ISJL Southern & Jewish 2026: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

The Torah of Making Things: What Craftsmanship Teaches Us About G-d, Creation, and Repair

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT

For most of Jewish history, Torah was studied by people who spent their days making things: farmers, tailors, carpenters, merchants, builders, cooks, and artisans.

The ISJL's 2026 A. Mitchell and Morrise Meyer Bell Rabbinical Intern, Rachel Sturges, is not only a current rabbinical student but also a former instrument builder. She will share insights into Torah visible only when we try to make something ourselves.

What does it mean that the Torah's first image of G-d is not king, judge, or warrior, but Creator? Why is the first person explicitly filled with the spirit of G-d not a prophet, but the artisan Bezalel? What can craftsmanship teach us about humility, creativity, failure, and repair? Drawing on Torah, Jewish thought, and personal experience at the workbench, this interactive session invites participants to explore a surprising idea: making things is not merely practical work: it is one of Judaism's deepest spiritual disciplines. No woodworking experience required. If you've ever raised a child, cooked a meal, taught a class, planted a garden, built a community, or tried to repair something broken, this conversation is for you.

Presenters

Student Rabbi Rachel Sturges

Rabbinical Intern, ISJL

Rachel Sturges (she/her) is entering her second year of rabbinical school at RRC this fall, hard at work becoming professionally Jewish. She is originally from Lawrenceville, GA, but most recently arrived in Philadelphia from Boston, where she was working as a professional luthier... Read More →

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Midwood

Learning Block

Audience Cultural Programmers, Clergy, Community Members, Education Directors, Jewish Professionals, Lay Leaders, Teachers

ISJL Southern & Jewish 2026

9:00am EDT

Student Rabbi Rachel Sturges

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