Really looking forward seeing my friends at YILC!

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





New lecture in the series Jewish History for Parents and other Teachers of Children This 13th Century Rabbi Refused to be Ransomed from Captivity
I recorded this before Simchas Torah, so the tone is a little more cheerful and upbeat than I feel. But maybe that’s appropriate: we must continue.

Recording of Live Lecture The Jews of Arles, France

Please join me for a discussion of this 16th c. Kabbalistic Work

The Miraculous Revival of the Middelburg Synagogue What is the Meaning of the Bleeding Pelican? A Remarkable Moment in an Antwerp Synagogue A Gute Herring!
This 17th century Dutch Jewish Financier gives the BEST Stock Tips!

Mock Trial held at the Jewish National Retreat Unpacked Riffs on the Golem A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz: 19 Videos Added! Click here to register for this online course! Get Ready for Elul with Maimonides on Teshuvah Click here to order your copy! Now on sale for Elul.

The Ashkenazi Migration to Eastern Europe Jewish Hero Saves 600 Children in Nazi-Occupied Amsterdam Tom Metcalfe on Elephants in Medieval Art in National Geographic Really honored to be interviewed for this fascinating National Geographic piece on the depictions of elephants in medieval art. Here’s the link to the article, although you might need to subscribe…


The Fourth Level: Remember the Family “In the Same Boat (Remember We are Family),” illustration of Level 4 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Fourth Level: Remember the Family Translator’s Introduction The Fourth Level of Mercy calls attention to the fundamental connectedness of humanity. The Jewish people in particular maintain a strong familial…

The Third Level: Take Care of it Personally “Part of the Process (Take Care of it Personally),” illustration of Level 3 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Third Level: Take Care of It Personally Translator’s Introduction The Third Level of Mercy addresses the personal role that God plays in the process of forgiveness. Rather…

The Second Level: Let it Go for Now “Whose K’tegors are These? (Let it Go)” Illustration of Level 2 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Second Level: Let it Go for Now The second of the Thirteen Levels, “Who Bears Sin,” describes a degree of mercy that is even more profound than…

The First Level: The King who Endures Insult “The Insulted King,” illustration of Level 1 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily Translator’s Introduction Rabbi Cordovero’s discussion of the Thirteen Levels of Mercy begins with an awesome depiction of human sin from God’s perspective. Given that all power in the Universe has God at…

Please visit https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/464044 and enter coupon code YT52E (Expires October 19, 2014). Please click here for excepts and supporting videos.
New for the Season of Repentance: a translation and modern commentary on Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s classic of Jewish ethics, the Date Palm of Devorah (Tomer Devorah). Learn the Thirteen Levels of Mercy and discover how to forgive others (and yourself). Please visit http://www.jewishhistorylectures.org and click on “The Kabbalah of Forgiveness” for excerpts and videos. Publication date:…

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) articulated a strategy to allow Jews their traditional observances while participating actively in the modern world. Criticized from both the left and the right, his thought remains highly influential into the 21st century.

Founder of the famous Yeshiva of Volozhin, Rabbi Hayim ben Yitshad was one of the most influential proponents of traditional Talmudic study of the early 19th century. The author of Nefesh haHayim, he articulated a cogent response to the growing Hasidic movement.

In 1240 Nicholas Donin, a Jewish convert to Christianity, engaged in a public debate with his former teacher, Rabbi Yechiel of Paris. Donin charged that the Talmud was a noxious document that prevented the Jews from embracing Christianity, and brought a total of 35 distinct accusations against this ancient holy text. Ultimately, 24 carriage loads…

Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) celebrates the unification of Jerusalem in the context of the Six-Day War of June 1967. This dramatic military achievement represented a victory that was both political and symbolic, giving Jews control over the the Old City and the Temple Mount after nearly 2000 years of exile.

Alexander has done well with his fundraising efforts to participate in the Boys Israel Leadership Training (BILT) program run by the National Council of Synagogue Youth. He’s already raised $858 toward his goal of $3,000! To all of you who participated, thanks very much. If you haven’t yet had a chance, please do so quickly,…

Rabbi Moshe Isserles was an exceptionally important Polish Jew of the 16th century. His commentary on the Code of Jewish Law brought Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewry together to an unprecedented degree, and established the ascendancy of Polish Jewry over the older German community.