Episodes

  • Know Thy Enemy

    Know Thy Enemy
    Dec 19 2024
    As we recall the miraculous story of the Maccabean victory this year, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war highlights challenging questions of national and individual identity. How do we see ourselves in relation to our enemy in times of conflict? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes study a text from Bereshit Rabbah about how we compare ourselves to our enemies and discuss how those comparisons influence who we are and who we imagine ourselves to be in war. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    39 mins
  • A Guide to Jealousy

    A Guide to Jealousy
    Dec 2 2024
    In a world that is so connected through technology, we are inundated with highly curated images of other peoples’ seemingly perfect lives. Many of us feel jealous of these imagined realities. In this episode, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky discuss a text from Deuteronomy Rabbah 9:9 to help us understand where jealousy comes from and how to manage it. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    32 mins
  • Gratitude and Sorrow

    Gratitude and Sorrow
    Nov 18 2024
    In times of heartache, how do we find room for gratitude? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes study a text from Tractate Brachot, Chapter 9, about divergent blessings for times of joy and times of sorrow and discuss how gratitude can help us through dark times. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    38 mins
  • The Ruling Authorities

    The Ruling Authorities
    Nov 4 2024
    As Americans race to the polls to make their voices heard in the impending election, uncertainty about the future permeates the air. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky examine three musings from Pirkei Avot on the function of government; They discuss election anxieties, the purpose of governing bodies, and the importance of voting in this crucial election. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    29 mins
  • Finding Joy in Crisis

    Finding Joy in Crisis
    Oct 21 2024
    In times of great tragedy, joy can feel out of place, or even inappropriate. However, when tragedy becomes a consistent part of our lives, we must learn to survive and continue to live through it. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore a text from Tosefta Sotah and discuss how to muster joy when tragedy seems to have no end. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    31 mins
  • Remembering and Forgetting: The High Holidays as a Time of Solidarity

    Remembering and Forgetting: The High Holidays as a Time of Solidarity
    Oct 7 2024
    During the High Holiday season, the focus of the Jewish people turns to the millenia of shared history and tradition reflected in the Days of Awe. In a session given by Elana Stein Hain for A Day of Learning for Our Hostages, Elana explores the connection between solidarity and memory, and the pieces of our tradition that bind us even across our differences. A Day of Learning for Our Hostages was held on September 30, 2024 to honor the shloshim of the six hostages murdered in August, show solidarity with the hostages still in captivity, and call on the Israeli government and the international community to prioritize their return. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    54 mins
  • What’s Your Fish?

    What’s Your Fish?
    Sep 23 2024
    When you feel like running away, where do you go to see things from a new perspective? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore the story of Jonah and the fish — the story traditionally read as haftorah on Yom Kippur afternoon — through the lens of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 10, Section 9. Through this powerful midrash, Elana and Yonah discuss how temporarily seeking shelter from our problems can help us approach them in a more thoughtful and healthy way. They ask the question: what’s your fish? Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    31 mins
  • Living with Dissonance

    Living with Dissonance
    Sep 9 2024
    The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l did everything they could to rescue their son and the other hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 but in the end, they were unable to prevent his murder along with five other hostages. In this special episode, Elana Stein Hain turns to a midrash in Sifrei Bamidbar to consider how to grieve this tremendous loss of life and grasp the seeming senselessness of this tragedy, in conversation with three Israeli scholars at the Shalom Hartman Institute—Tal Becker, Tehila Friedman, and Shoshana Cohen. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    44 mins