Judaism Unbound Episode 496: Smashing the Tablets - Sara Lippmann, Seth Rogoff

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Sara Lippman and Seth Rogoff believe that "foundational texts must be read anew or they become tools of conservatism and reaction." But it's not just a belief they hold -- together, they actualized it into a new book, entitled Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible. This book offers a wide variety of new texts, radically revisioning stories from the Bible in many creative forms. The two co-editors join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about their book, about re-envisioning the Bible more generally, and why "smashing" inherited texts is not only a rebellious act, but also an important tool in the spiritual toolbox.

[1] 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva are now open for registration! Check out class descriptions at JudaismUnbound.com/classes. Financial aid is available for all UnYeshiva classes, via this link! Classes include:

• Anti-Fascist Mussar: Jewish Radical Ethics, with Reuven McCullough

• Elul: Your On-Ramp to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, with Wendie Bernstein Lash

• The Siddur Unbound: Making the Prayer-Book Your Own, with Robin Banerji

• Comix Midrash: Drawing the Orchards (Pardes) of Elul, with Rena Yehuda Newman

[2] Jazzed about Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible? You can purchase it via this link!

[3] Lippmann references two past episodes of Judaism Unbound, one about our certificate program in unbound Judaism and another exploring the Jewish future. Check out the episodes via these links: Episode 485: Become a Jewish Secret Agent (Dan, Lex, Rena Yehuda), Episode 480: Judaism Shouldn’t be About Judaism - Brent Spodek.

[4] Rogoff offers a number of insights on the Cain and Abel narrative from the book of Genesis. For his book-length exploration of it, see The Castle: A Novel. For another contemporary approach to the story, see Fallen, by David Maine. For the original story (Genesis chapter 4), click here.

[5] For the story of Jephthah’s unnamed daughter, which Lippmann alludes to, see Judges 11.