In This Edition:

• Weekly Message
• Shabbat Dorshot Tov, June 1
• Last Chance to RSVP for Gila Fine Book Talk, June 2
• Resources for Shavuot, June 12-13
• Nova Festival Exhibit, in New York Through June 16
• SAR Yemei Iyun, June 23-24
• Summer Learning Opportunities
• Mental Health Awareness Month Resources
• Women's Voices
• Israel Resources
• Divrei Torah by Women on Parshat Bechukotai

Weekly Message:

Blessing in Disguise

Friends,

In this week's Torah portion, Parshat Bechukotai, G-d tells the people of Israel that if they follow the commandments, they will be provided with rain to feed their crops, and then describes the long list of punishments to be inflicted if the Israelites do not follow the laws. 

Among the many questions arising from the blessings and curses outlined in this parsha, is the blessing "You shall eat old produce," which at first glance is puzzling. But Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz interprets it as a double blessing: "First, there will be a surplus of food beyond present consumption which will be placed in storage; and second, the produce will improve with age." The rest of the verse, "And you shall remove the old from the new," Steinsaltz explains as, "You will have to take out the excess old produce in order to make room for the new." 

This can't help but bring to mind all of the produce that has gone unpicked during the war in Israel, as so many workers have been called away. Indeed, during Jofa's Israel mission in January, participants learned in a lemon grove that all of the overgrown lemons that had gone unpicked during the war had to be plucked and discarded in order to make way for new fruit to emerge during the next growing cycle. 

This picture seems difficult to reconcile with Rav Steinsaltz's view: It is hard to see the blessing in discarding crops that have rotted on the tree and gone to waste because we are at war. 

Yet perhaps there is an answer to be found in the contrast with the first curse that G-d presents as punishment for violating the covenant: "V'hifkadeti alaychem behalah" - "I will appoint over you panic." Although behalah is translated variously as confusion, misery, terror, shock, and more, Rav Steinsaltz identifies it as "existential anxiety." 

This is what makes the old produce a powerful and apt metaphor for our time, and helps us to better understand it as a blessing: While the curse of anxiety makes us restless and impatient – as so many of us feel right now – the growth of produce reminds us to step back and remember how little control we ultimately have. The process of plant growth takes time. Patient supervision is indispensable. We can of course do our best to feed and water, but we can't hasten the process of growth.

As the oft-quoted story of Choni Hame'agel (Talmud Ta'anit 23b) reminds us, it takes time for trees to bear fruit. But we keep planting, because our ancestors planted before us, and likewise we plant for our children. The same can be said right now, as we struggle to safeguard a homeland and a world in which Jews can be safe and thriving.

At a time when we feel cursed with the existential anxiety of war in our holy land and antisemitism around the globe, the blessing of the produce extends beyond physical sustenance, to spiritual sustenance. The idea of old produce that improves with age and makes space for new growth upends the adage, "Don't buy green bananas" – i.e., don't make long-term plans, as you may not survive long enough to accomplish them. 

Hashem's blessing promises us quite the opposite: Make long-term plans, because you will indeed survive long enough to accomplish them. Overcome the curse of anxiety by continuing to plant patiently for your children, just as your ancestors did. Pluck the old produce to clear the way for the future of growth and abundance with which G-d blesses us - while remembering that it will take time and patience to arrive.

With all of this in mind, as always, we offer ways to help you go forward with a renewed sense of hope and blessing, through upcoming events, preparation for Shavuot, women's voices on current events and the parsha, and ways to support Israel and the Jewish people.

Shabbat Shalom ~ Yom Yerushalayim Sameach ~ Besorot Tovot

Shabbat Dorshot Tov, June 1

Kolech: Religious Women's Forum's Shabbat Dorshot Tov program is taking place this Shabbat, June 1, Parshat Bechukotai. The program connects religious female scholars with diverse communities and audiences across Israel - including many where female religious scholarship is uncommon - for a meaningful Shabbat of learning. 

This year, Yeshivat Maharat is cosponsoring Dorshot Tov, including Diaspora pulpits, with 68 female scholars participating worldwide. The lead-up each year promotes all of the scholars with a full-page ad in Makor Rishon, a Jewish-Israeli newspaper with 20,000 subscribers. This year's ad is pictured above. Yasher Kochachen to all of the participants!

Last Chance to RSVP for Gila Fine's Book Talk,

Upper West Side, New York City, June 2

This Sunday, June 2, at 7:30PM, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Gila Fine will discuss her brand new book, "The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud," being released on June 1. Focusing on the six named heroines of the Talmud, the book explores such questions as: How does the Talmud portray its heroines? Why are they never as they first seem? What does this tell us about the rabbis' views of marriage, sex, childbirth, and what it means to be a woman in the world? This event is free, but registration is required; event location will be sent to all registrants.

Resources for Shavuot, June 12-13

Shavuot is coming soon! Jofa's Project Ruth/Shavuot page offers resources to help enhance your participation and learning for the chag, including:

• Excellent recordings of both Megillat Ruth and the trope, accessible both online and via downloadable Apple app and Android app - with gratitude to Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe, and the Koschitzky family.
• Shavuot articles from our Jofa Journal, by diverse and respected women's voices.
• Jofa's Megillat Ruth Study and Discussion Toolbkit, which can be used for individual or group study.

We hope that these leyning and learning resources help to enhance your chag with meaningful participation and fresh insights.

Nova Music Festival Exhibition,

Now in New York City, Through June 16

The Nova Music Festival Exhibition is a groundbreaking, in-depth remembrance of the brutal October 7th attack. This traveling exhibition is currently open to the public in Lower Manhattan through June 16.

The installation sets out to recreate an event dedicated to peace and love, that was brutally cut short by Hamas’ attack on Israel from Gaza on that fateful day. Please visit the exhibition website for details on visiting, and updates as additional cities are announced.

SAR's 23rd Annual Yemei Iyun

on Bible, Jewish Thought, and Talmud,

June 23-24

Jofa is pleased to be co-sponsoring SAR's 23rd Annual Yemei Iyun on Bible, Jewish Thought and Talmud, taking place on Sunday and Monday, June 23-24, and featuring more than two-dozen leading educators on a range of topics. The program is taking place in person at SAR in Bronx, New York, with shiurim also available via Zoom on Monday afternoon. Access the full schedule and registration here.

Summer Learning Opportunities

The summer season offers many opportunities for women to learn a range of Torah topics in a variety of settings, formats, and levels, with some offered via Zoom. Here are several summer learning options that we encourage you to explore:

• Yeshivat Maharat
• Pardes
• Hadar
• Drisha Institute
• Shalom Hartman Institute
• Nishmat
• Matan

Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, we share one more reminder of the Blue Dove Foundation's extensive resources on mental health and Judaism -- including the new "HaDerech - The Way: A Guide for Mental Health Crises" and "Lashon Hara: How to NOT Talk About Mental Illness". Please visit the Foundation's web site for these and many more helpful resources.

Women's Voices

Raising women's voices helps us find new insight and perspective about what has been happening and how we try to find meaning in it. We hope that these voices provide you with new understanding, and inspire you to act, and to share your own insights.

Following are selected blog posts, reflections, and opinion pieces by women, published in the past week:

• "The Culture of Learning in Women's Torah Study," by Yael Jaffe
• "Dear ‘Feminists’ of the World – WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!," by Liz Rudenko
• "Voices from Outside the Cave: Women and the Story of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai," by Kate Rozansky
• "Would You Be Happier...," by Meira E. Schneider-Atik
• "Pulling Off the Skirts of Jewish Girls and Hiding Under the Skirts of Muslim Women," by Joanna Yang
• "Israel’s Sense of Agency," by KJ Hannah Greenberg
• "International Journalists Visit Israel During Mental Health Month," by Renee Garfinkel
• "How to Exist in a Lonely World," by Rachelli Prawer
• "Israel is Fighting Not Only for Israel. Israel is Fighting for the Free World.," by Melody Sucharewicz
• "Will it Ever be Enough?," by Pam Alcala
• "Rest and Relaxation in a War Zone," by Nina B. Mogilnik
• "An Aftermath of Grief in Megillat Rut," by Ruthie Hollander
• "To the Five Girls I’ve Been Carrying in My Heart for the Past 234 Days," by Dvorah Leah Kvasnik
• "The Academic Community Must Avoid Politically Motivated Boycotts," by Gila Gamliel
• "In Switzerland, Our Darkest History is Repeating Itself," by Diana Krief
• "Come Study in Israel, Universities Here Offer Safe Haven Amid Rising Campus Antisemitism," by Inbal Ratz Gilmore

More Israel Resources

With the war in Israel and the hostages' fate weighing heavily on us, we keep seeking ways to offer help on the home front.

Please check our Supporting Israel: Ways to Help Now page, where we continue adding ways to stay connected and engaged with what is happening in Israel and what we can do - including raising the voices and stories of how girls and women are impacted, how they are responding, and ways to support them.

The page includes resources for fighting antisemitism; advocating; staying informed; keeping attention on the hostages; finding comfort in rituals; ways to contribute; talking to kids about Israel; reaching out; mental health; community gatherings, tefillot, and more.

We will also keep spotlighting additional resources in this weekly email and our social feeds, and adding them to our Israel page. We hope that each week you'll find something that speaks to you, helps you stay connected, take action, raise your voice -- in Israel, around the world, and in your own home and community.

Spotlighted Israel Resources

We continue highlighting resources and organizations that you can turn to for information, support, or to contribute toward direct needs on the ground in Israel. Please see our Supporting Israel page for our running list.

Osim Shechuna empowers youth, building communities and developing local leadership in troubled neighborhoods in Israel. The problem of unusable bomb shelters falls disproportionately on Israel's most vulnerable neighborhoods and citizens, mostly low-income families, the elderly, and residents of old buildings. Osim has rapidly built a network of partnerships to facilitate volunteers working quickly to restore 4,000 neglected communal bomb shelters in northern Israel, making them habitable to provide safety and protection for 160,000 citizens. Osim Shechuna is expanding its activities to more geographic areas in the south and center of Israel that are at risk of new or continued rocket attacks.

OTI - The Israeli Autism Association is a leading Israeli organization dedicated to providing professional support to families and individuals affected by autism. Its mission is to empower individuals with autism to reach their full potential and lead fulfilling lives. OTI is operating a special education system for evacuee children and teens with special needs in Eilat, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.

Divrei Torah by Women on Parshat Bechukotai

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach

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