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With Dr. Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, 91�첥

This session was generously sponsored by Yale Asbell, 91�첥 Trustee, and by the Talkback group of Temple Israel Scranton and Beyond in appreciation for the Torah that is disseminated from 91�첥 and the scholars who share their Torah.

We’ve heard its stories; we’ve heard it chanted in synagogue; we’ve seen it hoisted in the air displaying handwritten ink on parchment; we’ve taken classes on it. But what, actually, is the Torah? A law code? A history book? An ancient novel? A saga? None of these categorizations quite fits. In this session, we consider what defines the distinctive genre of the Torah, where this genre comes from, how it reappears in Jewish culture over the ages—and what addressing these questions can teach us about the Jewish religion.

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Timely Insights, Timeless Wisdom

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future. 

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With special guest presenter , Director of The Jewish Publication Society 

How should English translators of the Hebrew Bible approach questions relating to gender? When should gender-inclusive language (such as “God” or “person”) be used for references to God and human beings, and when is gendered terminology (such as “King” and “man”) called for historically and linguistically? What does it mean to faithfully render biblical Hebrew into contemporary English, and how can translators share their methodologies and choices with readers and communities? We explore these questions, focusing on the newest Bible translation released by The Jewish Publication Society, THE JPS TANAKH: Gender-Sensitive Edition.

ABOUT THE SERIES 

Timely Insights, Timeless Wisdom 

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current scholarly work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future.

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In Commemoration of Yom Hazikkaron (Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror)

With Dr. Alan Cooper, Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies, 91�첥

This session was generously sponsored by Yale Asbell, 91�첥 Trustee.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Timely Torah, Timeless Insights

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future. 

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With Dr. Shay Pilnik, Director, Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Yeshiva University (91�첥 PhD ‘13)

In Commemoration of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)

This session is generously sponsored by Berna & Bill Haberman and Rona Solberg in honor of Berna’s and Rona’s 90 Birthday.

The survival story of celebrated artist Esther Lurie (1913-1998), the only Israeli artist to win the prestigious Dizengoff Prize for Drawing twice in her career, was beyond remarkable. After she made aliyah and established herself as a prominent artist in young Tel Aviv, Lurie was caught up in the claws of the Hitlerite monster while visiting her sister. From that point on, she was driven by two motivations—to survive the Kovna Ghetto and several labor camps, and to bear witness to Nazi crimes through a series of brilliant, clandestine sketches and illustrations.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Timely Torah, Timeless Insights

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future. 

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With Dr. Robert Harris, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, 91�첥

In the years following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Jewish observance of Passover underwent a seismic shift. In lieu of the now impossible sacrificial Temple ritual, the rabbis adopted the Roman symposium in order to create a new type of festival meal, one that was rooted in new rituals and intellectual discourse. Together we explore what led to the rabbinic decision to conduct the Seder in this way, rather than opting for a different way to commemorate Passover, such as instructing the Jewish people to perform the sacrifice in their homes. We also examine some of the questions and answers in the Haggadah which are central features of the Roman symposium and core to our Haggadah. 

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Timely Torah, Timeless Insights

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future. 

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With Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky, Dean, List College and Kekst Graduate School; Blanche and Romie Shapiro Professor of Bible, 91�첥

The capacity to hope is integral to religious life, yet contemporary realities can make it hard to feel and express hope. We explore what hope means in the context of the Bible, looking particularly at how the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah use maternal imagery to convey hope, and consider how the Bible can be a valuable resource for cultivating a language of hope for us today. 

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Timely Torah, Timeless Insights

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future. 

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With Rabbi Mychal Springer, Adjunct Professor, 91�첥, and Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with its focus on beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, is a powerful modality for helping people in distress. Drawing on the work of David H. Rosmarin’s Spirituality, Religion, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, we explore how CBT can inform and strengthen individuals’ and communities’ prayer lives. We discuss the connections between different types of prayers—including giving thanks, engaging in dialogue, contemplative prayer, and petitionary prayer—and evidence-based therapeutic approaches to wellbeing.  

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Timely Torah, Timeless Insights

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future. 

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With Dr. Eitan Fishbane, Professor of Jewish Thought, 91�첥and Dr. Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, Ripps Schnitzer Librarian for Special Collections; Assistant Professor, Talmud and Rabbinics, 91�첥

This session is generously sponsored by Drora and Matti Shalev in recognition of 91�첥’s community learning programs.

This session previews the 91�첥 Library’s exhibit opening on March 26, co-curated by Dr. Schwartz, and a new 91�첥 podcast on Jewish mysticism featuring Dr. Fishbane.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Timely Torah, Timeless Insights

Join 91�첥’s renowned faculty to learn about their current work and greatest passions. Drawing on their expertise, scholars will offer inspiring learning and expose us to new ideas and insights that help us connect the Jewish past with the Jewish future.