Annotated Index to the Torah Commentary of Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch
The Annotated Index is based on the multi-volume Judaica Press (1989) version of the Hirsch Torah commentary. The complete 418-page Annotated Index, encompassing all of his commentary, from Bereshit/Genesis through Devarim/Deuteronomy, includes approximately 19,000 thousand entries in Adobe Portable Document (PDF) format.
The Annotated Index is an excellent resource and tool for anyone seeking a focused, in-depth encounter with the extraordinary Torah commentary of this modern sage. Rabbi Hirsch died more than a century ago (1888), but he is nonetheless considered one of the giants of modern commentators. He combined several qualities that have particular relevance for Torah study in our time:
- He had a singularly masterful command of traditional texts—so much so as to be regarded as a modern sage by his rabbinic peers.
- He understood and articulated with great clarity the underlying meanings of Hebrew roots and words in all their variations—so much so that an Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew based on his commentary has been published.
- He understood modern science, its method and potential, regarding it as not inherently in conflict with Torah—so much so that his idea, Torah im derekh eretz ("Torah with the way of the land") advocated an ". . . intimate union between total, unadulterated Judaism and the spirit of all true science and knowledge."
- His commentary is not partial or disjointed, but detailed, comprehensive, and integrated—so much so that the Judaica Press version takes seven volumes (including the Haftarot).
- His commentary promotes Jewish spirituality and religiosity that are highly relevant to the pressures and hopes of daily life—so much so that we find it applicable in contemporary society to individuals, families, communities, our whole people, and the larger nation in which we live.
It is difficult to fully appreciate the breadth and depth, the power and persuasiveness, of Rabbi Hirsch's commentary without encountering it personally. It's like trying to appreciate the majesty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon through another's verbal description of it, in contrast to seeing it for oneself. This Annotated Index has been compiled with the hope of facilitating that encounter.
One may, of course, use various electronic iterations of the Chumash (Pentateuch) and Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) to locate Hirsch commentary on a particular term if that term appears in the Scripture. The Annotated Index, however, is not keyed exclusively to the words of the Scripture, but rather to the concepts of Rabbi Hirsch's commentary, as well as related words and phrases.
The primary advantage of using the Annotated Index is that it enables the student, darshan (preacher/teacher), rabbi, scholar, or casual reader to quickly search and find the locations of all the Hirsch Torah commentary on a particular concept, phrase, or word, with each index entry sufficiently annotated to make it unnecessary to locate and review the full commentary to determine its relevance to any particular interest.
Animal Divrei Torah
GTP animal divrei Torah can serve as congregational development tools for rabbis, leaders, teachers and congregants—designed for presentation to children, young people, and families—to build attendance and participation at Shabbat and holiday services, religious school classes, and chavurah activities.The series includes two types of divrei Torah:
- 37 Chayat Hashuvua (Animal of the Week) divrei Torah that cover specific animals, from ants to wolves, including many species mentioned in Tanakh; and
- 16 Mamlechet Hachai (Animal Kingdom) divrei Torah that more generally cover animal-related themes, such as returning lost animals, treatment and care of domestic animals, feeding of wild animals, etc.
- The animal's Hebrew name(s) and shoresh (root) meaning(s) of the name(s);
- Information about the animal from Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Talmud, or Midrash, or from the history of Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) or Am Yisrael (the Jewish people);
- A "quiz" to invite participation, based on several questions that test modern knowledge of the animal's physical characteristics, temperament, or biology; and
- An epigram, proverb, or story from the Jewish wisdom tradition and one or two follow-up discussion questions designed for children and young people.
"A-C-O-R-N THE PEOPLE'S VOICE WILL RISE AGAIN!" is a 59-minute hobbyist video recording of the third national ACORN convention held in New York City in August of 1980. (This is a low-tech recording but more than adequate to document these events in the history of ACORN community organizing. Please be patient with the first 20 seconds of blank screen and the first minute of background noise.)
The 1980 ACORN convention brought together 2,000 members of the organization from all over the U.S. It was focused on challenging the Democratic National Convention, also meeting in New York City at that time, to form a commission on representation of low- and moderate-income citizens within the Democratic Party.
The video recording includes a report outlining the history of ACORN's challenge to the Democratic Party on the issue of low- and moderate-income representation, a one-mile march and demonstration in mid-town Manhattan, and a small informal group of members learning one of ACORN's organizing songs.
One of the highlights of the recording is an impassioned speech by then-Philadelphia Councilman John Street, who describes ACORN as "one of the only organizations in the country making a spirited effort to organize people on a grassroots, block by block level." Street says he's "all fired up" about what's going on in the country, mentioning in particular that in Philadelphia "we have the worst health care in all of the country."