The Voice of the Prophet

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

Episode 1: Who Were the Rabbis?

What led to the emergence of the group of scholars and teachers we call the Rabbis? What motivated them and what did they value? The Rabbis looked to their forebear, Hillel, as an exemplar of religious leadership, and in this episode, we’ll look at three stories they told about Hillel to see what we can learn about the Rabbis’ self-conception.

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Credits:
Produced by Rabbi Tim Bernard
Cover art: Rabbi Tim Bernard
Theme music: Stock media provided by u19_studios / Pond5

In this opening episode of JTS’s new podcast, What Now?, host Sara Beth Berman tells her story and speaks with Professor Alan Mittleman. Dr. Mittleman shares his own experiences with loss, framing tragedies as taking place in a world that is nevertheless good and that gives us reason for hope. We also learn why giving Professor Mittleman advice is never a good idea.

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Cover art: Aura Lewis
Theme music: “Jat Poure”by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
Funding: The Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious & Social Studies at JTS.

Contact us at onlinelearning@jtsa.edu, and find other JTS podcasts at www.jtsa.edu/podcasts.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Tzav (7:21-8:3, 9:22-23)) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Pekudei (1 Kings 7:51-8:21) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Shekalim (2 Kings 12:1-17) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
The king discovers that the priests have not been attending to the upkeep of the Temple, apparently instead seeing the donations as part of their own compensation. Strikingly, the king does not accuse or assign blame. Instead, he establishes a system of checks and balances in dealing with Temple finances, to avoid the inevitable conflict of interest between the priests’ immediate needs and the long-term sustenance of the institution.

• What “checks and balances” do we need -- individually, in our personal and business relationships, and as a society -- to better navigate our inevitable conflicts of interest?

• How might refraining from blame help us better enact those structures?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Tetzavveh (Ezekiel 43:10-27) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Mahar Hodesh (1 Sam. 20:18-42) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Despite Biblical commands to honor and revere parents, and despite the respect and loyalty due to a king, Jonathan here is disloyal to his father the king in order to protect and remain loyal to his beloved friend David.
• How do you resolve conflicting loyalties in your own life?
• At what point does unethical, inappropriate or irrational behavior—such as Saul’s rage here—forfeit the loyalty and respect even of family?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Simhat Torah (Josh. 1:1-18) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
As we conclude the reading of the Torah with the death of Moses, we read as the haftarah the beginning of the book of Joshua, in which Joshua steps in as Moses’s successor. Today Moses is succeeded not by one individual, but by all of us.
• How are you personally bearing the mantle of Moses’s leadership?
• What is the Torah that you, and only you, can teach?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shemini Atzeret (1 Kings 8:54-66) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Solomon in his dedicatory prayer asks that all peoples of the earth may know that Adonai alone is God, and there is no other.
• Do you feel you have truly internalized the underlying unity of all creation?
• What are the implications of such “knowing”?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hol Hamoed Sukkot (Ezekiel 38:18-39:16) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Ezekiel’s apocalyptic vision of the end of days is accompanied by images of terrible violence.
• Does all significant transformation inevitably involve trauma, violence and loss? If so, what sustains us through such turbulent times?
• Can you imagine a more peaceful model of transformational change?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Sukkot Day 2 (1 Kings 8:2-21) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
On the second day of Sukkot, we read of the completion of Solomon’s Temple, and the presence of God coming to rest. As we ourselves dwell in newly built, temporary structures, we might ask: what makes something a dwelling place for God.
• Is it the physical building, the intention in building it, the activities carried out in it?
• What drives God’s presence from the world?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Sukkot Day 1 (Zechariah 14:1-21) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Zechariah’s beautiful vision of the day when “Adonai shall be one and God’s name one” seems to be in tension with the Shema, our twice-daily assertion that God is one.
• In what sense is God’s unity an ever-present reality, and in what sense is it aspirational? Can both be true?
• What causes you to see or experience God’s unity, and what causes you to lose that vision?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Ha'azinu (II Sam. 22:1-51) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In praising God for saving him, David sees his salvation as a reward for his own righteousness. In times of difficulty, we often feel unfairly wronged, and question whether indeed there is justice in the world. But when we prosper or have been spared or vindicated, we often attribute our success or victory to our own merit.
• How do we keep a genuine sense of vindication and justice having prevailed from sliding into self-righteousness and self-congratulation?
• What role does gratitude and prayer have in modulating our natural inclination to take sole credit for our victories?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Yom Kippur morning (Isaiah 57:14 - 58:14) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
Yom Kippur is filled with ritual observance, from the fast and other restrictions to a full day of praying. The haftarah doesn’t the importance of such observance, but reminds us that ritual alone does not a religious person make, and that our fast will not be meaningful unless it is accompanied by deeds of justice and love. Ideally, ritual and ethical observance are mutually reinforcing.
• What concrete actions will you take going forward, to insure that your fast on Yom Kippur will be expressed in your deeds outside the synagogue?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Shuvah (Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-27) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
The prophet Hosea focuses on words as an essential part of teshuvah (return, repentance), generally interpreted to refer specifically to confession aloud.
• Beyond the formal text of the confession, what do you personally need to confess to during this week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
• What truths about yourself have you resisted articulating, even to yourself?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.
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The Haftarah portion for Rosh Hashanah Day One (1 Samuel 1:1-2:10) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
In the haftarah chosen for the first day of the Jewish New Year, a vulnerable woman, Hannah, is judged harshly and incorrectly by the priest in charge, but proves herself to be genuinely pious, perhaps more so than he.
• Why do you think this haftarah is read on the New Year?
• What lessons does it offer regarding judgment, power, piety and generosity of spirit?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Rosh Hashanah Day Two (Jeremiah 31:2-20) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
The haftarah chanted on the second day of Rosh Hashanah offers God’s beautiful promise of joy, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It also portrays two powerful human emotions, each seemingly resistant to the Divine message: Rachel’s grief, and Ephraim’s remorse and shame.
• Are there losses you are struggling to come to terms with?
• Do you carry shame that is hard to overcome, or guilt you have difficulty forgiving?
• What spiritual work between now and Yom Kippur might enable that day to help you move forward?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Nitzavim (Isaiah 61:10–63:9) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
The prophet portrays God as reflecting back on a period of God’s own anger, and the damage it caused.
• As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when were you angry in a destructive way, that you now regret?
• Can you make amends and repair what you damaged? How?
• Were there times your anger was productive or necessary?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Ki Tavo (Isaiah 60:1-22) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
The prophet envisions a complete reversal for the people Israel, in which the oppressors shall become subservient to those they once oppressed.
• How does this kind of turning of the tables assist in the process of reconciliation? How does it get in the way?
• When have you felt the desire for someone to receive their comeuppance?
• If you were able to make that happen, would you do it? Why or why not?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Ki Tetzei (Isaiah 54:1–10) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Note: in some years when Rosh Hodesh Ellul falls on Shabbat Re'eh, many congregations read the haftarah for Re'eh along with this haftarah on Shabbat morning.
Questions for Discussion:
In this haftarah of reconciliation, the prophet assures the people that they will no longer feel shame or disgrace.
• How have shame and humiliation hurt relationships with people you care about?
• What would it take to address that shame and heal?
• What roles do shame and humiliation play in national and international conflicts?
• What can you do to bring more dignity and respect into our world?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shofetim (Isaiah 51:12 – 52:12) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.

Questions for Discussion:
The prophet offers a message of hope to a people seemingly in despair, adjuring the people to rouse themselves, awaken, and arise.
• What gives you hope when you are downcast, and inspires you to act when you feel despair?
• What can you do to inspire others?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Re'eh (Isaiah 54:11–55:5) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Note: in some years, including 5778, when Rosh Hodesh Ellul falls on Shabbat Re'eh, many congregations read the haftarah for Rosh Hodesh on Shabbat morning, and this haftarah is deferred and read together with the fifth haftarah of consolation two weeks later.
Questions for Discussion:
This third haftarah of consolation and comfort contains a beautiful promise of a society established on righteousness, and consequently free of oppression, fear and ruin.
• In what ways is our current society established on righteousness, and where and how is righteousness lacking?
• What do we suffer from as a result of lack of righteousness in our foundations? How would we be freer if we were to address our failings?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Eikev (Isaiah 49:14-51:3) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The haftarah begins with the people’s sense of having been abandoned by God, while God complains of calling to the people and being ignored.
• When in your life might you have ignored or simply failed to see sources of comfort or help? /p>
• What solutions and opportunities are we as a society missing?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Va'et-hannan (Isaiah 40:1-26) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This Shabbat takes its name from this special haftarah, which begins Nahamu, nahamu—Comfort, oh comfort, My people. It marks the beginning of seven weeks of comfort (culminating in the High Holy Days) in which the relationship between God and the people Israel—strained almost to breaking on Tisha Be’av—is rebuilt.
• Who and what do you turn to when you need comfort?
• Which comforts are temporary and shallow, and what offers lasting and deep reassurance?
• Focusing on matters of transcendent and ultimate meaning can be unsettling and challenging; how can it also offer comfort?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Devarim (Isaiah 1:1-27) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Second only to Tisha Be’av itself, this haftarah represents the near low point in the relationship between God and the people Israel, who have sunk to the level of Sodom and Gomorrah and are near destruction. Although the people seem to be very committed to worship, their very worship disgusts God because of the prevalence of injustice, abuse of or indifference to the vulnerable, greed, and theft in the larger society.

• To what extent has “piety” become divorced from justice in today’s society?
• Given this passage, how do you think Isaiah would respond to being told that clergy should not get involved in social policy and politics?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Masei (Jer. 2:4-28, 3:4) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This second haftarah of rebuke identifies two aspects of national wrongdoing: 1) abandoning God, “the Fount of living water”, and 2) embracing broken cisterns “which cannot even hold water.”
• What are the true sources of nourishment and vitality that our society is abandoning?
• What values and ways of being do we cling to that will never be sustaining and healthy?
• What do we need to do to change course?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Pinehas (Jer. 1:1-2:3) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In this haftarah, the opening of the prophecy of Jeremiah, God responds to Jeremiah’s unarticulated sense of inadequacy for the task, essentially by saying that this is what Jeremiah was created to do.
• Do you ever feel called to particular work in the world but feel inadequate? What would give you the reassurance you need to move forward?
• The prophet is specifically called to speak difficult truths to the people Israel, in the hopes of moving them to repent. Are there difficult conversations that you are avoiding? What do you need to do to be able to have them in a productive way?
• Who do you see finding an effective way to speak difficult truths in the public sphere?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Balak (Micah 5:6-6:8) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This week’s haftarah concludes with the famous formulation of what it is that God demands of us: “Only to do justice, to love goodness, and to walk modestly with your God.” Anyone who has ever tried to live by this injunction knows that it’s straightforward simplicity masks great complexity; the just path is not always self-evident, and “walking with God” often requires not only modesty but great self-confidence, sometimes even chutzpah. At the same time, we can sometimes get so overwhelmed or confused by complexity that we can make poor decisions, or get mired in inaction.
• When do you find yourself resorting to reductionism and oversimplification, such that you need to be reminded of nuance?
• When do you find yourself so lost in complexity, that simple straightforward reminders such as this are essential?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Hukkat (Judges 11:1-33) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In this very troubling story, Yiftah foolishly vows in a moment of vulnerability that if God rescues him, he will offer as a burnt offering whatever comes out of his house when he returns home safely. Later in the narrative, we learn that it is daughter who emerges from the house.
• In addition to being a horrific example of the dangers and abuses of patriarchal power, the story might also cause us to think about other ways in which we put our loved ones at risk because of our own fears. What examples can you think of?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Korah (1 Sam. 11:14-12:22) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Samuel makes clear to the people that although God has acceded to their request for a king, their desire for a king is ill-advised.
• Why do you think the people insisted on a king despite God’s warnings?
• What causes people today to yearn for authoritarian leadership, despite the risks and dangers?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shelah Lekha (Joshua 2:1-24) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This story contains an unlikely hero; it is not only a woman who saves the spies sent by Joshua, but a "zonah" (a harlot or prostitute).
• Why do you think the narrative chooses an outsider—and specifically someone who is generally subject to moral condemnation—to play this role?
• How can we be more open to the potentially redemptive contributions of people we tend to exclude, or judge harshly?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Beha'alotekha (Zech. 2:14–4:7) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This haftarah reminds us that physical strength and power are very limited tools when compared to the Divine spirit.
• What do you see in our world that is more potent that physical strength and worldly power?
• Might those things be what we mean by God’s spirit?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Naso (Judges 13:2-25) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:

• Samson’s future parents, Manoach and his wife (like many women in the Hebrew Bible, she is unnamed), are visited by an angel or messenger of God. The angel first appears to Samson’s mother, who immediately recognizes him as such and tells her husband. Later, the angel appears to both of them. But the text suggests that Manoach only realizes that it is in fact an angel after the fact (Judges 13:21).
• Have you ever felt that you were encountering a Divine messenger in your life?
• What made you think so, and what opened you to that possibility?
• Have you ever looked back after the fact and suspected that perhaps Divine intervention was involved in some way?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for First Day of Shavuot (Ezek. 1:1-28; 3:12) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think Ezekiel’s bizarre vision of four-faced heavenly creatures was chosen as the haftarah for the first day of Shavuot? How does a surreal vision such as this complement the account of the giving of the Torah at Sinai?
• How does a personal mystical experience this differ from a communal encounter like the Sinai narrative? What does each offer that the other doesn’t?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Second Day of Shavuot (Hab. 3:1-19) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Habakkuk’s prophecy, chosen for the second day of Shavuot, portrays all of creation in a state of fear and trembling at God’s approach.
• What role does yirah (awe or fear) play in your theology?
• Where in your life do you experience that sense of awe, and what spiritual pathways does it open for you?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Behukkotai (Jer. 16:19–17:14) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Jeremiah’s prophecy here is about the futility and worthlessness of idolatry; grounded as it is in delusion, idolatry leaves one vulnerable and rootless, and ultimately enslaved. Suddenly, in verse 11, the prophet decries those who amass wealth through unjust means, saying they will in the end be revealed as fools.
• What is the connection between financial injustice and idolatry?
• Why does the prophet describe both as a form of foolishness?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Emor (Ezek. 44:15-31) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The selection here of the Zadokites, and only the Zadokites, to serve as priests in the Temple follows the prophet’s decrial of the corruption of the earlier group of priests, who led the people into idolatry. Now the Zadokites are chosen, and strict rules regarding their functioning are emphasized.
• How does corruption of religious leadership manifest in our world today?
• What safeguards and restrictions can help religious leaders remain true to their mission?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Kedoshim (Amos 9:7-15) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In many places, the Torah speaks of a unique relationship between God and the Jewish people, often referred to in the language of “chosenness.” Here, through the prophet Amos, God warns the people that if they sin, they are just like any other nation in God’s eyes.
• To what extent do we excuse our behavior—whether as individuals, Jews, or Americans–by telling ourselves that we are somehow special or exceptional, and therefore exempt from the consequences of our behavior?


JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Tazria-Metzora (2 Kings 7:3-20) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The four individuals who initially defect to the enemy camp are described as metzora’im, sufferers of an ailment that the rabbis understood as punishment for the sin of lashon hara (damaging and/or false speech). Such people were kept at a distance, isolated from the camp (here they are depicted as being “outside the gate”). Initially, these outcasts betray their people, intending to join with the enemy camp and save themselves from the siege, only to discover that the enemy has fled. The story turns on their realization that their silence—in not informing the king of the enemy’s desertion—is a sin. Here, then, the remedy for false or damaging speech is not silence, but speaking out in a positive way.
• Is that always the case? When does negative speech need to be corrected through positive speech?
• Are there times when silence is more helpful?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 8 (Isa. 10:32–12:6) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Isaiah’s famous and beautiful prophecy of the wolf dwelling with the lamb is part of his larger vision of messianic redemption—a world in which former enemies and predators peacefully coexist and justice reigns. Here, the “messiah” is portrayed as a sprouting twig or shoot emerging from what appears to be a dead stump—not the majority and the masses, but a small remnant with the ability to see beneath the surface of things and lead all the nations back to truth and justice.
• Are there individuals or small groups whose voices have had transformational impact?
• Do you feel empowered to be one of those voices?
• What role can each of us have in redeeming what is broken in our world?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 7 (2 Sam. 22:1-51) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In praising God for saving him, David sees his salvation as a reward for his own righteousness. In times of difficulty, we often feel unfairly wronged, and question whether indeed there is justice in the world. But when we prosper or have been spared or vindicated, we often attribute our success or victory to our own merit.
• How do we keep a genuine sense of vindication and justice having prevailed from sliding into self-righteousness and self-congratulation?
• What role does gratitude and prayer have in modulating our natural inclination to take sole credit for our victories?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 1 (Josh. 3:5-7; 5:2–6:1, 27) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In this story from the book of Joshua, the second generation of Israelites, born after the Exodus from Egypt, are circumcised. This is the culmination of a process in which the “disgrace” of their prior enslavement is removed, and it results in the cessation of the miraculous manna that fed the people throughout the wilderness.
• How does our observance of Passover continue the process of taking the slavery out of the Jew, long after the Jew was taken out of slavery?
• What are the lasting impacts of oppression of any group, and what steps are necessary for an individual or group to take in order to become truly free?
• What support and assistance from others is required?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Pesah Day 2 (2 Kings 23:1-9, 21-25) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This haftarah tells of a communal return to core principles, values, and practices as prescribed in the Torah, as well as the destruction of all the instruments of idolatry that had captivated and distracted the people, leading them astray.
• What are the “idols” that enrapture and delude us today?
• Can a return to Torah study and religious practice help discipline us so that we’re not seduced by false gods?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hagadol (Mal. 3:4-24) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The haftarah opens with a list of behaviors that God identifies as incompatible with genuine awe or fear of God: magical thinking (sorcery), adultery, swearing falsely, underpayment or nonpayment of workers, and mistreatment of the vulnerable—exemplified by the widow, orphan and stranger.
• When you think of “God-fearing” piety or lack thereof, is this what you picture?
The haftarah closes with a call for parents to reconcile with children and children to reconcile with parents as a necessary forerunner to redemption.
• Why is intergenerational learning and reconciliation so important?
• What are the challenges to intergenerational understanding and respect in our day?
• What causes us to undervalue the potential contributions and insights of both older and younger generations?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hahodesh (Ezek. 45:16-46:18) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This haftarah provides instructions for the ritual purification of the Temple from both intentional sins and the damaging impact of ignorance.
• What are today’s equivalent of “offerings” that we might make to restore a sense of sanctity and integrity in our homes and public institutions?


JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Parah (Ezek 36:16-36) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This haftarah is focused on the concept of hillul Hashem—the desecration of the Divine name through the unholy behavior of people purportedly acting in God’s name.
• Where do you see the desecration of God’s name in our world today, by clergy or people reporting to act from a set of religious beliefs?
• Where do you see the sanctification of God’s name?
• If you were continually aware that your behavior reflects on God—much as a child’s behavior is seen as reflecting on their parents—what would you do differently?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Ki Tissa (I Kings 18:20-39) (Sephardi) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The idolatry battled by Elijah encompasses more than simply bowing down to statues of stone. It includes anything other than God that we turn into an absolute, making it our highest value -- whether money, power, fame, or even beliefs and practices.
• What are the most prevalent idols in our society today?
• Which ones are you personally most often seduced by?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Zakhor (1 Sam. 15:1-34) (Sephardi) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Initially it seems that God rejects King Saul for his deviation from God’s instructions, even though Saul’s intention was to serve God. Later, it emerges that King Saul was motivated not by his genuine sense that God would desire this change; rather he was “afraid of the troops” and “yielded” to them.
• When have you allowed peer pressure or group-think to cause you to compromise on what you know to be right?
• Have you defended your actions as well-intentioned, or in the service of a greater good?
• How can we do better in the future?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Terumah (I Kings 5:26-6:13) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
After describing in great length the construction of Solomon’s Temple, the haftarah states in two brief verses God’s response: God’s presence among the people depends upon their striving to adhere to God’s will, rather than on the impressiveness of the building.
• Do we sometimes pay more attention to the beauty of our religious buildings than to how we behave in them?
• How do you think God views a magnificent synagogue or church in which people are unkind, dishonest, selfish, hateful or greedy? Is that a House of God?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Yitro (Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardi)) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Experiencing God’s presence initially makes Isaiah feel lost and inadequate. Quickly, however, God’s presence is transformed for him into a call and mission to which he is able to respond.
• What makes you feel too overwhelmed to act on your best instincts?
• What helps you discern an achievable sense of both possibility and duty in such moments?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Beshallah (Judges 4-5) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman and sung by Rabbi Bronwen Mullin.
Questions for Discussion:
This story features a courageous and strong heroine while at the same time suggesting that a man who seeks a woman’s assistance forfeits his honor and glory.
• To what extent does that view of masculinity persist in our day?
• Is such a view helpful or harmful to both men and women?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Bo (Jer. 46:13-28) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This haftarah holds all parties accountable for wrongdoing, while simultaneously rejecting false moral equivalencies. Egypt is guilty of sins so terrible as to warrant its utter destruction. The people Israel, though victimized by Egypt, are nevertheless not entirely innocent; they too will be chastised, but in a measured way appropriate to the lesser level of wrongdoing.
• How can our society reclaim moral discernment, neither whitewashing bad behavior, nor erasing important differences in the nature and degree of wrongdoing?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Va'era (Ezekiel 28:25 - 29:21) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
God punishes Pharaoh for his hubris in claiming "the Nile is mine, I made it."
• How are we today guilty of similar hubris, treating the natural world as ours to do with as we please, as though we ourselves made it?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Shemot (Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Isaiah laments that the truth he speaks sounds like gibberish to the people, who mock him with the equivalent of "blah blah blah", represented in the haftarah as "tzav latzav tzav latzav kav lakav kav lakav".
• Do you ever feel similarly dismissed when you try to articulate something important or new?
• Do you ever do the same to others?


JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Vayehi (1 Kings. 2:1-12) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The haftarah records King David’s deathbed instructions to his son Solomon, including some unfinished business.
• What values and lessons do you want to pass on to your own children or to the next generation?
• What obligations do you feel regarding your parents’ unfinished business, and the unfinished business of previous generations?
• What do you want to remain faithful to? What do you need to let go?


JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Vayiggash (Ezek. 37:15-28) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Ezekiel sees a beautiful vision of the unification of the Jewish people, the healing of long-standing divisions.
• How is this unification accomplished and expressed in the haftarah?
• What role does leadership and symbolism play?
• What kinds of leaders do we need to unify the Jewish people?


JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hanukkah ( Zech. 2:14–4:7 ) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The haftarah for Chanukah reminds us that physical strength and power are very limited tools when compared to the Divine spirit.
• What do you see in our world that is more potent that physical strength and worldly power?
• Might those things be what we mean by God’s spirit?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Vayeshev (Amos 2:6-3:8) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Amos laments the people’s ordering the prophets not to prophesy. If Amos were speaking in our streets today, would we hear him or refuse to listen? Would we try to shut him up? While Jewish tradition maintains that the age of prophesy is over, nevertheless the prophets continue to speak through our textual tradition, and in the voices of individuals who are especially ethically and spiritually sensitive.
• Whose voices in today’s discourse are truest to the prophetic tradition?
• Are we amplifying those voices and taking them to heart? Refusing to listen? Or actively trying to silence them?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Vayishlah (Obad. 1:1-21) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
The prophet places God’s dominion in opposition to human arrogance, and specifically the arrogance of perceived invincibility, in this case at the national level. This arrogance manifests as—or leads to—the loss of wisdom and understanding, and insensitivity and passivity at the suffering of other nations. Ultimately, it paves the way for its own destruction.
• What signs of arrogance do you see around you in our culture?
• What are the costs of that arrogance?
• What role does religion have in restoring appropriate humility?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Vayetzei (Hos. 11:7–12:12) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Among the charges the prophet levies against the northern tribes is the self-delusion that their unethical business practices do not amount to "real guilt." For the prophet, this denial of responsibility seems rooted in their material success: having succeeded in attaining wealth and power, they fancy themselves immune from judgment and punishment.
• Do you minimize unethical behavior when it comes to money?
• Do you see an association with wealth and righteousness in our society?
• Do we excuse ethical lapses in individuals or corporations because they are successful?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hayyei Sarah (1 Kings 1:1-131) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
One of the traditional roles of the Hebrew prophets was to speak truth to power, as the prophet Nathan speaks to King David here, when David seems not to be honoring a promise. But rather than confront David directly, the prophet maneuvers to have David rise to the occasion on his own.
• What other approaches are possible, and how do you determine when to use each tactic?
• Is direct confrontation always the best way to get others to acknowledge truth?
• What other approaches are possible, and how do you determine when to use each tactic?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Vayera (2 Kings 4:1-23) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
This story can be read as a re-working of the binding of Isaac, with the child’s mother (the Shunammite woman), rather than father, is the focus. Abraham is often criticized for not arguing with God’s command to sacrifice his son. Here, when the child dies, the Shunammite woman goes determinedly to the man of God, challenging him “Did I not tell you not to mislead or play games with me?” In response to her outrage, the man of God resurrects her son.
• When have you felt moved to lodge a protest against God?
• Beyond challenging God, what methods of expressing outrage are most effective in bringing just results?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Lekh Lekha (Isaiah 40:27-41:16) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
In this haftarah, Isaiah responds to a crisis of faith among the people, the feeling that their concerns are ignored by God, by reminding them that God is creator of all, and of the history of their relationship with God.
• Have you ever felt that God is absent or silence? What reassures you?
• Can you reconnect with a sense of God’s presence through the power and beauty of nature?
• When it is hard to have faith in God, can you find strength in being faithful to those moments in your own past when you felt God’s presence and care?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Rosh Hodesh (Isaiah 66:1-24) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
God is seen here rejecting the worship of the outwardly pious, who pride themselves in building religious institutions, but fail to care for human beings. Instead, God attends to those who are poor and brokenhearted, but attend to the substance of God’s word.
• Where in our own personal practice – or in our communities and organizations – do we emphasize show over substance, buildings over people, ritual over ethics?
• How can we do better in this new month?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Bereishit narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Isaiah 42:5–43:10

Questions for Discussion:
• The prophet rails against the people's lack of awareness that God is not only created all, but continues to be ever-present and involved in the world. When, if ever do you sense God's presence? Do you think that awareness is a choice? Would a consistent, conscious sense of God being among us cause you to behave differently? How?
• Isaiah reminds us that we are God's witnesses - not just by talking about God, but by actions and character that lead others to sense God's presence through us. What behaviors and ways of being do you think “witness God”? Who embodies those traits today?
• In interpreting the Divine message, Isaiah chose to use blindness and deafness as metaphors for ignorance and intransigence. Today we reject such ableist metaphors as hurtful, contributing to negative stereotypes about the disabled. One of the primary ways we "witness" God is through the gift of speech - what other common expressions and metaphors cause damage, and need to be rethought in order to better express God's vision?
JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.

What do the prophets of the Bible have to say to us today? Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Director of the Block / Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts at JTS introduces The Voice of the Prophet.