God: Unchanging?聽
Jun 12, 2023 By Alan Cooper | Public Event video | Video Lecture
When we sing the hymn聽Yigdal, we declare that God is One and unique in Unity, of mysterious and infinite Oneness.聽The idea that God is ineffable and unchanging is embedded in Jewish (as well as Christian and Muslim) thought. While that聽may聽be true of God, however, it does not apply to the various ways of discerning God鈥檚 Presence from biblical times to the present. In this session, we explore some of the ways in which perception of God has changed, especially in the transition from biblical religion to post-Temple and post-prophetic Judaism.聽
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What Should an Educated Jew Know? When and Why This Question Emerged in the 18th Century鈥攁nd Continues to Confound Us
May 11, 2020 By Jack Wertheimer | Public Event video | Video Lecture
What should a literate Jew know about Jewish civilization and its foundational texts? And what obligation do Jews have to acquire knowledge so they can function well in society at large? For reasons we will explore, these questions surfaced intensely during the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment. How they were answered then and how these questions continue to reverberate in our time will be addressed in this online class.
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鈥淧erhaps They Will Listen鈥�: Prophets and the Art of Persuasion 聽
Jun 5, 2023 By Yael Landman | Public Event video | Video Lecture
While the biblical prophets wore many hats鈥攄efense attorney, miracle worker, leader, and commander-in-chief, among others鈥攐ne role of the prophets was to persuade their audiences. These audiences are often portrayed as uninterested in the prophets鈥� words, or even violently opposed to them. In the face of resistance, the prophets deploy numerous rhetorical strategies in order to convince their audiences to listen to them; many of these strategies, which we explore in this session, are the same devices that make biblical prophecies works of art that continue to strike a chord with readers today.
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Patient Change, Slow Influence: The Model of the Rabbis of Late Antiquity
Jun 26, 2023 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Download Sources Part of the series, The Dynamics of Change With Dr. David Kraemer, Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS Perhaps the most important change-agents in all of Jewish history were the Rabbis of Late Antiquity. It is they who transformed Judaism鈥攁nd Jews鈥攆rom a Temple-based religion to one that needed no […]
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The Dynamics of Change
By 麻豆原创 | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Change is an integral part of life and a central feature of the Jewish experience. Join JTS scholars for an in-depth exploration of significant changes鈥攔eligious, political, and personal鈥攖hroughout Jewish history and life. Together we鈥檒l consider core questions such as: What inspires change? What circumstances are most conducive to change, and what (or who) drives it? How do we experience change and adapt to its impact? How can Jewish values and ideas inspire us to change the world for the better?聽聽聽
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Kiddush and Havdalah: Marking the Boundaries of Sanctified Time聽
May 22, 2023 By Judith Hauptman | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Kiddush marks the onset of Sabbath sanctity and havdalah marks its end. Both of these ritual acts derive from the Talmud. A review of Talmudic texts reveals that although kiddush did not change much during the Talmudic period, havdalah underwent significant modification. It began as a simple statement of the end of Sabbath sanctity but evolved into a full-blown ritual in which we recite blessings, light a candle, smell spices, and drink wine.
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Between Suns: Twilight in Rabbinic Sources聽聽
May 15, 2023 By Sarit Kattan Gribetz | Public Event video | Video Lecture
Rabbinic sources imagine the period of twilight between the six days of creation and the Sabbath to be a mystically productive time. It was then, they explain, that God created the rainbow and the manna, letters and writing, Abraham’s ram and Moses’s staff. But when is twilight and how long does it last? Does it belong to the day that is ending, the day that is beginning, or to both days at once? These questions are not merely theoretical鈥攖heir answers determine important matters of Jewish practice.
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Talmudic Writings on the Passage from this Life to the Next
May 8, 2023 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event video | Video Lecture
It may surprise you to learn that, in the opinion of Talmudic teachings and the traditions that emerge from them, death is not a moment but a process鈥攁 transition that leads from one stage of life (which we call 鈥渓ife鈥�) to another (which we call 鈥渄eath鈥�). These beliefs have profound implications for our understanding of Jewish rituals of death and mourning, Jewish theology, and much else. Prof. Kraemer offers a close reading of the texts that discuss these rituals as well as the beliefs underlying them.聽聽
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