Twelve Lectures on Mesilat Yesharim, Lecture One. Offered in conjunction with a class I plan to begin this Shabbat at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst.
What is the Mesilat Yesharim?
Who Was Bertha Pappenheim? Jews of the Danube Pt. 5
Brief overview of the life and works of Bertha Pappenheim. Although she is often recognized as “Anna O,” who had a huge influence on the history of psychoanalysis, most of her life was actually dedicated to the rights and protection of women and children.
Monday @ 7: Bertha Pappenheim
Final lecture of the Fall 2018 lectures in Jewish History. No hard questions, please.
This Chanukah, buy some books for your former friends.
Here’s a few humble suggestions, including links for discounts for hardcovers in particular. Enjoy in good health!
Torah from the Years of Wrath: The Historical Context of the Aish Kodesh
Discovered in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1950, the wartime writings of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira illustrates his remarkable spiritual heroism during the Holocaust.
Paperback or Kindle from Amazon
The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah (Tomer Devorah)
The Kabbalah of Forgiveness is an extended meditation of Thirteen Levels of forgiveness, exploring how we may emulate God to forgive others, and in some cases, to forgive ourselves as well.
Paperback or Kindle from Amazon
Maimonides on Teshuvah: The Ways of Repentance
Moses Maimonides on Teshuvah covers both the practical aspects of personal self-transformation as well as related philosophical issues such as life after death, the World to Come, and the question of free will versus determinism. This text is essential for students of Jewish thought and all who are interested in spiritual growth.
The Sea of Talmud: A Brief and Personal Introduction
Scholarly yet readable, The Sea of Talmud combines basic, authoritative information on the Talmud with the author’s unique and personal journey to traditional Judaism. Tracing the history of the Talmud from its origins in ancient Israel and Babylon to Internet-based texts, Dr. Abramson describes the excitement and thrill of studying Talmud from an insider’s perspective.
Paperback or Kindle from Amazon
Reading the Talmud: Developing Independence in Gemara Learning
Reading the Talmud is a textbook designed for students who want to move beyond translations to learning the Talmud on their own. This book presents a proven, “no shortcuts” approach based on the traditional Yeshiva model. If you have enough Hebrew skills to work out a Biblical verse, and a healthy determination to toil in the Talmud, this book will help you develop independence in Gemara learning.
The Art of Hatred: Images of Intolerance in Florida Culture
(Jewish Museum of Florida, 2001)
Museum catalog for travelling exhibit on the history of antisemitic iconography.
A Prayer for the Government: Ukrainians and Jews in Revolutionary Times, 1917-1920
(Harvard, 1999)
Revised and Updated version Now Available in Paperback and Kindle from Amazon
After the fall of the Russian Empire, Jewish and Ukrainian activists worked to overcome previous mutual antagonism by creating a Ministry of Jewish Affairs within the new Ukrainian state and taking other measures to satisfy the national aspirations of Jews and other non-Ukrainians. This bold experiment ended in terrible failure as anarchic violence swept the countryside amidst civil war and foreign intervention. Pogromist attacks resulted in the worst massacres of Jews in Europe in almost three hundred years. Some 40 percent of these pogroms were perpetrated by troops ostensibly loyal to the very government that was simultaneously extending unprecedented civil rights to the Jewish population.
Abramson explores this paradox and sheds new light on the relationship between the various Ukrainian governments and the communal violence, focusing especially on the role of Symon Petliura, the Ukrainian leader later assassinated by a Jew claiming revenge for the pogroms. A Prayer for the Government treats a crucial period of Ukrainian and Jewish history, and is also a case study of ethnic violence in emerging political entities.
Who Was Max Nordau?
Part Four of the Jews of the Danube series. Filmed in a new location without my usual technical support–sorry for the lower video and audio quality, but the lecture is ok. To see the visuals better, please click here. Next week we are back at our usual location with IT support!
Trailer for The Fatal Conflict: Judea and Rome
Okay, this is cool: just saw the trailer for a documentary project I worked on several months ago. I can’t wait to see the whole thing! I was especially honored to work with Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, world expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and senior scholar in Jewish history (he’s the last talking head in the trailer).
I think this is going to be great. it was certainly a lot of fun to work with the Australian team that put this together! Please click on the link to watch the 48-second trailer.
Who Was the Hatam Sofer (Chasam Sofer)? Jews of the Danube pt. 3
Reminder! Next Monday (November 19) we will meet at 2002 Avenue J, the Montak Campus of Machon L’Parnasa. Just down the street from the Mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College.
Henry Abramson 