Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Elad Nehorai, the Pop Chassid (http://popchassid.com/), presents his Valley Beit Midrash Lecture "How To Break Out Of Tribalism and Still Be Proudly Jewish" before a roundtable audience at DeskHub, a collaborative workspace for start-up organizations. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: It could be argued that tribalism, valuing one’s own group more than others, often leading to hurting others, has become one of...

Rabbi Herzl Hefter, the Founder of Rosh Beit Midrash Har’el (www.har-el.org/), presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Saving God From True Believers: (It’s the Least We Can Do for Him After Everything He Did for Us)" at before a roundtable audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In 2001, the Taliban destroyed the two ancient Buddhas...

Rabbi Herzl Hefter, the Founder of Rosh Beit Midrash Har’el (http://www.har-el.org/), presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Navigating Change and Tradition: A Case Study" at before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Modernity emphasizes human autonomy. Tradition calls for submission to authority. As modern people how do we navigate th...

Professor Jeremy Dauber(https://www.jeremydauber.com/), the Atran Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture at Columbia University, presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Jewish Comedy: A Serious History" before an audience at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center(www.vosjcc.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. Many thanks to the Jewish Book Council (www.jewishbookcouncil.org/) for co-...

Professor Zvi Zohar, the Chauncey Stillman Professor of Sephardic Law and Ethics at Bar-Ilan University, presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "The Rabbi and the Sheikh: A Tale of an Inter-Faith Quest and a Human Relationship in 18th Century Damascus" at before a roundtable audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: An amazing account, published in...

Professor Zvi Zohar, the Chauncey Stillman Professor of Sephardic Law and Ethics at Bar-Ilan University, presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Inclusiveness as a Religious Value: Sephardic Rabbinic Response to a Major Challenge of Modernity" at before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Discord and schism based on the perceived need fo...

Naftuli Moster, Executive Director of Yaffed, presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Secular Education in Hasidic Yeshivas: Why We Should All Care" at before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Most Hasidic boys’ schools in NY and NJ provide little to no secular education to their tens of thousands of students. Nearly 100% of Hasidic bo...

Professor Adam Chodorow, a Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University (https://law.asu.edu/) presents his lecture "God’s Income Tax: Comparing Laws of Tithing to Federal Income Tax" before a roundtable audience at Test Hammerman & Hultgren, P.C. (http://hammerman-hultgren.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For...

Professor Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Professor and chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College (jewish.dartmouth.edu/), presented her Hammerman Lecture Series presentation "Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: The Life and Thought of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel" at Valley Beit Midrash's closing event in April 2018. This Valley Beit Midrash lecture took place before an audience...

Professor Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Professor and chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College (https://jewish.dartmouth.edu/), presented her lecture "What is ‘Human Dignity’ According to Judaism?" at Valley Beit Midrash's closing event in April 2018. This Valley Beit Midrash lecture took place before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly...

Daniel Greyber, rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in Durham, NC (http://betheldurham.org/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Forgotten Mourners" at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Jewish law defines the mourning process for a parent, spouse, sibling, and child. But what happens when we lose someone who does not...

Professor Sheila Katz of the Berklee College of Music (https://www.berklee.edu/people/sheila-katz) presents her lecture "Connecting with the Enemy: A Century of Palestinian-Israeli Joint Nonviolence" before a roundtable lecture at The New Shul (http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. About the Author: Sheila H. Katz, Ph. D, is the author of Connecting with the Enemy: a Century of Palestinian...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz and Mr. Benjamin Taylor, Esq, present their talk "Crimes of Passion: The Extent of Human Responsibility" before a roundtable audience at the offices of Jaburg Wilk (http://www.jaburgwilk.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/cle-archives/ Many thanks to the Arizona Jewish Lawyers Association and Jewish Legal A...

Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood, FL (www.templesolel.com/), presents his lecture "How to Re-Claim The Spiritual Meaning of Your Child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah!" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The bar and bat mitzvah is the most popular American Jewish life-cycle ceremony. But, it has also been the victi...

Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood, FL (templesolel.com/), presents his lecture "The Gods Are Broken!" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Everyone knows the story of Abraham shattering his father’s idols. It might even be Judaism’s most famous (non-biblical) story. But it is not really a children’s story....

Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood, FL (https://templesolel.com/), presents his lecture "Righteous Gentiles of the Hebrew Bible: Ancient Models for Sacred Relationships" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Jewish history is more than “they hated us; they tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat!” We deser...

Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse, Assistant Professor at Stanford University (religiousstudies.stanford.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Neo-Hasidism and the Theology of Halakhah: The Duties of Intimacy and the Law of the Heart" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Together we will seek a Neo-Hasi...

Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse, Assistant Professor at Stanford University (https://religiousstudies.stanford.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Neo-Hasidism and the Theology of Halakhah: The Duties of Intimacy and the Law of the Heart" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Together we will seek a Neo-Hasidi...

Marilyn Byfield Paul, Ph.d (http://marilynpaul.com/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life" before an audience at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center(www.vosjcc.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. Many thanks to the Jewish Book Council (www.jewishbookcouncil.org/) for co-sponsoring this event! DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Now...

Professor Aaron J. Hahn Tapper, the Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor in Jewish Studies and the founding Director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco (http://bit.ly/2p5kPO4), presents his lecture "The Jewish Story? Inclusion, Exclusion, and the Jewish ‘Other’ Within" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley,...

Rabbi Sam Intrator of Kavanah Life (www.kavanahlifesingles.com) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Transcending the Great Right-Left Divide in Israel Through Spirituality" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In closely examining our ancient Spiritual Origins in Israel, a very contemporary Jewish perspective...

Rabbi Sam Intrator of Kavanah Life (http://www.kavanahlifesingles.com) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "The Radical and Modern Approach of Ishbitz Hasidic Thought" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In this podcast, Rabbi Sam Intrator explores the major themes that show how the Ishbitzer Rebbe’s...

Rabbi Dr. Alan Brill, The Cooperman/Ross Endowed Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, presents his lecture "Rabbi on The Ganges: A Jewish Hindu Encounter" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Professor Alan Brill recently spent a sabbatical in India teaching about the little-known encounters that Judaism has with...

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President-Elect of Hebrew College (www.hebrewcollege.edu/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Mi Yodea: Humility and Hope in an Uncertain World" for The New Shul(http://thenewshul.org/). ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: Sharon Cohen Anisfeld has been Dean of the Rabbinical School since 2006. Prior to assuming this position, she served as an adjunc...

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President-Elect of Hebrew College (http://www.hebrewcollege.edu/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Purim: The Jewish Holiday of Friendship" for the Jewish Community Foundation (www.jcfphoenix.org/) ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: Sharon Cohen Anisfeld has been Dean of the Rabbinical School since 2006. Prior to assuming this position, she served...