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PODCAST

Ḥoni"s Circle

Tamar Libicki and Rabbi Paula Rose

Ḥoni"s Circle is a climate chevruta (partner text study), In which Rabbi Paula Rose and Tamar Libicki explore Jewish texts from the Torah, the Talmud, and Commentaries to grapple with climate change. Rabbi Paula Rose is the associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, Washington. This Podcast is a project of Congregation Beth Shalom and Ahavat V"Avodat HaAdama, our community"s environmental group.

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

16:33

Love and Abundance in Nature

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/09/19

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss Psalm 23. This psalm, most famous for the line "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." is often said at funerals or shivah minyans, but also at the closing of Shabbat. We discuss how it's themes of the comfort of the natural world and trust in G-d help can relieve distress. We also discuss the phrase "only good and steadfast love shall pursue me", and how we can learn to look for the positive things around us as a way to

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13:32

Comfort from Divine Awe Found in Nature

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/09/05

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss Psalm 147. We talk about how the psalm specifically refers to G-d as "the healer of broken hearts", and how our hearts break when we hear about species extinction, agricultural failures, and forced migration due to climate change. We then go on to discuss how psalms have been traditionally used as a source of comfort, and how the awe of nature (as described beautifully in Psalm 147), and communal singing and prayer, can not only help

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18:13

Blessings from the Earth via the Divine

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/08/22

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we discuss two sources: Deuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten your fill, give thanks" and a section from the tractate Brachot giving over a rabbinic explanation for blessing before eating. We explore how both asking for permission to eat (blessing before) and gratitude for the food eaten (blessing after) can be powerful tools for viewing food as part of the divinely created world, as well as natural ecosystems. Fostering a sense of gratitude and

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16:10

Is the Tree of the Field a Human?

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/08/08

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study a verse from Devarim (Deuteronomy 20:19) and the accompanying Rashi and Ibn Ezra commenting on the phrase "For is the tree of the field a man". This is the source text for bal tashchit, the rabbinic injunction against needless destruction or waste. We first look at the commentators' different readings of the verse, and how whether we view trees through a lense of difference or similarity, the commandment to not cut them down makes sense. We

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16:27

Is it Better that Humans Exist or not

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/07/25

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study two texts from the Talmud and Midrash that both address the question "Is it better that humans should have been created or not?" When Bet Shamai and Bet Hillel voted on this question, not having been created won out, when the ministering Angels debated it at creation, they were split down the middle, and in our own day and age it is a question that comes up again in the context of human-made destruction of species and ecosystems. However, in

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13:21

People Enveloped in the Created World

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/07/11

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Psalm148, a psalm read each day during P'Sukei D'Zimrah. In the psalm, all levels of creation, from angels to the sun and moon, to hail and smoke, to humans, are all joyfully praising G-d. We ask if we can see ourselves and the natural world in a state of joyous awe daily? We also ask if we can continue to imagine this when climate change worsens disastrous weather. Can we, for instance, challenge ourselves to imagine the smoke from forest

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15:41

Ecosystems Side by Side with Human Society

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/06/13

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Psalm 104, the psalm read on Rosh Ḥodesh, the new month holiday. We discuss the themes of interdependence, humanity's smallness compared to the complex and large surrounding ecosystem, and the natural world's independent relationship with the divine. We also discuss the how the mention of sinners at the end of the psalm can relate to our current destruction of resources, and how that relates to themes of the divine promise of the renewal of

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17:01

Will there always be Poor People?

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/05/30

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Deuteronomy 15:4-11, a section of the Torah with conflicting messages about whether or not there will always be poor people, as well as our obligation to lend to them and raise them out of poverty. Through this passage we see the Torah's conception of the land being a "loan" from G-d, our obligation to pay forward the abundance we get from the land to the poorer among us, as well as our obligation to steward the land to be a blessing for all

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15:05

Food Security

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/05/16

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study excerpts from three prayers: Bore Nefashot, Birkat HaMazon, and Ashrei. In these prayers we find themes of our dependence on the Divine via the land, our kinship with the animal realm, and the importance of continuously cultivating gratitude and keeping entitlement at bay. While these prayers can serve as a source of hope during times of scarcity, we can also see them as a call to action to address global hunger, especially during our current

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18:37

Elijah's Lessons for Climate Despair

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/05/02

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study the story of Elijah's flight from Jezebel, his deep despair over the children of Israel's abandonment of the covenant with G-d, and G-d's revelation in the "small still voice". We find parallels in Elijah's anguish and our own climate despair, and look in the passage for coping inspirations. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/452568

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17:05

Trees and Torah Study

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/04/18

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we we juxtapose two texts from Pirkei Avot and the Zohar about trees and Torah study. We discuss how these texts see the relationship between Torah study and appreciation of the natural world. Are they antagonistic, hierarchically ranked, or can we hold them both as a holistic system informing each other? We also discuss the Mishnaic times as being a period of existential threat to Jewish culture, and the parallels we can draw about how we relate to

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15:21

Interconnectedness and Interdependence

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/04/04

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study a section of Maasechet Brachot where Ben Zoma enumerates all the steps that lead to a loaf of bread or a piece of clothing. We discuss how, implicit in this text, is a sense of gratitude for the entire community of artisans active in the process of providing our daily needs, and relate this to climate change by acknowledging that we need a community to provide for everyone and work for a livable world, but also that we should keep in mind

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14:01

Revelation in the Burning Bush and the Burning Mountain

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/03/21

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study side by side the descriptions of the Burning Bush and Mount Sinai at the giving of the Torah. We discuss how the fire in both circumstances cultivated attention and awe, but how in the case of Mount Sinai also cohered the people with a shared experience that was necessary for them to embark on the communal mission of nationhood, similarly to how large scale disasters have mobilized the global community to act on climate. We also touch on the

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18:01

The Divine is a Consuming Fire

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/03/10

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study a section from Vayikrah in which Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, are consumed by divine fire after bringing "strange fire" into the new tabernacle. We talk about this story from a few angles including the need for humility, how one conveys one's story being important to its acceptance, and how the disasters of climate change can feel like a mismatch to the small actions of our every day lives. Follow along with the source sheet here:

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15:22

We are dependent on God for sustenance, AND our...

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/02/21

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study a section from Dvarim (that also appears in the second paragraph of the daily Shema) about how in the land of Israel the weather and consequently agricultural yields depend on fidelity to G-d and the commandments. We talk about how this section has become meaningful in the context of climate change both for individual and communal responsibility, techno optimism and its doubters, and reaching for coping mechanisms when it comes to facing the

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15:21

Our Responsibility for Species Preservation

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/02/07

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we study the verse, shortly after the flood, that allows people to eat animals. Alongside the verse we read commentaries by Ḥizkuni and Breishit Rabbah that initially seem to contradict each other about the roles of humans and animals in creation. In the end, both commentaries are strong arguments for ecological and species preservation.Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/417168?lang=bi

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17:28

Planting and Providing for Future Generations

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/01/24

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle, we return to Ḥoni the Circle Maker, (our namesake), and another story in Mishna Ta'anit about the Talmudic Rip Van Winkle. We discuss what this story can tell us about living for future generations, appreciation of nature and the work of our ancestors, and the power of dreaming. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/417001?lang=bi

en

16:18

Too Much or Too Little of a Good Thing is not a Good...

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2023/01/11

Sefaria Source Sheet for this episode: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/417006?lang=bi

en

14:31

The Waters of Blessing and Destruction

Ḥoni"s Circle ·

2022/12/22

Sefaria Source Sheet for this episode: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/417003?lang=bi

en

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