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In the essays found here you will be presented with a range of opinions and insights generated by members of the faculty of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. They have been asked to relate to the current crisis and have chosen to do so from a variety of perspectives. Our President Andrew Rehfeld, who initiated this project, opens with an introductory essay.
We have organized the other offerings in the three sections that appear below. Over the course of the next several weeks, we will release more essays from our faculty members. As we all continue to navigate the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, we expect to post more essays that continue the conversation.
Historical and sociological analyses of our current situation in broad perspective.
Reflecting on her experience of Zooming into the three separate, concurrent celebrations of young women celebrating becoming bat mitzvah, Dr. Sarah Benor uses the occasion to find the less hidden blessings of technology and cacophony. Following the service in a liturgical round allows for an unexpected abundance of blessings.
Close readings of texts from the Jewish tradition with particular resonance at this time.
Inspired by a Hebrew essay on dualism penned a century ago by the famed poet Chayim Nachman Bialik, Lisa Grant considers this COVID-19 moment from the perspective of ambivalences, ambiguities, dialectic tensions and diametric opposites. Leaning heavily on kabbalistic traditions, she suggests that this extreme time may force or encourage us to consider the extremes in our own personalities, communities and societies. She asks the provocative question: as we begin to re-emerge into our previous lives, can we avoid simply falling back into our tired old dichotomies?
Theological responses to the current situation and its implications.
In this reflection on some of the core questions of our existence which have been thrown into sharp relief during the pandemic, David Adelson offers a perspective informed by theological concepts, spiritual insights, and personal testimony. The novelty of our COVID-19 universe is seen in terms of the perennial and the unchanging.
