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But in the Judaism we know, the Judaism that was passed on, Azazel is only a name.
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In a Judaism where Azazel remains prominent, we might have canonized the Book of Enoch instead of Jubilees. In another world, we might still have rituals remembering specific Nephilim.
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When I asked about Azazel, a rogue name that appears in Achrei Mot, I learned about another hint to a form of Jewish belief not-quite-enshrined in the Torah. Lex kept looking backwards as we moved forwards through the weeks. What if, Lex asked, the Book of Jubilees had made it? What might our Judaism look like today if we had chosen to begin our story with tablets and mountains instead of apples and snakes? The Book of Jubilees is generally not recognized as a part of the Jewish canon (although it is considered canonical by Beta Israel Jews). Just look at the format of a page of Talmud! Torah is the core, the center, around which Judaism revolves.Ī month or so into the fellowship, Lex mentioned the Book of Jubilees – a retelling of the events of the books of Genesis and Exodus that begins with Moses at Mount Sinai. If, for example, Shabbat is the most Jewish day, then it must be so because the Torah says so. I have always studied the five books of Moses as the site where Judaism begins: I have been taught to imagine our entire canon, not to mention the countless practices built around it, emanating out of this original text. I grew to really value the time I spent thinking about these books and their many translations.īut as much as I learned from my own close readings for these d’vrei Torah, the most valuable lessons I am taking away from these few minutes of my week came from seeing the Torah through Lex’s eyes. Having a reason to regularly pay a visit to Sefaria was grounding – even in the middle of my week, I was able to remember my Jewish practice and spend a little time parsing a parshah. Lex and I began each weekly meeting with a d’var Torah we’d switch off every week, so that one of us would come to the Zoom room prepared to spend a minute or two interpreting, asking questions about, or (to my surprise and delight) criticizing some piece of the week’s portion.
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On what had previously felt like maybe the least Jewish day of the week (Wednesdays, of course), I would rush home from my afternoon classes to log onto my weekly one-on-one with Lex Rofeberg, my supervisor and the Senior Jewish Educator at Judaism Unbound. On six days, we shall work, and on the seventh, we shall Jew.īut this year, during my fellowship with New Voices and Judaism Unbound, I found my Judaism cropping up in unexpected places, and on unexpected days. Amidst my overscheduled and generally non-Jewish worlds, Fridays have often been, through my remembrance of the Sabbath, the de facto time that I get to remember, well, my Judaism as a whole. So, if you read my question and immediately thought of Shabbat, I’m with you – or, I used to be. Friday evening and Saturday afternoon might be the only time that you can find a moment to bake challah, sit down to catch up with loved ones, or step away from your deadlines to rest and reflect. More importantly, if you’re like me (a full-time student/part-time barista at a secular college), your work-week runs on a Monday-Friday schedule. Shabbat, after all, is the holiest day of the week, and the value of keeping it so is literally written into the Ten Commandments. What’s the most Jewish day of the week? If I gambled, I’d bet money that you’re now thinking about either Friday or Saturday.