Yael Unterman, at The Blogs

Sep 21, 2023, 4:22 PM

‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘The Midnight Library,’ and Jonah

When the prophet runs from God, he influences those he meets along the way for good, so maybe he took the route he was supposed to take after all

Sep 13, 2022, 6:21 PM

Elul’s mystical journey to ‘Everything is God’

Sefer Yetzirah Circle
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sefer_Yetzirah_Circle.jpg

A couple of years ago, while standing in a swimming pool at a festival named Shabliss, I had a long conversation with someone who had had a mystical experience. (People who have had unusual experiences often choose to share...

Mar 16, 2022, 2:04 PM

Esther steps out of the cotton wool

Esther descends from the line of Benjamin. I’ve noted in another post her connections with Saul and Jonathan, of that tribe. But we can see also an important connection to Benjamin himself, and that is through the theme of...

Oct 8, 2021, 11:20 AM

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What parents begin, children continue

Book of Genesis Chapter 7-2 (Bible Illustrations by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing, Fort Worth, Texas, and Gospel Light, Ventura, California,1984. (Wikimedia Commons)

Enoch walked with God and Terach traveled partway to Canaan, but it took Noah and Abraham respectively to actualize the potential of their ancestors (Noah)

Sep 5, 2021, 1:44 PM

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I haven’t repented. Can I come into the king?

At a human coronation, subjects stand in their thousands, faceless, but we pass before God one by one, subject to His scrutiny. What if we're not prepared?

Oct 21, 2020, 4:13 PM

Noah’s Silence: Service or Violence?

This week, I conducted a Zoom workshop on parshat Noah using the “spontaneous midrash” technique of Bibliodrama. I sat down to write a piece of spoken word poetry to open the session. The previous week, I had written a piece...

May 28, 2020, 1:45 PM

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Moments of fateful choice and steely determination

'Orpah Leaving Ruth and Naomi,' by Hendrick Goltzius, 1576, Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen. (Wikimedia Commons)

In a flash of courage, Israel accepted the Torah, which led to a lasting covenant with God, and the rest, as they say, is (Jewish) history

Apr 17, 2020, 1:29 PM

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Aaron’s moment of thundering silence

Aaron the High Priest beholds the fire that kills his sons, Nadav and Avhiu. (via YouTube)

Perhaps by virtue of the awful and terrible experience of the death of his sons, the high priest made himself the highest vessel in the service of the Divine (Shemini)

Apr 3, 2020, 11:34 AM

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Dear Solo Seder Sitter: You are not alone!

Illustrative. Reading the Haggadah during a solo Passover seder. (iStock)

I'm reminding myself, as much as anyone, that Elijah will join me -- and all my family, ancestors, memories, and, for that matter, the Divine will be present at my table too

Mar 9, 2020, 12:06 AM

Purim and the Mystical Descendants of Rachel

Can mystical aptitude descend in the family? I think that’s a possibility. In the Jacob family, the two sons of Rachel and their descendants appear to have cornered the market on reading divine providence and on the mystical connection...

About Me

Yael Unterman is a Jerusalem-based international author, lecturer, Bibliodrama facilitator and life coach. Her first book "Nehama Leibowitz, Teacher and Bible Scholar" was a finalist in the 2009 National Jewish Book Awards . Her second book, a collection of fictional stories, "The Hidden of Things: Twelve Stories of Love & Longing", was a finalist for the USA Best Book Awards. Contact Yael if you would like to participate in Bibliodrama sessions on Zoom. www.yaelunterman.com