Rabbis Who, If they had the Temerity to Show up in Our Shuls today…(Lecturing in Monsey this Shabbos)

Very honored to serve as a Scholar-In-Residence this Shabbos, parshas Vayehi, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, New York. Please view the video for the planned public talks (which will not be recorded, of course). Friday Night, December 17, 8pm Rabbis Who, If they had the Temerity to Show up in Our Shuls today…Continue reading “Rabbis Who, If they had the Temerity to Show up in Our Shuls today…(Lecturing in Monsey this Shabbos)”

Hasidism is born, The Misnagdim Strike Back! and Haskalah Enters the Debate.

Good morning fellow students of Jewish history: please join me for this week’s series of video premieres (with live chat), live in-person and zoom classes. We’ll be looking at the 18th century with some forays into Jewish art history and the controversy that led the Jews of France to torch Maimonides’ works in 1232. Here’sContinue reading “Hasidism is born, The Misnagdim Strike Back! and Haskalah Enters the Debate.”

TODAY: Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Wisdom: Postmodernism and the Digital Age (Torah and Science Conference) 1:45 pm ET

Good morning fellow students of Jewish history. Please join me today for a discussion of the implications of postmodernism and the digital age in the XIV Torah and Science conference, held virtually at this link. My presentation is at 1:45 PM ET, the conference program is below. I hope to release a recording later, butContinue reading “TODAY: Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Wisdom: Postmodernism and the Digital Age (Torah and Science Conference) 1:45 pm ET”

Jewish Migration to the Americas; The Haskalah; Torah and the Internet

Sunday Premiering today at 12pm ET: Jewish Migration to the New World. Following up on the previous Jewish History Lab video on the Origins of the Jews in the New World, this brief video will survey the major waves of Jewish migration in the 18th-20th centuries. Tuesday Final lecture in the three-part series entitled Hasidim,Continue reading “Jewish Migration to the Americas; The Haskalah; Torah and the Internet”

The Jewish (Re)Discovery of Chanukah

Strange but true: Jewish sources largely ignored the history of Chanukah until the 10th century! Here’s a quick review of the major works, and how they affected the Jewish memory of this remarkable period in Jewish history. Here’s a few Sefaria links to texts mentioned in the video: Relevant section of Talmud, Tractate Shabbat MegilatContinue reading “The Jewish (Re)Discovery of Chanukah”

History and Practice of Eating Donuts on Chanukah: A Book Review

Review of Reuven Melekh ben Binyamin Yitzhak Schwartz, Emek Ha-Sufganim: Iyunim u-beiurim be-inyan minhag akhilat sufganim be-yemei hanukah Israel: Sh. Vaynraikh, Hanukah 5780 (2019), 431 pages. For a copy, please contact your local Jewish bookseller or the phone numbers listed on the copyright page: (718) 253-2804; (516) 581-3597; (718) 501-3165. Interested in studying more deeply?Continue reading “History and Practice of Eating Donuts on Chanukah: A Book Review”

Elazar Maccabee and the Battle of Bet Zekharya; The Shtadlan in Jewish History

The Misnagdim Strike Back! Part II of the series on Hasidim, Mitnagdim and Maskilim: The Formation of Jewish Identity. Open to the Community at Beit Midrash of Teaneck, 70 Sterling Place, Teaneck NJ. Tuesday, November 30 at 11:45 am. Please write BMTeaneck@gmail.com for Zoom links. Take your learning to the next level: try a course!

Hasidim, Mitnagdim and Maskilim: The Shaping of Modern Jewish Identity

Three live lectures at Beit Medrash of Teaneck, 70 Sterling Avenue, Teaneck NJ 07666. Tuesdays November 23, November 30, and December 7. 11:45 AM ET. Please write BMTeaneck@gmail.com for Zoom information.