"Haham Adif mi-Navi" Rav Kook on the Meaning of Prophecy and Halakhah
Shiur Klali (Integrated Communal Learning)
Rabbi Shai Held Through a close reading of a beautiful essay by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, we'll discuss the relationship between broad vision (that is, Prophecy) on the one hand, and attention to detail (that is, Halakhah), on the other--in life in general, and in Jewish life in particular. Download Audio Recording1 hour, 51 minutes; 31.8 MB
A Role Model for Social Action - Moshe's Leadership
Mishael Zion
Taking a close look at Shemot Chapter 2, with the help of Franz Kafka, Rabbi Moshe Chalphon hacohen and Yehuda Amichai, we will try to unravel some of the lessons Moshe Rabeinu teaches us about taking aciton in the face of injustice.
Charity and Fasting: New Angles on Giving Tzedakah
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer We all make financial decisions about how to allocate our money. What do Jewish texts have to say about very practical issues such as: How much should I give? Is it dependent on my income? Assets? Stage of life? Whom should I give to first? Do my taxes count as Tzedakah? We will examine some core, but lesser-known, Talmudic stories to explore some of these questions.
This three-part series will lay out an overarching theory of and approach to halakhah (Jewish Law).The lectures will focus on the following themes: I. History--Our Present Moment: Its genesis and our way forward (March 4) II. Philosophy and Theology--Viewing halakhic norms as representing values worthy of respect rather than arbitrary rules demanding obedience (March 11) III.Law--Practical examples of language and category shifts that allow us to engage even the most contentious areas of Jewish Law (March 18)
We are grateful to the David Berg Foundation for making these lectures possible.
This three part series will explore central themes in Jewish theology and their relevance to our lives. Lecture topics include:
I. How (Not) To Talk About God April 28, 2010 In this first session, we'll begin by exploring the very different ways two seminal Jewish thinkers-- Maimonides and Abraham Joshua Heschel-- thought about God, and see what's at stake for us in their disagreement. We'll continue by discussing why the idea of God's transcendence is so important for Jewish theology-- why, in other words, everything is not God. Listen to Session 1 (April 28)
II. On Faith, Doubt, and the Possibility of Believing in Our Time May 5, 2010 In this session, we'll explore some of the ways Jewish thinkers have thought about faith and doubt, and about the relationship between them. How might we think about faith-- what does it mean? What does it look like in real life? What risks are entailed by a life of faith? We'll also ask how the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard can help us think about faith, passion, and uncertainty in our own lives.
III. On Walking in God's Ways and the Path of Lovingkindness (Hesed) May 12, 2010 In this final session, we'll explore what Judaism sees as the culmination of the good life: embodying the ideal of Hesed in the world. Using Maimonides as our springboard, we'll explore the relationship between a life of contemplation and a life of action.
Halakhah in the Modern World: Are There Other Ways?
Mechon Hadar proudly welcomes Professor Zvi Zohar for a lecture entitled, "Halakhah in the Modern World: Are There Other Ways?".
Zvi Zohar is one of the world's foremost scholars of Jewish Law in the modern world. He has spent decades studying the ways in which Rabbis in the Sephardic world have responded to new challenges and possibilities in the modern world, and has particularly explored the work of major figures whose understanding of Halakhah has been marked by remarkable openness, dynamism, and creativity; as one twentieth century figure famously put it, "There is nothing in the world more flexible than the Halakhah." In this lecture, Professor Zohar will share the fruits of his research, and discuss what contemporary Jews can learn from the too often neglected work of Rabbinic sages from Arab lands.
Zvi Zohar is a professor at Bar-Ilan University, where he teaches in the Faculties of Law and Jewish Studies and heads the Rappaport Center for Assimilation Research and the Strengthening of Jewish Vitality. He also heads the Alan and Loraine Fischer Family Center for Halakha at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
The biblical and rabbinic material on sexual practice surrounding menstruation is more loaded with critique and apology than almost any other area of halakhic literature. In this series we will attempt to engage this topic directly and honestly, sincerely searching for what these ancient sources continue to teach us today and to imagine new possibilities for their application to contemporary reality.
When: 6 Tuesday nights, October 12 - November 16 (come for any or all classes) Time: 7:30pm - 9:00pm Cost: $5/$25 for series Where: Mechon Hadar, 190 Amsterdam Avenue (at 69th St.)
Can't make it? Watch live on UStream. Video of each lecture will be posted online.
Listen here
