Jerome L. Stern Pre-Pesah Lecture and Singing Circle
Join Hadar for an evening of Torah and song in preparation for Pesah, with the Jerome L. Stern Pre-Pesah Lecture given by R. Micha’el Rosenberg, followed by a singing circle led by R. Deborah Sacks Mintz.
Thursday, March 30 | 6:45-9:15 PM Eastern
Zoom and In-Person at Yeshivat Hadar (West End Synagogue, 190 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023)
Overview
Join Hadar for an evening of Torah and song in preparation for Pesah, with the Jerome L. Stern Pre-Pesah Lecture given by R. Micha’el Rosenberg, followed by a singing circle led by R. Deborah Sacks Mintz.
All times are Eastern
- 6:45 - 7:20 PM: Light Refreshments
- 7:20 - 7:30 PM: Arvit
- 7:30 - 8:30 PM: Lecture with R. Micha’el Rosenberg
- 8:35 - 9:15 PM: Singing Circle with R. Deborah Sacks Mintz
Jerome L. Stern Pre-Pesah Lecture: Would You Have Risen Up?
Rabbi Micha’el Rosenberg
In retrospect, the Exodus seems obvious - of course, the Jews would cry out in their misery, of course, God would fulfill to take us out of Egypt, and of course, we would follow Moshe’s leadership toward the Promised Land. However, we know from brief moments in the biblical text, and from the Rabbis’ midrashic expansions on the story, that this trajectory was far from inevitable. It took extraordinary people to believe, despite the oppression they endured, that they should continue to work for redemption.
What do these stories, with a particular focus on Miriam’s role in the Exodus, tell us about what’s needed to maintain faith and hope in the face of overwhelming forces? What kind of a person can bring about redemption? How do we recognize them in our own lives, and how can we become those kinds of people?
Voices of Hope, Rising: A Communal Song Experience
Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz
Punctuate the evening of learning with soulful, uplifting communal song, exploring the evening's themes of faith, hope, and redemption through nigunim, old and new.
Rabbi Micha'el Rosenberg is faculty at Hadar. He received rabbinic ordination both from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and from his teacher, Rav Elisha Ancselovits. He also holds a PhD in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Micha’el has served as associate professor of rabbinics at Hebrew College, and as the rabbi of the Fort Tryon Jewish Center in Washington Heights. He is the author of Signs of Virginity: Testing Virgins and Making Men in Late Antiquity (Oxford University Press, 2018), and with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, he is the co-author of Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law (Ktav, 2017).
Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz is Hadar's Director of Tefillah and Music. An educator, practitioner, and facilitator of Jewish communal prayer, Deborah serves and supports communities and individuals who seek to deepen, sharpen, and unlock their practice of empowered song and tefila. As a musician, Deborah has partnered creatively with a diverse array of voices in the Jewish soundscape; in addition to collaborating on over two dozen albums, she released her first record of original spiritual music, The Narrow and the Expanse, in 2020. Beloved ongoing artistic projects include Joey Weisenberg’s Hadar Ensemble, R’ Josh Warshawsky’s Chaverai Nevarech, and New Moon Rising with Elana Arian and Chava Mirel. Deborah received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also earned her MA in Women and Gender Studies. She holds degrees in music and religious anthropology from the University of Michigan. Learn more about Deborah's work at www.deborahsacksmintz.com.
Registration