The Song of Songs has been interpreted midrashically in a variety of ways. These 3 sessions with Adele Berlin will analyze it as a love poem and compare and contrast it with other ancient love poetry.

Isaac and Rebecca are the inheritors of the covenantal blessing. Our 5 session class will focus on Genesis 22-26 and engage in a series of close readings to better understand their place within the covenantal narrative.

Isaac and Rebecca are the inheritors of the covenantal blessing. Our 5 session class will focus on Genesis 22-26 and engage in a series of close readings to better understand their place within the covenantal narrative.

The holiday of Shavuot features many unique prayers, the majority of which touch upon themes relating to the giving of the Torah. In this class, we will take a close look at the history and development of the Azharot, a specific form of Piyyut (Hebrew Liturgical poetry) recited on the festival that enumerates the 613 commandments. We will begin with a brief historical introduction to Piyyut and its role in Jewish prayer before looking at the overall features and content of the special Shavuot liturgy. We will then turn to the Azharot piyyutim themselves, focusing especially on their poetic and didactic elements.

In this session, we will examine the liturgical poem “Akdamut Millin” (“The Introduction of Words”), written by Rabbi Meir b. Isaac of Worms (died ca. 1095), with an eye toward understanding its origins and its enduring appeal. Why would Rabbi Meir compose such a lengthy (ninety line) poem in Aramaic, long after Aramaic ceased to be the vernacular of the Jewish community? And what meaning can such a work have for us today?

The poem Yatziv Pitgam, recited on the second day of Shavuot in connection with the haftarah, is an obscure but beautiful window into the religious world of medieval Ashkenaz, written by the great Tosafist, Rabbenu Tam. In this class we will read and unpack the poem in order to reflect on what it teaches about Shavuot, and on the intellectually rich but also tragic period in which it was written.

This series features an intensive study of several responsa relating to plagues throughout Jewish history on topics of practical Halakhah, safety, and theology. We will study responsa authored by the Rashbash, Rabbi Akiva Eger, the Hazon Ish, and contemporary decisors, and others. Note: This class presumes prior familiarity with and reading facility in rabbinic Hebrew.

This series features an intensive study of several responsa relating to plagues throughout Jewish history on topics of practical Halakhah, safety, and theology. We will study responsa authored by the Rashbash, Rabbi Akiva Eger, the Hazon Ish, and contemporary decisors, and others. Note: This class presumes prior familiarity with and reading facility in rabbinic Hebrew.

This series features an intensive study of several responsa relating to plagues throughout Jewish history on topics of practical Halakhah, safety, and theology. We will study responsa authored by the Rashbash, Rabbi Akiva Eger, the Hazon Ish, and contemporary decisors, and others. Note: This class presumes prior familiarity with and reading facility in rabbinic Hebrew.

Plague is one of God’s preferred forms of collective punishment in the Bible. Just as plagues often start in reaction to human misdeeds, they can often be stopped by human action as well. What stops a plague? How can individual actions, even extreme ones, change the balance of the public’s guilt in God’s eyes? To answer these questions, we will examine depictions of plague and how it can end through the lens of rabbinic texts, including the story of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the abrupt cessation of their plague-related deaths.

Plague is one of God’s preferred forms of collective punishment in the Bible. Just as plagues often start in reaction to human misdeeds, they can often be stopped by human action as well. What stops a plague? How can individual actions, even extreme ones, change the balance of the public’s guilt in God’s eyes? To answer these questions, we will examine depictions of plague and how it can end through the lens of rabbinic texts, including the story of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the abrupt cessation of their plague-related deaths.

Plague is one of God’s preferred forms of collective punishment in the Bible. Just as plagues often start in reaction to human misdeeds, they can often be stopped by human action as well. What stops a plague? How can individual actions, even extreme ones, change the balance of the public’s guilt in God’s eyes? To answer these questions, we will examine depictions of plague and how it can end through the lens of rabbinic texts, including the story of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the abrupt cessation of their plague-related deaths.

Drisha is happy to co-sponsor the Third Annual International Women’s Talmud Day: A day to encourage women’s Talmud study, to nurture community among women who study and teach Talmud, and to highlight women’s Talmud scholarship. The theme of this year’s day is Masekhet Yoma, which is concurrent this year with the Daf Yomi cycle.Yoma 28b: Did the Patriarchs and Matriarchs Observe the Commandments? Featuring teaching from Rabba Wendy Amsellem, Avigayil Halpern, Noam Goldberg-Kellman, and Devorah Wolf.

The problem of evil is one of the oldest and gravest challenges to religious belief. In this series of lectures we will mine Jewish texts and themes to grapple philosophically with that challenge. We will examine the ways in which the challenge was understood to begin with, a number of proposed solutions, and the view that we shouldn’t try to propose solutions at all. Lecture 1: The Problems of Evil In this lecture we will discuss some classical philosophical formulations of “the problem of evil”, and compare them to the dominant formulation in Biblical, Rabbinic, and Jewish philosophical texts. What emerges are subtly but importantly different problems. We will then detail several presuppositions that we will hold fixed throughout the series of lectures. Lecture 2: ‘Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels’: Theodicies of Gadlut Ha’adam In this lecture we will turn to a number of proposed solutions to the problems of evil that place human beings at the center of the cosmos and creation: the so-called free-will theodicy and soul-making theodicies. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 3: ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’ Theodicies of Katnut Ha’adam In this lecture we will shift to theodicies that move human beings to the periphery, that remind us of our smallness, in a way. These include a multiverse theodicy, and an axiological shift. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 4: Skeptical Theism and Anti-theodicy We will conclude the series with a philosophical and theological discussion of two approaches to our issue that in one way or another run counter to the endeavor of providing theodicies: the one by denying its necessity, the other by denying its legitimacy.

The problem of evil is one of the oldest and gravest challenges to religious belief. In this series of lectures we will mine Jewish texts and themes to grapple philosophically with that challenge. We will examine the ways in which the challenge was understood to begin with, a number of proposed solutions, and the view that we shouldn’t try to propose solutions at all. Lecture 1: The Problems of Evil In this lecture we will discuss some classical philosophical formulations of “the problem of evil”, and compare them to the dominant formulation in Biblical, Rabbinic, and Jewish philosophical texts. What emerges are subtly but importantly different problems. We will then detail several presuppositions that we will hold fixed throughout the series of lectures. Lecture 2: ‘Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels’: Theodicies of Gadlut Ha’adam In this lecture we will turn to a number of proposed solutions to the problems of evil that place human beings at the center of the cosmos and creation: the so-called free-will theodicy and soul-making theodicies. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 3: ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’ Theodicies of Katnut Ha’adam In this lecture we will shift to theodicies that move human beings to the periphery, that remind us of our smallness, in a way. These include a multiverse theodicy, and an axiological shift. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 4: Skeptical Theism and Anti-theodicy We will conclude the series with a philosophical and theological discussion of two approaches to our issue that in one way or another run counter to the endeavor of providing theodicies: the one by denying its necessity, the other by denying its legitimacy.

The problem of evil is one of the oldest and gravest challenges to religious belief. In this series of lectures we will mine Jewish texts and themes to grapple philosophically with that challenge. We will examine the ways in which the challenge was understood to begin with, a number of proposed solutions, and the view that we shouldn’t try to propose solutions at all. Lecture 1: The Problems of Evil In this lecture we will discuss some classical philosophical formulations of “the problem of evil”, and compare them to the dominant formulation in Biblical, Rabbinic, and Jewish philosophical texts. What emerges are subtly but importantly different problems. We will then detail several presuppositions that we will hold fixed throughout the series of lectures. Lecture 2: ‘Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels’: Theodicies of Gadlut Ha’adam In this lecture we will turn to a number of proposed solutions to the problems of evil that place human beings at the center of the cosmos and creation: the so-called free-will theodicy and soul-making theodicies. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 3: ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’ Theodicies of Katnut Ha’adam In this lecture we will shift to theodicies that move human beings to the periphery, that remind us of our smallness, in a way. These include a multiverse theodicy, and an axiological shift. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 4: Skeptical Theism and Anti-theodicy We will conclude the series with a philosophical and theological discussion of two approaches to our issue that in one way or another run counter to the endeavor of providing theodicies: the one by denying its necessity, the other by denying its legitimacy.

The problem of evil is one of the oldest and gravest challenges to religious belief. In this series of lectures we will mine Jewish texts and themes to grapple philosophically with that challenge. We will examine the ways in which the challenge was understood to begin with, a number of proposed solutions, and the view that we shouldn’t try to propose solutions at all. Lecture 1: The Problems of Evil In this lecture we will discuss some classical philosophical formulations of “the problem of evil”, and compare them to the dominant formulation in Biblical, Rabbinic, and Jewish philosophical texts. What emerges are subtly but importantly different problems. We will then detail several presuppositions that we will hold fixed throughout the series of lectures. Lecture 2: ‘Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels’: Theodicies of Gadlut Ha’adam In this lecture we will turn to a number of proposed solutions to the problems of evil that place human beings at the center of the cosmos and creation: the so-called free-will theodicy and soul-making theodicies. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 3: ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’ Theodicies of Katnut Ha’adam In this lecture we will shift to theodicies that move human beings to the periphery, that remind us of our smallness, in a way. These include a multiverse theodicy, and an axiological shift. We will explore their philosophical cogency and their fit with Jewish tradition. Lecture 4: Skeptical Theism and Anti-theodicy We will conclude the series with a philosophical and theological discussion of two approaches to our issue that in one way or another run counter to the endeavor of providing theodicies: the one by denying its necessity, the other by denying its legitimacy.

This series offers an analysis of the roles Isaac plays in the Torah, including the Akeidah. It offers a close reading of the text and an examination of the understandings of Isaac through the prism of rabbinic sources.

This series offers an analysis of the roles Isaac plays in the Torah, including the Akeidah. It offers a close reading of the text and an examination of the understandings of Isaac through the prism of rabbinic sources.

This series offers an analysis of the roles Isaac plays in the Torah, including the Akeidah. It offers a close reading of the text and an examination of the understandings of Isaac through the prism of rabbinic sources.