Harry Potter
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Purim: The Buddy Film
This was my D’var Torah for Shabbat morning, March 16, 2024, Parashat Pekudei. which fell this year about a week before Purim. It’s already after the Oscars, but I have a pitch for a new movie — it could even be a franchise! It’s about a pair of young friends who travel the world together.… Continue reading
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Launching Tov! The Podcast About “The Good Place” and Jewish Ideas
If you're a fan of "The Good Place" and at all connected to Jews or Judaism, try out my new podcast that I'm creating with a bunch of colleagues! Tov! is on all the major podcast platforms, and it will be a fun and interesting way to explore some Jewish texts and ideas. Check out the… Continue reading
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Parashat Chukkat — Is Judaism More Red Heifer or #SelfCare?
This was my D’var Torah for Saturday, June 19, 2021, Parashat Chukkat. The article I reference at the start is really good, in ways that somewhat connect to my theme and also jump off in another important direction. I was in the middle of thinking about the parah adumah — the red heifer with its potpouri… Continue reading
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More Purim: “Esther Among the Muggles”
Another interesting article, from Professor Carol Ingall, professor of Jewish education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, comparing Esther and Harry Potter! Both the Kadosh Barukh Hu and J. K. Rowling know what makes for a gripping story: take an orphan, afflict him or her with tsuris, and watch the true mettle of the hero emerge.… Continue reading
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Harry Potter and the Jewish Angle
This is fascinating — about metaphors in the movie and the Jewish lineage of many of the actors in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/harry_potter_and_the_half-blood_jews_20090715/ Continue reading
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