Miami Conference on Sustainability, Resilience and the Torah

Featuring papers by Alex Friedman on the Israeli Space Program, Rabbi Professor Avraham Steinberg on Genetics, Rabbi Professor Moshe Tendler on Halacha and Experimental Drugs. Words of welcome from my colleague Professor Nathan Katz, and lots of inspiration from Rabbi Sholom Dovber Lipskar, Rabbi Simon Jacobson, and many others. My small contribution will be on the impact of postmodernism in the era of the Internet.

Really looking forward to an inspiring and stimulating Chabad Shabbat and conference. Please come by and say hello!

Astonishing Document from Bergen-Belsen Bet Din up for Auction

I got chills reading pages from this record book of Bet Din decisions from Bergen Belsen. Read this great piece of journalism by Molly Boigon at The Forward. Proud to have been asked for some background information.

Authenticity and Authority in the Internet Era

Tonight at YILC
Rabbi Joseph Rosen (“The Rogachover,” 1858-1936)

Tonight at YILC: the third and final lecture in the series on Talmudic history. I know it’s erev Thanksgiving, but I am especially looking forward to delivering this talk! Planning to discuss two bizarre stories related to the ambiguities of authenticity and authority: the appearance of the “lost” tractates of the Jerusalem Talmud at the turn of the 20th century, and Johannes Eisenmenger’s notorious antisemitic screed of the 17th century. While the previous two lectures focused on the tremendous potential democratization of Talmud learning in the Internet era, this lecture will examine how these two strange incidents shed light on the dangers of postmodernism in a time of almost unlimited connectivity.

7:30 pm prompt, free and open to the community. Maybe we will even put this lecture on the web later.

David Shentow Annual Memorial Holocaust Lecture Tonight

Hello fellow students of Jewish history! I’m so glad to have met many of you over the past Shabbos in the Aish Thornhill Community Shul. For those of you who don’t live in walking distance, please join us tonight for the First Annual David Shentow Memorial Holocaust Lecture. Mr. Eli Rubenstein of March of the Living Canada will deliver introductory remarks, and we will hear a moving personal recollection from Holocaust Survivor Lea Hochman.

My lecture is “Torah from the Years of Wrath: The Warsaw Ghetto Writings of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira (the Aish Kodesh),” based on my recent book which discusses the spiritual heroism of this incomparable leader.

Please join us–I anticipate that his will be a moving and meaningful event.

Meet the Exceptional Women who Made the Talmud Possible

A brief overview of three categories of exceptional women who made the Talmud possible: supporters, enablers, and even teachers. Lecture delivered at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on November 20, 2019.

Meet the Women who Made the Talmud Possible

Have a look at the evocative illustration that accompanies Sandy Eller’s September 2019 article in Mishpacha magazine. I’m looking forward to continuing the discussion with a lecture Wednesday night at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst at 7:30 pm: “Meet the Women who Made the Talmud Possible.” Join us for a brief study of the lives and work of three very different women and their relationship to Talmud study: Sara Schenirer, Devorah Romm, and Asnat Barazani.

Upcoming Lectures in Toronto!

Hello friends and colleagues in Toronto! I am delighted to be coming back to visit the old stomping grounds this coming Friday, eh? I hope some of you will be able to join me for a Shabbaton at the Aish Thornhill Community Shul, followed by the David Shemtow Memorial Holocaust Lecture on Sunday night. Please stop by and say hello!

The Jews of Lyon, France

Brief visit to the Jewish community of Lyon, France. Considered the “capital of the resistance” during the Nazi occupation, the local population made much use of the so-called “traboule” passageways scattered throughout the old city.

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