Jewish Ideas to Change the World

ABOUT THE EVENT: This lecture on “Zionism and Its Critics” will examine the proponents and opponents of the Zionist idea from the 1880s until the present, illuminating the diversity of this ideology over its short history and how it has changed over time from dream of early thinkers like Theodore Herzl to a state and society that will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year. ABOUT THE SPEAKE...

ABOUT THE EVENT: In this session, Ittay Flescher will share his reflections about the different identities of Jewish, Muslim and Christian youth through his experience co-leading a youth movement for Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem. There will also be opportunities to ask questions about the benefits and challenges of interfaith dialogue between diverse populations. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Ittay...

ABOUT THE EVENT: The second chapter of Tractate Shabbat presents multiple explanations of why bad things happen. The majority opinion that we get what we deserve.  This passage offers 1) An “iffy” explanation intended for women and 2) An explanation intended for scholarly men, offering complex variables, including randomness. (Shabbat 31b-32a)   ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rabbi Rachel Adler, the David Ell...

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Beth El Phoenix ABOUT THE EVENT: Cain and Abel is a foundational story about sibling rivalry and fraternal responsibility, but in the hands of rabbinic tradition, it’s also a powerful “script” for understanding the moral basis of law and justice. We’ll re-read this great Torah narrative using classic mishnaic and midrashic interpretations that seek to clarify the enduring va...

ABOUT THE EVENT: The Book of Proverbs, attributed to King Solomon, is a profound collection of Jewish wisdom, song, and inspiration. Yet to contemporary readers, the text can appear vague, ambiguous, and contradictory. In this refreshing and relevant commentary, Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz challenges us to find modern meaning in this ancient text. Using his signature blend of social justice practi...

EVENT CO-HOSTED BY: Congregation Or Tzion ABOUT THE EVENT: Together we will explore both the mechanics of how the  the prozbul enables lenders to receive payment even after a Sabbatical year, and how this innovation serves as a prime example of how the Sages understand their role as both protectors of the Halakhic system and innovators responsible for responding to social and economic change.  We...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Emanuel ABOUT THE EVENT: In the race to discover real solutions for the conflicts that plague contemporary society it is essential that we look to precedent. Many of today’s conflicts involve ethno-religious tensions, such as the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, modern wisdom alone is ill-equipped to resolve. In Third...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Rosen EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Or Tzion ABOUT THE EVENT: King David: Man of War and Politics, Man of God, Man of  Contradictions. Based on a close reading of the Books of Samuel. No biblical character is described in such detail as King David with all the complexities of his character and the range of his responses to the challenges he fa...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz (President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash) interviews Aaron Lipkin of Ofra.   Watch this interview on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/p3lsnMtND3k ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Gila Fine EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: BMH-BJ ABOUT THE EVENT: Why are women divided into saintly and seductive? How does a married couple go for years without intimacy? And why must the wife dress up as a prostitute to show her husband who she really is? The domestic drama of R. Hiyya and his wife, read through Demosthenes and Nahmanides, Sigmund Freud and Oscar Wilde, I...

A virtual event presentation by Shira Hecht-Koller EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Solel ABOUT THE EVENT: Themes that are central to the rise and impact of the powerful platforms available to us 24 hours a day – power of the image, democratization of experience, deliberate curation – are at once both cutting edge and age-old, and are central to the experience of being human. They are also, in many w...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Menachem Creditor  EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Hebrew Educational Alliance ABOUT THE EVENT: How did Zionism represent theological revolution? Does Israel’s reality represent a new Judaism? We’ll study excerpts of Aviezer Ravitzky’s classic “Messianism, Zionism, and Jewish Religious Radicalism” and engage in a conversation about contemporary Zionism and Jewish ident...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Rabbi Avital Hochstein EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Hebrew Educational Alliance ABOUT THE EVENT: In this class we will look at the diverse biblical narratives of Shmita, how they play out  – practically and ideologically, in later Talmudic and Halachic sources and ponder what this all had to do with our current day awareness of the challenge and threat to sustainabili...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY:  Temple Chai   ABOUT THE EVENT: This class will discuss Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown journey in science and engineering as a Torah observant Jewish woman. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown is the director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes and a Professor at the School of Sustainable Engine...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dina Najman EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Beth El Phoenix   ABOUT THE EVENT: This class will discuss Devorah as a leader that is not gender specific, as she is often compared to Moshe and David. Devorah is a prophet, a warrior, a general, a poet, a judge, a mother – the people follow her based on her skill. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rabbi Dina Najman is the Marta d’Atra and...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Morris Panitz EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY:  Temple Emanuel Denver ABOUT THE EVENT: This class will center on a powerful teaching in Eicha Rabbah (Proem 24) that explores themes related to God’s suffering, arguing with God, divine-human reconciliation.  What does it mean for our pain and God’s pain to serve as a meeting point in the human-divine relationship? ABOUT T...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY:  Temple Chai ABOUT THE EVENT: “Shabbat Ha’aretz” by Rav Kook is the most influential book in 800 years about Shmita, one of Judaism’s most radical and transformative ideas. Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair, whose new book on Shabbat Ha’aretz has just come out from Maggid Press, joins us to discuss why Rav Kook’s thinking was so cr...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Eugene Korn Event co-sponsored by: Temple Solel ABOUT THE EVENT: This event will be a public conversation with Rabbi Shumly about ethical issues challenging Jewish life today as a follow up to the book Rabbi Eugene Korn has just published. Book description below. CAN JUDAISM FACE OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING of justice, equality and human  progress? Can mitzvot su...

Valley Beit Midrash creates new podcast channels. Make sure to subscribe to "Social Justice in the Parsha" (weekly d'var Torah by Rabbi Shmuly) and to "Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness" (Rabbi Shmuly's 40-part class series). This channel – previously titled "Valley Beit Midrash," and now titled "Jewish Ideas to Change the World" –  will continue to contain the diverse Jewish perspec...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowtiz, President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, interviews Rabbi Dr. Art Green. The two discuss the relationship between spirituality and ethics.      - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    Stay Connected with Valley Beit Midrash:  •  Website:    https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org   •  Donate:    https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/donate   •  Facebook:    ht...

Professor Jonathan Sarna speaks at Valley Beit Midrash.   ABOUT THE EPISODE: Some of the White Nationalists who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 hoped to trigger a “Great Revolution” that in its most extreme form would result in the extermination of the Jews. An examination of images related to the attack sheds light on extreme right-wing antisemitism in our day.   ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jonatha...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, interviews Rabbi Susan Silverman, reform rabbi and Executive Director of Second Nurture - - - - - - - - - - Stay Connected with Valley Beit Midrash:  •  Website:    https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org   •  Donate:    https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/donate   •  Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/ValleyBeitMidrash   •  YouTub...

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin speaks at Valley Beit Midrash.   ABOUT THE EPISODE: One of the sad things that has happened to Jewish life in modern times is that people define “religious” solely in terms of ritual observance (one who keeps Shabbat or Kashrut is religious, one who doesn’t is not), as if ethics in Judaism were an extracurricular activity, nice, but not very important. In this talk, based on...

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller speaks at Valley Beit Midrash.   ABOUT THE EPISODE: The onset of the coronavirus brought with it a slew of perverse efforts to identify the ‘sinful’ behaviors for which the plague was God’s punishment. Through an analysis of “Vehaya im Shamoa” (Deut.11:13-21) I offer an alternative understanding of punishment as a disciplinary act attributed to God but, actually, the dir...

A virtual event presentation by Rabba Dr Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Beth El Phoenix ABOUT THE EVENT: For centuries certain texts in the book of Isaiah have been used by (some) Christians to try to convert Jews. What are these texts and what is the Jewish perspective on them? We’ll look at the texts themselves, classic Jewish commentaries, and Christian commentaries, and develop...