Sacred Stories At the NMAJH

The National Museum of American Jewish History is collaborating with The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (Clal) and its Rabbis Without Borders Program to launch a new initiative, Sacred Stories: A Living Commentary on the Hebrew Bible and American Jewish History.
Through weekly written commentaries composed by rabbis from around the nation, Sacred Stories will weave together Judaism’s foundational sacred text, the Torah, with one of the most successful expressions of freedom in human history—the story of Jewish life in America. It will explore our shared values by linking these two vital and compelling stories through contemporary commentary and 21st century media.

“This partnership between NMAJH and Clal forges a strong connection between the wisdom of our people and the lives we live as Americans today, said NMAJH CEO Ivy L. Barsky.
Each commentary will marry the story of an object on view in the museum’s core exhibition with the weekly Torah portion to share teachings with visitors via printouts provided beside the artifact and online at www.nmajh.org/sacredstories/.

For example, to coincide with Parashah Shemini, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield wrote about how food matters, both in the Bible and in America. He wrote, “the food choices we make reflect who we are and who we hope to be.” This also went along with one of the artifacts in the museum, a frying pan circa 1910.

The Rabbis will also be writing a select set of commentaries on Jewish and American holidays. These teachings will deepen visitors’ engagement with the museum by connecting the artifacts and themes of the museum to the ancient Jewish story. The corresponding artifact will be highlighted.

This project is designed to bring depth and meaning to contemporary American lives through biblical stories of courage, struggle, journeys, and homecomings; to encourage visitors to make the connection between Jewish wisdom and American values; and to help individuals connect their personal stories to bigger Jewish and American narratives.
“Sacred Stories follows in the footsteps of the great rabbinic tradition of Torah commentary. Like our ancestors, on whose shoulders we stand, we are drawing meaning for our lives from our sacred text,” said Museum Board of Trustees Co-Chair, Phil Darivoff.

The National Museum of Jewish American History is located at 101 South Independence Mall East Philadelphia, PA. You don’t have to visit the museum to read the commentaries.