Ta Shma - Programs

Ta Shma's Program Archive

Ta Shmabbaton Weekend Seminars

Prophets, Sages and Kings: What Role Does Religion Play in Leadership Positions?
Hamidbar Midaber: The Voice of Spirituality in the Desert
Scrollin', Scrollin', Scrollin'... Rawhide! A Journey through the Purim Story
Holy Shabbaton! Pluralistic Perspectives on Parashat Kedoshim
Judaism on One Leg: Is there a Single Core Principle of Our Religion?
Conversion and Peoplehood: How Do You Know a Jew When You See One?
The Messiah: Redeemer of the Jewish People or Just a Very Naughty Boy?
Light in the Midst of Dark: A Hanuka Experience
Two Jews, Three Opinions: The Principles of Emet and Shalom as a Foundation for Pluralism
Judaism: A Power Play in Three Acts - Dominance and Submission within Family, Gender and Religion

Ta Shma at the Movies

Ta Shma on the Roof: Fiddling with Our Relationship with Non-Jews
Confronting the Dark Side: The Nature of Good and Evil in "Star Wars" and Jewish Tradition
Part of that World: "The Little Mermaid" and the Jewish People that Dwells Apart
Who Said Jehovah? Blasphemy and God-Talk in the "Life of Brian"
What is the Matrix? A Commentary on Free Will vs. Destiny
Who Wrote the Book of Love? A Peek at Romance and Destiny through "Sliding Doors"
Getting In Touch with Your Inner Ogre: Jewish Wisdom from "Shrek" on Ugliness and Inner Beauty

Yom Kippur Seminar Sessions

Death, Ecstasy and Teshuva: An Awe-Inspiring Yom Kippur Experience
What Does God Have to Do with Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur: The Search for Perfection
Out with the Old, In with the New: How Spiritual Issues Change from Year to Year
Set Me Free: Examining the Effectiveness of Kol Nidre
From Kol Nidre to Neila: Getting In and Out of Yom Kippur Unscathed
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Do We Need God or Does it Come from Within?
What's God Got to Do, Got to Do with It: The Process of Repentance
Life in the Fast Lane: What's a Meaningful Jewish Experience without Food?
A Very Fishy Story: Multiple Messages in the Book of Jonah

Tikkun Leil Shavuot: All-Night Learning Sessions

Understanding Standing Under Sinai
Preparing for Sinai: An Examination of the Moments Before Revelation
Guess Who's Coming to Sinai: Living with the Presence of God
From God's Mouth to My Ears: How the Listener Affects the Nature of Revelation
Shavuot - A Godless Holiday? On Being Commanded
The Battle of the Books: Which Denomination Really Understands Shavuot?
It's My Torah and I'll Share if I Want To: Do Jews Have a Monopoly on Truth?
I Now Pronounce You God and People: If Judaism is Likened to Marriage, Do We Need Therapy?
The Ultimate Religious Coercion: Mt. Sinai Hanging Over Your Head
Inventing Shavuot: The Use of Minhag to Create Ritual
Ruth: The First Secular Convert or Just Another Foreign Worker?
You Say You Want a Revelation: Exploring the Nature of Our Relationship with Torah
The Torah, the Rabbi, His Wife and Their Love: A Look at the Life of R. Akiva
Mysticism or Heresy? A Hasidic Perspective on Spirituality

Programs Specially Created for Our Clients in Israel

If Shabbat Falls in the Desert, Does it Get Observed?
Creation and Re-Creation: Genesis Under the Microscope
Where Angels Fear to Tread: Rereading Abraham's Relationship with God
From Anger to Acceptance: Jewish Responses to Suffering
The Limits of Giving: Would You Lay Down Your Life for a Friend?
The Jewish Bookshelf: Common Ground or Battleground?
Everything You Wanted to Ask about Sex... But Were Afraid God Would Say No!
For You Were Strangers in the Land of Egypt: Relations Between Jews and Non-Jews
Bordering on Insanity: Navigating the Numerous Historical Boundaries of the Land of Israel
Brothers in Arms: Images of the Powerful Jew
Who Died and Made You King?!? Jews, Authority and Obedience
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Conflict Resolution in the Jewish Tradition
Inside Out, Outside In: Textual Perspectives on Aliya
Two Jews, Three Opinions: Makhloket as a Basis for Pluralism
Ready, Steady, Repent! Deconstructing Rosh Hashana
Buttered Scones and Humus?!? Creating Jewish Identity in Israel
The Hanuka Miracle: Divine Intervention or Human Perseverance?
Integration or Isolation: What's the Lesson of the Hanuka Story?
The Spiritual Dating Game: What does it mean to have a relationship with God? Wait... what is God?
Everything You Wanted to Know about Prayer, But Were Afraid to Ask: Tradition, Innovation and Meaning
Law & Order: The Constructs of Obedience and Authority in Judaism - from God... to the Rabbis... to You?
Navigating the Jewish Bookshelf: From Tanach to Midrash to Jewish Law
Rock of Ages: Jewish Music and Your Soul
Parashat Hashavua: The Reader, the Text and What Lies Between

Programs Specially Created for Our Clients from Abroad

Many Lands, One Nation: Jewish Sources on Solidarity
Searching for Spirituality: The Boundaries of Authentic Ritual
Bullets or Books: Prioritizing Our Relationship with Israel in Times of Trouble
I Argue, Therefore I Love: Connecting to the Other through Makhloket
Speak / Be Silent: Can Jews Share a Theological Language?
Understanding Abraham: An Examination of Parashat Vayera
White Lies, Falsehoods and Principles: Jewish Sources on Makhloket
Where Theory Ends and Life Begins: Putting Pluralism into Practice
Redemption and the State of Israel: Conflicting Views on the Jewish Homeland
For Crying Out Loud: Joseph and the Art of Weeping
When Duty Calls: Jewish Perspectives on Obeying and Refusing Orders
What's a Non-Jew Like Yitro Doing in a Parasha Like This?
Exploring the Relationship Between the Diaspora and the Land of Israel
Home is Where the Heart Faces: The Centrality of Jerusalem in Jewish Life

Other Popular Ta Shma Programs

Sex, Wine & Music: A Three-Part Lunch 'n' Learn Series
Who Wrote the Torah? (And Does it Even Matter?)
Why Does it Always Seem that I'm Right? Fact vs. Opinion in Jewish Sources
Prayer - A Shared Vision of Utopia
Freedom From or Freedom For: Contemplating the Theme of Slavery at Passover
God's Mask - The Purim Dilemma: How Do Jews Act When God is Hidden?
The Burden of Memory: Observing Yom Hashoah in Israel
When is an Idol not an Idol? A Textual Exploration of Graven Images in Jewish Art
Hooked on God, Hooked on Humanity: The God-Obsessed Personality of R. Shimon Bar Yochai
How Can I Speak to God if I Can't Understand What I'm Saying? The Sociology of the Hebrew Language
Sacred Tongue or Street Slang? The Role of Modern Hebrew in the World of Prayer and Study

Portable Pluralism - On-Line Learning with Ta Shma

To visit our Portable Pluralism archive, please click here.