Plague is, certainly, a timely topic to all of us these days. Jews will also have plagues on the mind when the story of the Ten Biblical Plagues is read from the Book of Exodus (chapters 7-12) during the portions “Va’era” and “Bo” in the traditional synagogue Torah reading cycle, and then they will encounter them again during their Passover Seders. We hope that The Plagues Project can help expand our community’s thinking on this important topic by showcasing the variety of ways that Jews have thought about Plagues – both the Biblical Plagues and plagues throughout history – for the last 3,000 years.
We believe that a plurality of voices can be brought together to explore the vast canon of Jewish literature. Tradition tells us that the Torah has “seventy faces,” and we look forward to exploring them with you. Bringing together these varied perspectives was made possible by a collaboration between BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change, Judaism Unbound, 929 English, The Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, and jewishLIVE. This project is being launched in partnership with the Office Of Innovation (OOI), which is publishing a series of essays reflecting on living during the period of the Coronavirus, titled Torah in a Time of Plague (Ben Yehuda Press, March 2021).
To check out the Plagues Project, click here.