakhic texts, we will clarify the issues and positions involved in this debate, and discuss the role that science and ethics play in the halakhic process.

In 1968, a committee at Harvard University sparked an intense bioethical debate when it redefined medical standards of death to allow for vital organs to be taken from brain-dead patients. Halakhic authorities have weighed in on both sides of the issue, and it remains one of the most emotionally charged topics in contemporary halakhic discourse. Through a close reading of the central halakhic texts, we will clarify the issues and positions involved in this debate, and discuss the role that science and ethics play in the halakhic process.

In 1968, a committee at Harvard University sparked an intense bioethical debate when it redefined medical standards of death to allow for vital organs to be taken from brain-dead patients. Halakhic authorities have weighed in on both sides of the issue, and it remains one of the most emotionally charged topics in contemporary halakhic discourse. Through a close reading of the central halakhic texts, we will clarify the issues and positions involved in this debate, and discuss the role that science and ethics play in the halakhic process.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this course, we will explore broad questions that ask what the Torah has to say about economic systems. We will focus on topics like Yovel, pricing, competition, and other topics that ask how Torah can help us engage with the complexity of the modern market. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/14/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this course, we will explore broad questions that ask what the Torah has to say about economic systems. We will focus on topics like Yovel, pricing, competition, and other topics that ask how Torah can help us engage with the complexity of the modern market. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/07/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this course, we will explore broad questions that ask what the Torah has to say about economic systems. We will focus on topics like Yovel, pricing, competition, and other topics that ask how Torah can help us engage with the complexity of the modern market. This audio was originally captured from 11/30/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this course, we will explore broad questions that ask what the Torah has to say about economic systems. We will focus on topics like Yovel, pricing, competition, and other topics that ask how Torah can help us engage with the complexity of the modern market. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/23/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this course, we will explore broad questions that ask what the Torah has to say about economic systems. We will focus on topics like Yovel, pricing, competition, and other topics that ask how Torah can help us engage with the complexity of the modern market. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/16/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this course, we will explore broad questions that ask what the Torah has to say about economic systems. We will focus on topics like Yovel, pricing, competition, and other topics that ask how Torah can help us engage with the complexity of the modern market. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/09/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this class we’ll explore how a range of Jewish texts, from rabbinic to modern, understand the significance of household labor, including cooking, cleaning, and childcare. These activities are part of our daily lives, and Jewish texts give us a range of ways of understanding their religious significance. We’ll begin with an analysis of the relationship between Torah learning and household labor. Then, we’ll discuss how engaging in household labor, especially childcare, shapes who we are. Finally, we’ll consider the implications of performing someone else’s household labor or asking someone else to perform your own. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 04/03/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this class we’ll explore how a range of Jewish texts, from rabbinic to modern, understand the significance of household labor, including cooking, cleaning, and childcare. These activities are part of our daily lives, and Jewish texts give us a range of ways of understanding their religious significance. We’ll begin with an analysis of the relationship between Torah learning and household labor. Then, we’ll discuss how engaging in household labor, especially childcare, shapes who we are. Finally, we’ll consider the implications of performing someone else’s household labor or asking someone else to perform your own. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/27/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  In this class we’ll explore how a range of Jewish texts, from rabbinic to modern, understand the significance of household labor, including cooking, cleaning, and childcare. These activities are part of our daily lives, and Jewish texts give us a range of ways of understanding their religious significance. We’ll begin with an analysis of the relationship between Torah learning and household labor. Then, we’ll discuss how engaging in household labor, especially childcare, shapes who we are. Finally, we’ll consider the implications of performing someone else’s household labor or asking someone else to perform your own. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/20/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" Most of life is work of one kind or another, and even our rest is often defined by the work that we’ve left behind. The first half of this series will explore how changing notions of labor have influenced core pieces of the Jewish tradition, including the meaning of Shabbat and what it means to study Torah. The second half of this course will move from Jewish tradition out into the modern economy and consider how Jewish ideas can inform how we think about work and treat workers in the 21st century. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/28/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" Most of life is work of one kind or another, and even our rest is often defined by the work that we’ve left behind. The first half of this series will explore how changing notions of labor have influenced core pieces of the Jewish tradition, including the meaning of Shabbat and what it means to study Torah. The second half of this course will move from Jewish tradition out into the modern economy and consider how Jewish ideas can inform how we think about work and treat workers in the 21st century. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/21/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" Most of life is work of one kind or another, and even our rest is often defined by the work that we’ve left behind. The first half of this series will explore how changing notions of labor have influenced core pieces of the Jewish tradition, including the meaning of Shabbat and what it means to study Torah. The second half of this course will move from Jewish tradition out into the modern economy and consider how Jewish ideas can inform how we think about work and treat workers in the 21st century. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/14/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" Most of life is work of one kind or another, and even our rest is often defined by the work that we’ve left behind. The first half of this series will explore how changing notions of labor have influenced core pieces of the Jewish tradition, including the meaning of Shabbat and what it means to study Torah. The second half of this course will move from Jewish tradition out into the modern economy and consider how Jewish ideas can inform how we think about work and treat workers in the 21st century. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/07/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  This course will analyze three different Talmudic sugyot that have import not only for their Halakhic conclusions but also for our theological understanding of Shabbat’s nature. These Sugyot will relate to one who is never educated about Shabbat, loses track of when Shabbat is, and a gentile who keeps Shabbat. This audio was captured from Zoom on 03/13/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  This course will analyze three different Talmudic sugyot that have import not only for their Halakhic conclusions but also for our theological understanding of Shabbat’s nature. These Sugyot will relate to one who is never educated about Shabbat, loses track of when Shabbat is, and a gentile who keeps Shabbat. This audio was captured from Zoom on 03/06/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  This course will analyze three different Talmudic sugyot that have import not only for their Halakhic conclusions but also for our theological understanding of Shabbat’s nature. These Sugyot will relate to one who is never educated about Shabbat, loses track of when Shabbat is, and a gentile who keeps Shabbat. This audio was originally recorded on 02/27/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course covers two main themes based on a forthcoming book by Ezra Zuckerman Sivan: 1) the Torah as heralding the invention of the seven-day week, and secondarily 2) the social scientific question of how and why the seven-day week was invented. Each lecture is focused on a specific puzzle that gains its significance once we shake off our erroneous intuition that the seven-day week is built into the natural world. The key sources used in each session will be biblical, augmented by insights from rabbinic texts. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from 04/07/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course covers two main themes based on a forthcoming book by Ezra Zuckerman Sivan: 1) the Torah as heralding the invention of the seven-day week, and secondarily 2) the social scientific question of how and why the seven-day week was invented. Each lecture is focused on a specific puzzle that gains its significance once we shake off our erroneous intuition that the seven-day week is built into the natural world. The key sources used in each session will be biblical, augmented by insights from rabbinic texts. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/31/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course covers two main themes based on a forthcoming book by Ezra Zuckerman Sivan: 1) the Torah as heralding the invention of the seven-day week, and secondarily 2) the social scientific question of how and why the seven-day week was invented. Each lecture is focused on a specific puzzle that gains its significance once we shake off our erroneous intuition that the seven-day week is built into the natural world. The key sources used in each session will be biblical, augmented by insights from rabbinic texts. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/24/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course covers two main themes based on a forthcoming book by Ezra Zuckerman Sivan: 1) the Torah as heralding the invention of the seven-day week, and secondarily 2) the social scientific question of how and why the seven-day week was invented. Each lecture is focused on a specific puzzle that gains its significance once we shake off our erroneous intuition that the seven-day week is built into the natural world. The key sources used in each session will be biblical, augmented by insights from rabbinic texts. Click here to view the accompanying slides.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/10/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course covers two main themes based on a forthcoming book by Ezra Zuckerman Sivan: 1) the Torah as heralding the invention of the seven-day week, and secondarily 2) the social scientific question of how and why the seven-day week was invented. Each lecture is focused on a specific puzzle that gains its significance once we shake off our erroneous intuition that the seven-day week is built into the natural world. The key sources used in each session will be biblical, augmented by insights from rabbinic texts. Click here to view the accompanying slides.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/03/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  As work has moved remote for many, and others are hesitant to return to their jobs for a variety of reasons, the world is rethinking what it means to be an employer or employee. In this series, we will explore a number of topics that address the nature of the employer-employee relationship, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Among others, we will address the halakhic perspective on multiple employment, unionization, strikes, quitting, and paying workers on time. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 04/06/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  As work has moved remote for many, and others are hesitant to return to their jobs for a variety of reasons, the world is rethinking what it means to be an employer or employee. In this series, we will explore a number of topics that address the nature of the employer-employee relationship, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Among others, we will address the halakhic perspective on multiple employment, unionization, strikes, quitting, and paying workers on time. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/30/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  As work has moved remote for many, and others are hesitant to return to their jobs for a variety of reasons, the world is rethinking what it means to be an employer or employee. In this series, we will explore a number of topics that address the nature of the employer-employee relationship, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Among others, we will address the halakhic perspective on multiple employment, unionization, strikes, quitting, and paying workers on time. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/23/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  As work has moved remote for many, and others are hesitant to return to their jobs for a variety of reasons, the world is rethinking what it means to be an employer or employee. In this series, we will explore a number of topics that address the nature of the employer-employee relationship, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Among others, we will address the halakhic perspective on multiple employment, unionization, strikes, quitting, and paying workers on time. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/09/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  As work has moved remote for many, and others are hesitant to return to their jobs for a variety of reasons, the world is rethinking what it means to be an employer or employee. In this series, we will explore a number of topics that address the nature of the employer-employee relationship, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Among others, we will address the halakhic perspective on multiple employment, unionization, strikes, quitting, and paying workers on time. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/02/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  As work has moved remote for many, and others are hesitant to return to their jobs for a variety of reasons, the world is rethinking what it means to be an employer or employee. In this series, we will explore a number of topics that address the nature of the employer-employee relationship, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Among others, we will address the halakhic perspective on multiple employment, unionization, strikes, quitting, and paying workers on time. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 02/23/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a more conceptual framework of Melakha and ask: when making salad seems more Halakhically fraught than writing an email, how do we think about the fact that Halakha and communal practice seems to allow for one and not the other? Click here to view the accompanying source sheet. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 02/28/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a more conceptual framework of Melakha and ask: when making salad seems more Halakhically fraught than writing an email, how do we think about the fact that Halakha and communal practice seems to allow for one and not the other? Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 02/14/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a more conceptual framework of Melakha and ask: when making salad seems more Halakhically fraught than writing an email, how do we think about the fact that Halakha and communal practice seems to allow for one and not the other? Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 02/14/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a more conceptual framework of Melakha and ask: when making salad seems more Halakhically fraught than writing an email, how do we think about the fact that Halakha and communal practice seems to allow for one and not the other? Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 02/07/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest" Work is a hugely important aspect of the human experience, as described by the Torah and its laws. How does one go about making time for Torah study, another important priority? Is work itself ennobling or a curse? Click here to view the accompanying source sheet. This audio was originally recorded on 11/29/2012

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"  What is the value of work? Does Judaism have a notion of a “calling?” How can I be a more moral boss, employee, and colleague? Can any job be part of a spiritual path? This audio was originally recorded on 10/11/2011

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" As we come to the end of the Shemittah year–but not the end of Shemittah–we would like our community to take time to contemplate what was learned, what was released, what will be left behind, and what we might carry forward into the next seven-year cycle. Join Mr. Michael Fraade for a discussion of what Shemittah might mean for us in the years we don’t observe it. Click here to view the accompanying source sheet.  This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 10/12/2022

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" Shemitah’s social laws reflect a deep religious attitude to the “holy land.” Since the rise of Zionism, this term has taken on political implications, which caused Abraham Joshua Heschel to change his mind time and again about its meaning. In this course we will consider the various religious understandings of Shemittah in the Torah alongside the various interpretations of the “holy land” in Heschel’s thought. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/23/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" Shemitah’s social laws reflect a deep religious attitude to the “holy land.” Since the rise of Zionism, this term has taken on political implications, which caused Abraham Joshua Heschel to change his mind time and again about its meaning. In this course we will consider the various religious understandings of Shemittah in the Torah alongside the various interpretations of the “holy land” in Heschel’s thought. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/16/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" Shemitah’s social laws reflect a deep religious attitude to the “holy land.” Since the rise of Zionism, this term has taken on political implications, which caused Abraham Joshua Heschel to change his mind time and again about its meaning. In this course we will consider the various religious understandings of Shemittah in the Torah alongside the various interpretations of the “holy land” in Heschel’s thought. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/09/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah"  The Torah sees the commandment of the Shemittah as a central observance with far-reaching social, ethical, and religious implications. We will pay close attention to the biblical text to understand how this observance is framed in the Bible and its contemporary relevance. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/21/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah"  The Torah sees the commandment of the Shemittah as a central observance with far-reaching social, ethical, and religious implications. We will pay close attention to the biblical text to understand how this observance is framed in the Bible and its contemporary relevance. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/14/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah"  The Torah sees the commandment of the Shemittah as a central observance with far-reaching social, ethical, and religious implications. We will pay close attention to the biblical text to understand how this observance is framed in the Bible and its contemporary relevance. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/07/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah"  The Torah sees the commandment of the Shemittah as a central observance with far-reaching social, ethical, and religious implications. We will pay close attention to the biblical text to understand how this observance is framed in the Bible and its contemporary relevance. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/20/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" This class will undertake the close study of Mishnayot Sheviit BeIyyun, working through the Masechta with a focus on literary and conceptual issues. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/20/2021 as part of Drisha's fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" This class will undertake the close study of Mishnayot Sheviit BeIyyun, working through the Masechta with a focus on literary and conceptual issues. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/13/2021 as part of Drisha's fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" This class will undertake the close study of Mishnayot Sheviit BeIyyun, working through the Masechta with a focus on literary and conceptual issues. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/06/2021 as part of Drisha's fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" This class will undertake the close study of Mishnayot Sheviit BeIyyun, working through the Masechta with a focus on literary and conceptual issues. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/29/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah"  While Shemitah may appear to be a narrow topic linked specifically to agricultural laws in the land of Israel, this class will use Shemitah as a window into contemporary ethical questions about economics, the environment, and freedom. We’ll explore how Jewish philosophical texts, from medieval to modern, understand shemitah’s broader significance for those who might not encounter it in daily practice. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/22/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Shemittah" While Shemitah may appear to be a narrow topic linked specifically to agricultural laws in the land of Israel, this class will use Shemitah as a window into contemporary ethical questions about economics, the environment, and freedom. We’ll explore how Jewish philosophical texts, from medieval to modern, understand shemitah’s broader significance for those who might not encounter it in daily practice. This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 12/15/2021 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman.