Really looking forward seeing my friends at YILC!

Lectures in Jewish History and Thought. No hard questions, please.





Postmodernism and the Talmud in an era of unlimited connectivity.

Torah from the Years of Wrath: The Warsaw Ghetto Writings of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira

Stories You Never Learned in Yeshivah: Three Surprising Lectures in Talmudic History. Please come by and say hello!

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.

Join us for a brief study of the lives and work of three very different women and their relationship to Talmud study.

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…
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.
Brief video on Daniel Bomberg and the early days of Talmudic printing in Venice. Lecture delivered at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on November 13, 2019.
The Jews of Avignon are often known as the Pope’s Jews because they found shelter in the old city during the tumultuous 14th century under the Popes who briefly made their home in France rather than Italy.

This strange sculpture above the “Jewish Door” of the Saint Siffrein Cathedral continues to mystify visitors to Carpentras, France. What does it mean?

This was, for me personally, one of the highlights of my trip with Kosher River Cruises along the Rhone in the south of France. The President of the Carpentras synagogue, Mr. Meyer Benzecrit, graciously invited me to tour a section of the 14th century synagogue not yet open for public view. Excavations have revealed some…

Join me for three rather idiosyncratic, surprising lectures on the history of the Talmud and its transmission in the modern era. Three Wednesdays beginning November 13 at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Free and open to the community, no hard questions please.


Videoconference link: Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/7186385458 Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +14086380968,7186385458# or +16465588656,7186385458# Or Telephone: Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 718 638 5458 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/zoomconference?m=30Usrg3JHXCdvXk7rk3huvZeSoE2JRQ9 RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/touro-college-avenue-j-faculty-colloquium-dr-henry-abramson-tickets-32120484233

Responding to the attraction of Islamic philosophy to Jews living in Muslim lands, Sa’adia composed a highly influential work in the 10th-century Kalam style that influenced generations of thinkers. A pugnacious and principled thinker, he engaged in several heated debates with politically powerful rivals including David ben Zakkai, who forced Sa’adia into exile. When ben…

The Bible describes how the Jewish people, emerging from Egyptian servitude and decades of wandering in the Sinai desert, followed Joshua’s military leadership to conquer the Land of Israel and establish the ancient foundations of their Torah-centered society. This lecture will survey the archeological and historical record to understand the larger context of the Biblical…
Mystic and early Zionist, Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook’s challenging and eclectic philosophy has inspired generations of Jews since his passing in 1935. Often misunderstood, Rav Kook’s role as one of the principal Rabbinic figures of the era was foundational for establishing a religious ideology for the the modern, secular and democratic state of Israel.
“If I can’t dance to it, it isn’t my revolution!” A fiery orator and fearless iconoclast, Emma Goldman was one of the most notorious and controversial left-wing thinkers of turn-of-the 20th century America.