Lifelong learning is a hallmark of Reconstructionist Judaism. In that spirit, RRC president Dan Ehrenkrantz and various faculty members offer occasional teaching sessions via conference call for President’s Council members. You can enjoy the archives of these calls below. You have the option to listen now, or to download the files for later listening from your computer or MP3 player.

Click any link below to jump to the teaching session.
Yamim Noraim 5769 (2009) — Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz
Pesakh 5769 (2009) — Elsie Stern, Ph.D.
Yamim Noraim 5768 (2008) — Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz
Pesakh 5768 (2008) — Joel Hecker, Ph.D.
Pesakh 5767 (2007) — Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz
Yamim Noraim 5767 (2007) — Jacob Staub, Ph.D.

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Yamim Noraim 5769 (2009) — Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, President and Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Presidential Professor
Moses: After the Darkest Hour

Ehrenkrantz examines the encounter between Moses and God that occurs after Moses experiences fury and despair caused by the Israelites’ building of the golden calf. At the lowest moment of his career, Moses ultimately has his most intimate experience of God. This teaching also offers an unconventional interpretation of the language and the relationship between God and Moses in that historical moment, based on an intentional blurring of identities in the text.
Open the PDF file with text related to this session.

Pesakh 5769 (2009) — Elsie Stern, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Bible
Frogs Here, Frogs There: The Ten Plagues in the Torah and the Haggadah

Stern offers a “romp through the history” of Judaism’s traditions regarding the 10 plagues—from the Bible to the Internet age. She considers the evolving meaning of the ten drops of wine we remove from our seder cups. Stern also explains the ways in which fear, triumphalism and humor have shaped our interpretation of this powerful narrative over time. Open the PDF file with text related to this teaching.

Yamim Noraim 5768 (2008) — Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, President and Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Presidential Professor
Jonah: The Reluctant Prophet

Ehrenkrantz analyzes the first chapter of the Book of Jonah, traditionally read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur. He delves into Jonah’s rich teachings about our attitudes toward “the other,” the meaning of prophecy and the question of identity. Ehrenkrantz pays special attention to the language and verb forms in the text, drawing lessons that are both timeless and contemporary.
Open the PDF file with text related to this session.

Hecker addresses the question of how we reconcile the tension between the inner and outer being, the body and soul. How can human beings—as living, loving and, ultimately, dying creatures—forge a connection with an infinite, eternal and mysterious God? Through the writings of Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, a 19th-century Hasidic master, Hecker suggests how Pesakh offers us the opportunity to step back from our outer-focused, activity-filled lives and reconnect with the core of spirituality, of the divine spirit, that dwells in each of us.
Open the PDF file with texts related to this session.

Pesakh 5767 (2007) — Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, President of RRC
Interpreting the Pesakh Symbols: From the Rabbinic Era to Contemporary Times

Ehrenkrantz traces the seder symbols of the raised cup of wine and the uncovered plate of matzah to show how the Rabbinic-era view of history has dominated Passover and other aspects of Jewish life. After reviewing discussions of Passover in the Bible and the Mishnah, he suggests that the Rabbinic viewpoint should no longer dominate our seders.
Open the PDF file with texts related to this session.

Yamim Noraim 5767 (2007) — Jacob Staub, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Medieval Jewish Philosophy, Professor of Jewish philosophy, Director of the Jewish Spiritual Direction Program
How Do We Return: Traditional Sources for a Reconstructionist Approach to Teshuvah

Staub uses two texts to illuminate the idea that the voice of divine revelation—the potential to return to good and kind behavior—is always within us and that Abraham's true strength was not his obedience to God but his recognition that people must actively interpret God's will.

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Right-click on the lesson you want from this list:
•Yamim Noraim With Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz
•Pesakh Study With Elsie Stern, Ph.D.
•Yamim Noraim Study With Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz
•Pesakh Study With Rabbi Joel Hecker
•Pesakh Study With Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz
•Yamim Noraim Study With Jacob Staub, Ph.D.

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