Shot of Spirituality: Recent Episodes
A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder
Shot of Spirituality is a short-form podcast from Goucher Hillel focusing on Jewish spiritual concepts relevant in the present moment.
Deep learning never ends. When we close a book, a tractate of Talmud, or a podcast, or finish a course or a degree, we celebrate with siyyum - a recognition that what we learned will forever be a part of us.
Tzedakah - the Jewish concept of philanthropy - balances the strategic needs of support for the vulnerable, sustaining the community, and seeking justice - with the spiritual and emotional impact of giving with joy. To support Goucher Hillel during Hillel Global Giving Week (May 2-7), when gifts are matched 2:1 for triple the impact, go to donate.hillel.org/goucher
A deep and fundamental aspect of Judaism is our connectedness to the earth. It is our sacred responsibility and a dynamic source of spirituality. For more resources on the connections between Judaism and the Environment beyond this episode, check out the following links as possible points of departure:
http://www.ellenbernstein.org/shomrei-adamah
https://www.pearlstonecenter.org/jofee/
https://hazon.org/judaism-and-the-environment-101/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/green-jews/
What does the concept of love of Israel entail today? What does sharing a sense of peoplehood mean to how Jews relate to one another, and how the world relates to them? You can watch Andrew Lustig's "What it Means to Be Jewish" at this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJe0uqVGZJA
This Yom HaShoah, we connect with the idea and memory of spiritual resistance during the Holocaust. By the simple act of living and holding onto humanity through art, faith, and expression, Jewish people under Nazi tyranny participated in an audacious and powerful act of resistance. For more reading, click on the following links:
https://www.yadvashem.org/education/educational-materials/lesson-plans/spiritual-resistance.html
https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/ringelblum/index.asp
Shot Of Spirituality #11 - Building Self - Awareness by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder
Shot Of Spirituality #12- From Awareness To Action by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder
Shot Of Spirituality #13- Approaching Service by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder
Shot Of Spirituality #14- Exodus And Freedom Passover 2021 by A podcast from Goucher Hillel by Rabbi Josh Snyder
Mussar, the Jewish discipline of ethical self-improvement, begins with building in a simple daily check-in for awareness of one's own actions and motivations.
We are approaching Purim, on which we read the Book of Esther, which speaks of confronting challenges that turn our world upside down. This coincides with the anniversary of the arrival of the global pandemic. How can Purim enlighten us on how to mark this moment?
Judaism requires of us to tap into our experiences of love in order to fulfill its most important commands
As Hanukkah ends and winter sets in, we carry forth an inner flame of light and hope kindled ever brighter over the holiday.
Sources for further study:
https://www.sefaria.org/Kedushat_Levi%2C_Leviticus%2C_Kedoshim.1?ven=Kedushat_Levi_translated_by_Rb._Eliyahu_Munk⟨=bi&with=all&lang2=en
https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.21b.6?lang=bi&with=Chasidut&lang2=en
The heart of the American holiday of Thanksgiving resonates deeply with the heart of Jewish practice - active daily rituals for giving thanks that help us to cultivate a mindset of gratitude.
Sources for further study: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm https://forward.com/culture/books/414468/why-thankfulness-and-gratitude-are-jewish-emotions/ https://www.sefaria.org/Olat_Reiyah?lang=bi&p2=Olat_Reiyah%2C_Modeh_Ani.3&lang2=en
Humility is a trait that has become devalued in the era of ‘any attention is good attention’. Bringing it back into our daily lives is a key component of our growth and development.
Sources for further study: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/humility-in-judaism/ https://www.sefaria.org/Eruvin.13b.10-11?lang=bi https://www.sefaria.org/Orchot_Tzadikim.2?lang=bi https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/98230?lang=bi https://www.jstor.org/stable/40015015?seq=1 https://rabbisacks.org/greatness-humility-shoftim-5776/
The Hasidic revolution popularized the idea that personal acts, done with intention, can restore order to the cosmos - or tikkun olam. For more study, feel free to follow the links here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-baal-shem-tov/; https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tikkun-olam
The Lurianic Kabbalah's creation myth tells of God's failure and a broken universe - and allows us to understand that when we inevitably fail, we must face it and learn from it.
The fall holidays give us a chance to come to terms with our vulnerability, and to know that we are OK nonetheless.
The key to joy is cultivating a mindset that can find joy in every moment, or as Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav puts it, "It is a mitzvah to be in a constant state of joy."
In order to create, we need to make space. That involves an act, conscious or unconscious, of drawing back, or tzimtzum.