The Jews of Bukhara (Sunday in Denver); the Maimonidean Controversy; Save the Date for Roslyn NY
Really looking forward to speaking to the Or Avner community in Aurora, CO!
The Maimonidean Controversy
Save the Date: Shabbaton in Roslyn NY, December 20-21
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Public Lectures in Jewish History Resume Wednesday Night
I am really enthusiastic about the Spring 2020 series of lectures in Jewish history, beginning Wednesday evening at 7:30 prompt at Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Our plan is to cover the entire, amazing story of the Jewish people from the earliest time to the present day in twelve lectures (click here for calendar and topics).…
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I SURVIVED JEWISH HISTORY Schedule of Spring 2020 Lectures
Good morning students of Jewish History! I’m really excited about the I SURVIVED JEWISH HISTORY Spring Semester of Jewish History Lectures beginning later this month. Please check the flyer for the live lectures with our New York audience (please join us if you’re in town!). Here’s a tentative syllabus of the online dates and times…
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I Survived Jewish History
Here’s the trailer for the Spring series of lectures in Jewish History @ YILC. There’s a free T-shirt, too.
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Learning Daf Yomi? Get a Great Study Partner
Thanks to Sandy Eller of Mishpacha Magazine for writing this piece about one of my best chevrusas ever, Rabbi Nati Gamedze. Here’s the link to the full piece, pasted in below. BETTER TOGETHER: LEARNING WITH THE SWAZI PRINCE By Sandy Eller | DECEMBER 25, 2019 It was the unlikeliest of pairings: a Swazi prince and a Toronto…
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Three Essential Skills to Learn the Entire Talmud. Yeah.
By now your social media feed (not to mention your news feed) should be filled with the phenomenal Siyum HaShas, the monumental gathering of Jews in celebration of the global study of the Babylonian Talmud. I was privileged to be among nearly 100,000 Jews gathered in Met Life stadium yesterday, along with tens of thousands…
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Begin the Daf Together
Friends, if the second best thing is to go to the Siyum Ha-Shas tomorrow morning, certainly the very best thing is to start Daf Yomi on Sunday. Let’s do it together at YILC! And for those of you who live too far away to enjoy the breakfast: be sure to download the free All Daf…
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“The Grinch Who Stole Chanukah”
Feedback on this lecture was very positive, but one person suggested I was “the Grinch who stole Chanukah.” Kind of an ironically Hellenistic comment. So viewer beware: this is a more historical treatment of the social, economic, and political roots of the Maccabean revolt. Happy Hannukah!
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Tonight: Beyond dreidels. A real look at the history of the Maccabean Revolt
Tonight at YILC: a deeper discussion of the Maccabean Revolt, from Antiochus’ inferiority complex to fissures between Jewish factions under Yehudah Maccabee’s role. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) relevant issues for our own times. What else are you doing tonight? Join us at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst at 7:30 for a timely talk on Chanukah.…
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Confessions of a Poor Talmud Student
Always distracted but historical minutiae, I don’t think I was ever going to be a great Talmud student. Now, with the introduction of the amazing All Daf app (slated for launch on December 22), there’s finally a place for my approach to Talmud! Please enjoy this brief video from the recent Torah NY conference at…
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The Jews of Bukhara (Denver, CO); The Jews of the Lesser Antilles; Varieties of Crypto-Jewish Identity; Wait, Alexander Hamilton was Jewish?
Looking forward to a wonderful Shabbat in the Denver Jewish community!
Our Itinerary of Discovery in the Western Caribbean
Channel Members
Premiering at 10am ET
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Medieval Antisemitism (Essential Lectures in Jewish History) Dr. Henry Abramson
Concise video lecture describing the four main expressions of antisemitic ideology in the medieval period. Warning: images are disturbing. Breaking the history of antisemitism into four major periods (Ancient Xenophobia, Early Christian Anti-Judaism, Medieval Jew-hatred, and Modern Antisemitism), Dr. Abramson focusses on the third period to look at the ideological basis for the false…
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“Give me Yavne and its Sages!” Lectures resume this week with a presentation on Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai
The Jewish Biography as History series at the Young Israel of Bal Harbour continues this week with a presentation on Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, a major figure whose bold and heroic leadership rescued the Jewish people from the threat of national oblivion in the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century. Lectures…
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Jews in the Medieval Economy (Essential Lectures in Jewish History)
An introductory lecture on the role of Jews in the medieval economy. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series.
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Liked the Free Download of The Kabbalah of Forgiveness? How about writing a review?
I’m so glad that so many of you decided to download my latest book, “The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah (Tomer Devorah).” I’m also very grateful that many of you have found this work meaningful, especially in the rare moment of the season of…
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The Rishonim (Essential Lectures in Jewish History)
This lecture serves as an introduction to the Rishonim, a body of Rabbinic scholars associated with the 9th through the 15th centuries of the common era. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series. Image source: Wikimedia Commons.
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Fall 2014 Lectures in Jewish History at Young Israel
Wednesday Nights at 8:00 pm October 22: Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai October 29: Salome November 5: Bar Kokhba November 12: Shimon bar Yochai November 19: Abaye’s Mother November 26: Eldad the Danite December 3: Aaron of Lincoln December 10: Amnon of Mayence December 17: Abraham ibn Ezra December 24: Qasmunah All lectures…
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The Chofetz Chaim (This Week in Jewish History)
Brief video highlighting the life and work of Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (1838-1936), one of the most influential Rabbis of the 20th century. Better known as the Chofetz Chaim (*one who desires life,” taken from Psalm 34).
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The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: Conclusion
Conclusion “The Insulted King,” Illustration of Level 1 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily Rabbi Cordovero’s Conclusion עַד כַּאן הִגִּיעַ שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן יִהְיֶה הָאָדָם דּוֹמֶה אֶל קוֹנוֹ שֶׁהֵן מִדּוֹת שֶׁל רַחֲמִים עֶלְיוֹנוֹת וּסְגֻלָּתָן כי כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הָאָדָם מִתְנַהֵג לְמַטָּה כָּךְ יִּזְכֶּה לִפְתֹּחַ לוֹ מִדָּה עֶלְיוֹנָה מִלְמַעְלָה מַמָּשׁ כְּפִי מַה שֶּׁיִּתְנַהֵג כָּךְ מַשְׁפִּיעַ מִלְמַעְלָה…
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The Kabbalah of Forgiveness Level Thirteen: The Moment of Innocence
The Thirteenth Level: The Moment of Innocence “The Moment of Innocence,” illustration of Level 13 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Thirteenth Level: The Moment of Innocence Translator’s Introduction The Thirteenth and final Level of mercy carries an absolute guarantee: one who masters this level can forgive anyone. The Thirteenth Level renders all…
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The Kabbalah of Forgiveness Level Twelve: Remember Where They Came From
The Twelfth Level: Remember Where They Came From “Family Tree (Remember Where They Came From),” illustration of Level 12 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Twelfth Level: Remember Where They Came From Translator’s Introduction The final element of the triad is Level Twelve. In Level Ten we…
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The Kabbalah of Forgiveness Level Eleven: Do More for Those Who Do More
The Eleventh Level: Do More for Those Who Do More “Serve and Protect (Do More for Those Who Do More),” illustration of Level 11 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Eleventh Level: Do More for Those Who Do More Translator’s Introduction The second part of the triad of Levels Ten, Eleven and Twelve…
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The Kabbalah of Forgiveness Level Ten: Do the Right Thing Anyway
The Tenth Level: Do the Right Thing Anyway “The Hook (Do the Right Thing Anyway),” illustration of Level 10 by Rebecca Odessa, Courtesy The Wisdom Daily The Tenth Level: Do the Right Thing Anyway Translator’s Introduction The Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Levels together comprise a triad of strategies for forgiving others, particularly people with whom…
Visits to Synagogues in Bordeaux and Libourne (France); Another Open Letter to Jewish Participants in anti-Israel Protests re: Amsterdam; Conference Presentation on Sheptytsky and WW II
Fantastic Voyage of Discovery with Kosher River Cruises
A Difficult Conversation
Recent Conference Presentation in Toronto
Wait, Christopher Columbus was Jewish? Documentary on Roman-Jewish War now Online
Surprised how much attention this got.
Herod’s Tragic Reign
The Fatal Conflict
How Jewish Culture will Thrive after October 7; The Jews of Al-Andalus Part II
Remarks at Lander College for Men
Maimonides and the Controversy over His Work
Jewish Resilience After October 7; American Jews, Post-Honeymoon; The Jews of Al-Andalus
Three Strategies
Jews under the Visigoths II; The Spanish Golden Age
Public at 10am ET (44 minutes)
Online Courses in Jewish History
Jewish Life in Visigothic Spain; Commemorating October 7
This is one of the most bizarre periods of Jewish history, and that’s saying a lot.
New Lecture Series: The Sweep of Sephardic History; Faith in Times of Crisis: Commemorating the Tragedy of October 7
New Lecture Series: The History of Sephardic Jewry
