[newsletter]
November 11, 2015
Rambam writes that God created the world creation ex nihilo, from nothing. This lecture will explore whether this view was universally accepted by Greek philosophers and by Jewish thinkers.
September 8, 2013
The title of the drasha was "White as Snow: Why is White the Color of Yom Kippur?" I hope you will enjoy the shiur and that it will provide some insight as we prepare for Yom Kippur.
May 1, 2007
This lecture focuses on the role of the Vilna Gaon in the shaping of the religious personality of Lithuanian Jewry in the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century.
October 20, 2009
This lecture will analyze several mishnaic sources and a source from the apocrypha that address this issue.
December 5, 2006
In this class, we will explore the methodology of these teshuvot and study three examples.
October 28, 2014
This lecture will lay the foundation for the analysis of how Jewish thinkers addressed Jewish crisis and tragedy throughout the centuries.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
February 21, 2013
In 1864, Rabbi Bernard Illowy of New Orleans write a letter to Der Israelit asking for assistance on the following issue.
May 9, 2017
Samuel Bronfman is one of the most successful Jews of the twentieth century.
March 3, 2009
This lecture will explore the various views of Jewish scholars concerning the exact nature of this phenomenon.
January 31, 2012
This lecture will explore the process by which the Rema's commentary on the Shulhan Arukh was accepted throughout Poland.
November 10, 2009
This lecture will study the history of the Reform innovations in the Siddur and compare the modern day Conservative and Reform siddurim with a brief reference to the new Modern Orthodox Koren Siddur.
February 13, 2007
In the early 1930's Rabbi Tobias Geffen, the Orthodox rabbi in Atlanta, received some inquiries from colleagues whether Coca Cola was kosher.
May 18, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of both the Eastern European and Syrian communities in Brooklyn.
February 5, 2019
November 11, 2013
In this lecture we will compare Rashi's commentary on Chumash with his commentary on Tehillim.
January 30, 2007
Louis Ginzberg came to the United States in 1902 and spent 51 years at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as a leading talmudic.
November 7, 2011
This lecture will explore the transmission of Jewish learning and halakhah in Franco-Germany in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries.
November 15, 2010
This lecture will explore three halakhic disputes between the Sadducees and the Pharisees and analyze these disputes from a socio-religious context and in terms of their importance in the development of Jewish law.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore the history of messianic speculation and the opposition to this movement and explain the rationale for each approach.
May 8, 2007
This lecture will compare the history of the Jews of Riga and its German influence with the history of the Jews of Dvinsk which was included in the Pale.
November 15, 2010
This lecture will explore three halakhic disputes between the Sadducees and the Pharisees and analyze these disputes from a socio-religious context and in terms of their importance in the development of Jewish law.
May 26, 2008
This lecture will explore the Jewish community in London at the beginning of the twentieth century.
February 17, 2014
Malbim was born in Poland and served as a rabbi in several communities prior to being selected as the rabbi of Bucharest in 1858. In Bucharest, he met with resistance...
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
February 24, 2010
This lecture will examine the history of the Kabbalists in Safed and it will study the structure and themes of Lecha Dodi.
October 18, 2009
This lecture will explore this topic through the lens of the tradition sources ans the analysis of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.
October 20, 2009
This lecture will analyze several mishnaic sources and a source from the apocrypha that address this issue.
November 7, 2007
this lecture, we will explore two instances of this distinction. the rules of the lost object of a non-Jew and the law of a non-Jew's mistake in business.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will examine the origins of this belief and how it developed since 1948 as well as the religious opposition to this idea.
January 30, 2007
Louis Ginzberg came to the United States in 1902 and spent 51 years at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as a leading talmudic.
May 22, 2014
This lecture will explore the goal of the Artscrolll translation of Megillat Esther and anthology and compare it to the earlier English translations.
May 15, 2007
This lecture will explore this decisions and their impact in determining the future of Hungarian Jewry.
May 23, 2017
How could this Jewish couple got into so much trouble? We will explore the background of the case and the attempts to have the verdict overturned.
December 5, 2012
The Responsa volume Besamim Rosh was published in 1793 by Rabbi Saul Berlin, a respected rabbinic scholar, and claimed to contain responsa...
May 11, 2013
This lecture will explore the relationship of halakhah and aggadah and how the interplay between the two is crucial for an understanding of this story.
December 5, 2019
In this lecture, we will study two responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
April 12, 2014
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a recording of my Shabbat Ha-Gadol Drasha entitled "The Choreography of the Haggadah: The Role of the Greek Chorus."
February 10, 2009
This lecture will explore the history of the Jewish attitude towards praying to angels
November 4, 2014
In 1096, the Crusaders entered Jewish cities in Germany and offered the Jews the choice of conversion to Christianity or death.
April 18, 2016
Sharon joins me in wishing you and your families a chag kasher ve-sameach.
June 3, 2008
This lecture will explore this history with a focus on the rabbinic tradition that developed in Aleppo during this period.
October 25, 2012
This lecture will explore the stablishment of private minyanim in Lemberg, Galicia under the Habsburg rule.
February 27, 2012
This lecture will explore the fascinating biography of Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz from his early life in Lithuania through his years as the rabbinic authority in Bnei Brak, Israel.
February 15, 2012
This lecture will explore the approaches of Arukh Ha-Shulhan and Mishneh Brurah to halakhic codification during this period.
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
May 12, 2014
This lecture will explore the history of the JPS translations and the importance of the translations in the history of American Jewish culture.
May 16, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the place of Arnold Rothstein in American History and in the History of Jews in America.
February 18, 2015
Following the Six Day War, there was a rabbinic debate whether it was appropriate the alter the text of Nahem, recited on Tisha Bav...
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
November 13, 2011
This lecture will explore the transition from the Gaonic tradition of the Moslem period to the rabbinic tradition of the Ramban in Christian Spain.
November 4, 2014
In 1096, the Crusaders entered Jewish cities in Germany and offered the Jews the choice of conversion to Christianity or death.
January 28, 2010
This lecture will analyze the evolution of these blessings from their private recitation in the home to their prime role as the beginning of the daily service.
December 5, 2012
The Responsa volume Besamim Rosh was published in 1793 by Rabbi Saul Berlin, a respected rabbinic scholar, and claimed to contain responsa...
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
November 15, 2010
This lecture will explore three halakhic disputes between the Sadducees and the Pharisees and analyze these disputes from a socio-religious context and in terms of their importance in the development of Jewish law.
May 18, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of both the Eastern European and Syrian communities in Brooklyn.
September 7, 2009
This lecture will explore the limits of the decision-making process.
November 17, 2009
This lecture will study four nineteenth and twentieth century commentators and philosophers and examine how they address the meaning of prayer in an age of rationalism that is often centered on the individual rather than God.
October 24, 2007
This lecture will analyze this issue through the halakhic and sociological evaluation of the question whether an intermarried Jew can be counted toward a minyan.
December 5, 2011
This lecture will explore the journey of each of these great rabbinic scholars through their lengthy commentaries on the Tur to their concise codes in the Shulhan Arukh.
February 20, 2007
In this class we will study three teshuvot by Rabbi Henkin
May 12, 2014
This lecture will explore the history of the JPS translations and the importance of the translations in the history of American Jewish culture.
November 14, 2007
This lecture will explore the evolution of these laws and their application in modern times where assimilation and intermarriage remain a serious concern.
February 5, 2019
October 20, 2015
The lecture will continue to explore the idea of belief in God. Why do Jews believe? We conclude with a study of Halevi and ibn Paquda on the reasons for belief in God.
October 29, 2010
This lecture will explore the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document and analyze their content.
February 26, 2014
This lecture will attempt to explain the complex set of factors that led Hoffmann to his understanding of the origins of both Biblical and talmudic law.
October 25, 2010
This lecture will study the use of halacha in the Book of Jubilees and explore the importance of this work in the history of halacha.
February 2, 2016
In this lecture, we will try to understand Rambam's position and to present a position that disagrees with Rambam's description of Moshe.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore the history of messianic speculation and the opposition to this movement and explain the rationale for each approach.
February 18, 2008
The Kol Nidrei service begins with a declaration permitting the "sinners" to participate in the Yom Kippur service.
May 16, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the place of Arnold Rothstein in American History and in the History of Jews in America.
December 29, 2014
Shabbetai Tzvi was the most famous false messiah in Jewish history. He declared himself messiah in the mid-seventeenth century and almost half of world Jewry believed in him. How did his followers​ react when he converted to Islam? The answer tells us much about Shabbatai Tzvi and how Jews react to internal crisis.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
November 9, 2016
In this lecture, we will examine the story of Peter, a Jewish convert to Christianity in Aragon in 1341.
February 4, 2011
This lecture will evaluate the Babylonian Jewish attitude to this religious and compare it to the Jewish attitude to Christianity.
May 9, 2017
Samuel Bronfman is one of the most successful Jews of the twentieth century.
November 29, 2006
this class, we will study and analyze three teshuvot of Rav Feinstein.
February 4, 2011
This lecture will evaluate the Babylonian Jewish attitude to this religious and compare it to the Jewish attitude to Christianity.
May 22, 2014
This lecture will explore the goal of the Artscrolll translation of Megillat Esther and anthology and compare it to the earlier English translations.
February 27, 2012
This lecture will explore the fascinating biography of Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz from his early life in Lithuania through his years as the rabbinic authority in Bnei Brak, Israel.
March 1, 2011
This lecture will explore this tradition.
October 18, 2009
This lecture will explore this topic through the lens of the tradition sources ans the analysis of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.
May 18, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the history of the idea of the Messiah and how it has been understood in the modern age.
November 22, 2016
The story and the role of the Jews in the tale highlights the complicated and important role of the Jews in the history of New York City.
February 12, 2015
Yom Ha-Shoah was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to be observed every year on the 27th day of Nissan.
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
May 5, 2009
Cincinnati was one of the most important American cities in the second half of the nineteenth century
February 8, 2012
This lecture will explore the Hasidic attitude to halakhah and evaluate whether the Misnagdim were correct.
February 12, 2015
Yom Ha-Shoah was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to be observed every year on the 27th day of Nissan.
May 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the importance of each of these communities and the both the friction and cooperation that existed among the Jews of Berlin during this period.
November 26, 2012
In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg issued an edict requiring the Jews to wait three days after death prior to burial in order to prevent the premature burial of a live person.
February 11, 2008
This lecture will explore the history of this Mi Sheberach le-Cholim.
January 23, 2018
In this lecture, we will explore the ways in which the Nazis tried to influence American movies during the 1930s in order to make sure that they did not portray Nazi Germany in a negative light.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
May 14, 2005
The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism.
October 23, 2013
We will explore at least one instance in which Rashbam’s explanation is quoted by Hugh of St. Victor. How does Rashbam’s approach shed light on Rashi’s view of Christian Biblical commentary?
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
May 19, 2008
This lecture will explore the issue of these conflicting allegiances and their implication for the history of the Jews in Modern Europe.
January 31, 2012
This lecture will explore the process by which the Rema's commentary on the Shulhan Arukh was accepted throughout Poland.
April 12, 2014
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a recording of my Shabbat Ha-Gadol Drasha entitled "The Choreography of the Haggadah: The Role of the Greek Chorus."
October 18, 2009
This lecture will explore this topic through the lens of the tradition sources ans the analysis of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.
January 21, 2015
In this lecture, we will explore how the rabbinic community responded to the massacres of 1648/49.
October 19, 2006
The process of Jewish law has developed and evolved over the past three thousand years.
January 25, 2011
This lecture will provide the background for the Jewish experience in Persia which began during the Babylonian exile following the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
November 15, 2010
This lecture will explore three halakhic disputes between the Sadducees and the Pharisees and analyze these disputes from a socio-religious context and in terms of their importance in the development of Jewish law.
July 4, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of the earliest rules of decision making and the extra-halakhic considerations that help to determine the halakhah.
May 25, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore Rambam's true understanding of this principle.
January 26, 2016
In this lecture, we will trace the history of the concept of prophecy. Who is worthy to prophecy? What is the prophetic experience?
November 18, 2012
This lecture will explore the interplay between the rabbis and the community regarding deriving profit from non-kosher wine which the rabbis had declared to be forbidden.
November 17, 2009
This lecture will study four nineteenth and twentieth century commentators and philosophers and examine how they address the meaning of prayer in an age of rationalism that is often centered on the individual rather than God.
July 4, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of the earliest rules of decision making and the extra-halakhic considerations that help to determine the halakhah.
May 2, 2012
This lecture will survey the history of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
May 12, 2014
This lecture will explore the history of the JPS translations and the importance of the translations in the history of American Jewish culture.
April 9, 2017
Please enjoy the drasha and I join Sharon in wishing you and your families a chag kasher ve-sameach.
October 25, 2006
This lecture will address the history of codification and its importance in the history of Jewish law.
February 5, 2008
We will explore the evolution of the Kaddish and the different customs that were practiced in specific communities.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
February 18, 2015
Following the Six Day War, there was a rabbinic debate whether it was appropriate the alter the text of Nahem, recited on Tisha Bav...
February 11, 2014
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, there were both German and Jewish scholars who began to claim that the second half of the Book of Isaiah...
December 5, 2019
In this lecture, we will study two responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
May 27, 2011
This lecture will focus on the biography of Rabbi Aharon Kotler, the rosh yeshiva in Kletzk, Lithuania who escaped to the United States in 1941 and established the yeshiva in Lakewood, NJ.
May 8, 2007
This lecture will compare the history of the Jews of Riga and its German influence with the history of the Jews of Dvinsk which was included in the Pale.
October 25, 2012
This lecture will explore the stablishment of private minyanim in Lemberg, Galicia under the Habsburg rule.
February 5, 2019
February 4, 2011
This lecture will evaluate the Babylonian Jewish attitude to this religious and compare it to the Jewish attitude to Christianity.
October 25, 2010
This lecture will study the use of halacha in the Book of Jubilees and explore the importance of this work in the history of halacha.
April 21, 2010
The lecture will explore the political, personal and communal influence of this Hasidic leader who was the most influential Hasid of the first half of the nineteenth century.
February 15, 2012
This lecture will explore the approaches of Arukh Ha-Shulhan and Mishneh Brurah to halakhic codification during this period.
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
November 22, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography of Robert Moses and examines the history of the West Side Highways and the Cross Bronx Expressway. Was Robert Moses a great builder, a destroyer or a little of both?
January 21, 2012
This lecture will explore whether the code of Rabbi Joseph Caro was immediately accepted as authoritative among the Jews of the Spanish diaspora.
May 19, 2008
This lecture will explore the issue of these conflicting allegiances and their implication for the history of the Jews in Modern Europe.
March 3, 2009
This lecture will explore the various views of Jewish scholars concerning the exact nature of this phenomenon.
May 11, 2016
Rambam presents the principle of reward and punishment.
May 8, 2007
This lecture will compare the history of the Jews of Riga and its German influence with the history of the Jews of Dvinsk which was included in the Pale.
November 22, 2016
The story and the role of the Jews in the tale highlights the complicated and important role of the Jews in the history of New York City.
May 18, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of both the Eastern European and Syrian communities in Brooklyn.
May 14, 2005
The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism.
October 25, 2006
This lecture will address the history of codification and its importance in the history of Jewish law.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore the history of messianic speculation and the opposition to this movement and explain the rationale for each approach.
January 7, 2016
In this lecture, we will examine a talmudic text that describes a prayer to angels that was recited upon entering the bathroom.
November 7, 2011
This lecture will explore the transmission of Jewish learning and halakhah in Franco-Germany in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries.
November 11, 2013
In this lecture we will compare Rashi's commentary on Chumash with his commentary on Tehillim.
January 21, 2012
This lecture will explore whether the code of Rabbi Joseph Caro was immediately accepted as authoritative among the Jews of the Spanish diaspora.
January 25, 2011
This lecture will provide the background for the Jewish experience in Persia which began during the Babylonian exile following the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
November 3, 2009
This lecture will address the role of the synagogue following the destruction and the introduction of the Amidah during this period.
February 21, 2013
In 1864, Rabbi Bernard Illowy of New Orleans write a letter to Der Israelit asking for assistance on the following issue.
January 29, 2014
In this lecture we will examine his sermons and try to decipher a pattern to his use of the Biblical texts and the message that he was trying to impart to the community.
February 18, 2016
This lecture will explore different midrashic traditions that claim that laws in the Torah will be null and void in the time to come, either the Messianic period or the era of the Resurrection.
July 4, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of the earliest rules of decision making and the extra-halakhic considerations that help to determine the halakhah.
February 24, 2009
this lecture, we will explore the three places in which the Rambam discusses the messiah. in his Commentary on the Mishna, the Mishneh Torah and the Epistle to Yemen.
February 15, 2012
This lecture will explore the approaches of Arukh Ha-Shulhan and Mishneh Brurah to halakhic codification during this period.
January 7, 2016
In this lecture, we will examine a talmudic text that describes a prayer to angels that was recited upon entering the bathroom.
May 5, 2009
Cincinnati was one of the most important American cities in the second half of the nineteenth century
November 29, 2016
What role did Frank's Judaism have in his conviction and lynching? Was he convicted because he was a Jew? In this lecture, we will examine the relevant documents to gain greater insight and understanding into this critical question.
February 21, 2013
This lecture will explore how the Eastern European rabbinate addressed this issue; did they approve or disapprove of this phenomenon?
August 31, 2010
This lecture will explore the commentary of the ibn Ezra on a number of these verses and will examine two super commentaries on the ibn Ezra that attempt to reconcile the ibn Ezra's commentary with the traditional view of Moshe's authorship of the Torah.
May 19, 2011
The Slobodka Yeshiva was founded by Rabbi Nosson Zvi Finkel in 1882 in a suburb of Kovno.
May 9, 2011
This lecture will utilize primary sources to present a taste of the Volozyn Yeshiva in its early days and to appreciate the unique approach to Torah study and to yeshiva administration that was introduced by Rabbi Haim of Volozhyn.
February 5, 2019
April 12, 2011
The Function of Dayenu in the Haggadah.
February 10, 2010
this lecture, we will try to make sense of the shemoneh esreh.
May 12, 2009
This lecture will highlight the roles of Louis Brandies and Rabbi Joseph B.
January 26, 2016
In this lecture, we will trace the history of the concept of prophecy. Who is worthy to prophecy? What is the prophetic experience?
November 14, 2017
This lecture will explore the World War II era in Hollywood through a study of the four films
November 11, 2013
In this lecture we will compare Rashi's commentary on Chumash with his commentary on Tehillim.
February 17, 2010
This lecture will study the ramifications of this dispute through an analysis of the texts of the maariv service and a historical survey whether Jews actually davened maariv.
May 11, 2016
Rambam presents the principle of reward and punishment.
November 17, 2009
This lecture will study four nineteenth and twentieth century commentators and philosophers and examine how they address the meaning of prayer in an age of rationalism that is often centered on the individual rather than God.
December 29, 2014
Shabbetai Tzvi was the most famous false messiah in Jewish history. He declared himself messiah in the mid-seventeenth century and almost half of world Jewry believed in him. How did his followers​ react when he converted to Islam? The answer tells us much about Shabbatai Tzvi and how Jews react to internal crisis.
July 4, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of the earliest rules of decision making and the extra-halakhic considerations that help to determine the halakhah.
August 31, 2010
This lecture will explore the commentary of the ibn Ezra on a number of these verses and will examine two super commentaries on the ibn Ezra that attempt to reconcile the ibn Ezra's commentary with the traditional view of Moshe's authorship of the Torah.
November 11, 2014
This lecture will explore if and how the plague was memorialized by European Jewry through an analysis of relevant ritual and historical material.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
November 9, 2016
In this lecture, we will examine the story of Peter, a Jewish convert to Christianity in Aragon in 1341.
July 18, 2009
In this shiur we will analyze the role of the minority opinion. Can a rabbi rely on this opinion?
January 21, 2008
Prayer and Women: Shelo Asani Ishah. The Talmud requires that men recite recite a daily blessing each day thanking God that they "were not created a woman".
November 17, 2009
This lecture will study four nineteenth and twentieth century commentators and philosophers and examine how they address the meaning of prayer in an age of rationalism that is often centered on the individual rather than God.
May 5, 2009
Cincinnati was one of the most important American cities in the second half of the nineteenth century
March 1, 2011
This lecture will explore this tradition.
April 14, 2010
This lecture will explore the origins of the Hasidic movement and the role of the Baal Shem Tov.
November 10, 2009
This lecture will study the history of the Reform innovations in the Siddur and compare the modern day Conservative and Reform siddurim with a brief reference to the new Modern Orthodox Koren Siddur.
November 9, 2015
Rambam claims that anyone who believes that God has a human form is a heretic. This lecture will explore the other opinions throughout Jewish history.
Rambam claims that anyone who believes that God has a human form is a heretic. This lecture will explore the other opinions throughout Jewish history.
March 3, 2009
This lecture will explore the various views of Jewish scholars concerning the exact nature of this phenomenon.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
February 13, 2018
In this lecture we will explore the history and evolution of Jewish humor in America.
May 14, 2005
The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism.
November 29, 2016
What role did Frank's Judaism have in his conviction and lynching? Was he convicted because he was a Jew? In this lecture, we will examine the relevant documents to gain greater insight and understanding into this critical question.
May 15, 2007
This lecture will explore this decisions and their impact in determining the future of Hungarian Jewry.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore how the Jews responded to this crisis and how both the Reform and Orthodox movements redefined their views of the personal messiah.
May 18, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the history of the idea of the Messiah and how it has been understood in the modern age.
October 15, 2013
In this lecture we will explore three examples of Rashi's commentary on the book of Breishit
November 10, 2009
This lecture will study the history of the Reform innovations in the Siddur and compare the modern day Conservative and Reform siddurim with a brief reference to the new Modern Orthodox Koren Siddur.
May 11, 2013
This lecture will explore the relationship of halakhah and aggadah and how the interplay between the two is crucial for an understanding of this story.
February 14, 2011
This lecture will study specific examples in the Talmud's interpretation of Esther and parallel sources in Persian and Christian literature.
November 8, 2006
This lecture will explore two responsa. one written by Rashi and the other by the Rivash, the leading halakhic authority in Algiers in the fifteenth century who had escaped from Spain in 1391 after being forced to convert to Christianity.
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
October 18, 2009
This lecture will explore this topic through the lens of the tradition sources ans the analysis of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.
February 3, 2013
This lecture will explore the origins of this philosophy and the reactions to his activity. How was this debate a reaction to the challenges of modernity during this period?
February 10, 2010
this lecture, we will try to make sense of the shemoneh esreh.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
May 18, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the history of the idea of the Messiah and how it has been understood in the modern age.
May 9, 2011
This lecture will utilize primary sources to present a taste of the Volozyn Yeshiva in its early days and to appreciate the unique approach to Torah study and to yeshiva administration that was introduced by Rabbi Haim of Volozhyn.
August 15, 2009
This shiur will explore the sources on this topic which present a surprisingly expansive view of the rights of the posek in determining halakhis decisions
February 10, 2009
This lecture will explore the history of the Jewish attitude towards praying to angels
November 13, 2011
This lecture will explore the transition from the Gaonic tradition of the Moslem period to the rabbinic tradition of the Ramban in Christian Spain.
April 24, 2007
This lecture will explore the history of the Jews of Galicia and how the historical study of these communities has changed in recent years.
February 21, 2013
This lecture will explore how the Eastern European rabbinate addressed this issue; did they approve or disapprove of this phenomenon?
May 9, 2011
This lecture will utilize primary sources to present a taste of the Volozyn Yeshiva in its early days and to appreciate the unique approach to Torah study and to yeshiva administration that was introduced by Rabbi Haim of Volozhyn.
February 13, 2018
In this lecture we will explore the history and evolution of Jewish humor in America.
June 3, 2008
This lecture will explore this history with a focus on the rabbinic tradition that developed in Aleppo during this period.
February 11, 2014
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, there were both German and Jewish scholars who began to claim that the second half of the Book of Isaiah...
November 7, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the early days of Hollywood
January 21, 2008
Prayer and Women: Shelo Asani Ishah. The Talmud requires that men recite recite a daily blessing each day thanking God that they "were not created a woman".
February 11, 2008
This lecture will explore the history of this Mi Sheberach le-Cholim.
October 29, 2013
This lecture will explore the lack of anti-Islam polemic in the writings of the ibn Ezra and the reasons for this phenomenon.
August 1, 2009
This shiur will explore the source material that discusses the issue of asking multiple rabbis the same question in order to receive a "satisfactory" response.
October 23, 2013
We will explore at least one instance in which Rashbam’s explanation is quoted by Hugh of St. Victor. How does Rashbam’s approach shed light on Rashi’s view of Christian Biblical commentary?
April 12, 2011
The Function of Dayenu in the Haggadah.
February 18, 2008
The Kol Nidrei service begins with a declaration permitting the "sinners" to participate in the Yom Kippur service.
April 22, 2013
The lecture will examine the narrative elements of each story and the characters described in each one as a model for the possible responses to the an oppressive ruling authority.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
April 27, 2009
This lecture will study the history and the culture of this early American Jewish community.
This lecture will study the history and the culture of this early American Jewish community.
October 30, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography and impact of Rabbi Leo Jung, rabbi of The Jewish Center from 1922-1987.
November 14, 2017
This lecture will explore the World War II era in Hollywood through a study of the four films
November 13, 2011
This lecture will explore the transition from the Gaonic tradition of the Moslem period to the rabbinic tradition of the Ramban in Christian Spain.
November 28, 2017
This lecture will examine four Jewish actors; John Garfield, Groucho Marx, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
November 4, 2014
In 1096, the Crusaders entered Jewish cities in Germany and offered the Jews the choice of conversion to Christianity or death.
November 5, 2008
This lecture will examine the story of Sinai and will compare the reading of the chapters in the Book of Shemot as explained through the eyes of the traditional commentaries and through the eyes of the modern Biblical scholars.
November 26, 2012
In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg issued an edict requiring the Jews to wait three days after death prior to burial in order to prevent the premature burial of a live person.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
December 5, 2011
This lecture will explore the journey of each of these great rabbinic scholars through their lengthy commentaries on the Tur to their concise codes in the Shulhan Arukh.
May 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the importance of each of these communities and the both the friction and cooperation that existed among the Jews of Berlin during this period.
May 22, 2014
This lecture will explore the goal of the Artscrolll translation of Megillat Esther and anthology and compare it to the earlier English translations.
January 28, 2010
This lecture will analyze the evolution of these blessings from their private recitation in the home to their prime role as the beginning of the daily service.
September 15, 2009
this lecture will focus on whether the posek has to consider changes in behavior or societal change.
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
November 18, 2012
This lecture will explore the interplay between the rabbis and the community regarding deriving profit from non-kosher wine which the rabbis had declared to be forbidden.
November 16, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the interactions of the Jews in a southern Polish town in the first half of the 1600s.
January 21, 2012
This lecture will explore whether the code of Rabbi Joseph Caro was immediately accepted as authoritative among the Jews of the Spanish diaspora.
November 4, 2014
In 1096, the Crusaders entered Jewish cities in Germany and offered the Jews the choice of conversion to Christianity or death.
October 25, 2010
This lecture will study the use of halacha in the Book of Jubilees and explore the importance of this work in the history of halacha.
February 14, 2011
This lecture will study specific examples in the Talmud's interpretation of Esther and parallel sources in Persian and Christian literature.
February 12, 2015
Yom Ha-Shoah was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to be observed every year on the 27th day of Nissan.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
February 13, 2018
In this lecture we will explore the history and evolution of Jewish humor in America.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
January 30, 2018
In this lecture, we will trace three different periods in the history of Holocaust films
May 9, 2011
This lecture will utilize primary sources to present a taste of the Volozyn Yeshiva in its early days and to appreciate the unique approach to Torah study and to yeshiva administration that was introduced by Rabbi Haim of Volozhyn.
October 29, 2010
This lecture will explore the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document and analyze their content.
January 23, 2018
In this lecture, we will explore the ways in which the Nazis tried to influence American movies during the 1930s in order to make sure that they did not portray Nazi Germany in a negative light.
February 10, 2009
This lecture will explore the history of the Jewish attitude towards praying to angels
November 7, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the early days of Hollywood
February 6, 2014
This lecture will explore S.D. Luzzatto's method of exegesis including his willingness to engage scholarly discussion of textual emendations and human involvement in Biblical miracles.
November 3, 2009
This lecture will address the role of the synagogue following the destruction and the introduction of the Amidah during this period.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
October 20, 2009
This lecture will analyze several mishnaic sources and a source from the apocrypha that address this issue.
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
July 18, 2009
In this shiur we will analyze the role of the minority opinion. Can a rabbi rely on this opinion?
November 28, 2017
This lecture will examine four Jewish actors; John Garfield, Groucho Marx, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
November 7, 2007
this lecture, we will explore two instances of this distinction. the rules of the lost object of a non-Jew and the law of a non-Jew's mistake in business.
August 31, 2010
This lecture will explore the commentary of the ibn Ezra on a number of these verses and will examine two super commentaries on the ibn Ezra that attempt to reconcile the ibn Ezra's commentary with the traditional view of Moshe's authorship of the Torah.
January 21, 2012
This lecture will explore whether the code of Rabbi Joseph Caro was immediately accepted as authoritative among the Jews of the Spanish diaspora.
October 25, 2012
This lecture will explore the stablishment of private minyanim in Lemberg, Galicia under the Habsburg rule.
October 24, 2007
This lecture will analyze this issue through the halakhic and sociological evaluation of the question whether an intermarried Jew can be counted toward a minyan.
November 7, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the early days of Hollywood
November 11, 2015
Rambam writes that God created the world creation ex nihilo, from nothing. This lecture will explore whether this view was universally accepted by Greek philosophers and by Jewish thinkers.
February 10, 2009
This lecture will explore the history of the Jewish attitude towards praying to angels
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
November 23, 2010
This lecture will explore this tradition and evaluate why not all views were accepted into the rabbinic discourse.
November 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the ways in which the traditional commentators address this issue.
May 9, 2017
Samuel Bronfman is one of the most successful Jews of the twentieth century.
May 31, 2019
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz discusses the life and accomplishments of Henrietta Szold
February 17, 2010
This lecture will study the ramifications of this dispute through an analysis of the texts of the maariv service and a historical survey whether Jews actually davened maariv.
October 23, 2013
We will explore at least one instance in which Rashbam’s explanation is quoted by Hugh of St. Victor. How does Rashbam’s approach shed light on Rashi’s view of Christian Biblical commentary?
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
November 22, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography of Robert Moses and examines the history of the West Side Highways and the Cross Bronx Expressway. Was Robert Moses a great builder, a destroyer or a little of both?
February 13, 2007
In the early 1930's Rabbi Tobias Geffen, the Orthodox rabbi in Atlanta, received some inquiries from colleagues whether Coca Cola was kosher.
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
November 21, 2011
This lecture will explore the history of the Mishneh Torah and the rabbinic reaction to it.
February 3, 2015
This lecture will present three different rabbinic responses to this challenge; the approach of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the response of the members of the Hildesheimer Seminary inn Berlin and the reaction of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook.
January 21, 2012
This lecture will explore whether the code of Rabbi Joseph Caro was immediately accepted as authoritative among the Jews of the Spanish diaspora.
November 11, 2012
This lecture will explore the beginning of the breakdown of the effectiveness of the herem through the study of two cases in Hamburg in which Jews challenged the authority of the Rabbinic court by presenting their case to the Hamburg Senate.
May 15, 2007
This lecture will explore this decisions and their impact in determining the future of Hungarian Jewry.
May 13, 2011
This lecture will also evaluate other factors that impacted the yeshiva in its final years.
February 18, 2015
Following the Six Day War, there was a rabbinic debate whether it was appropriate the alter the text of Nahem, recited on Tisha Bav...
November 9, 2015
Rambam claims that anyone who believes that God has a human form is a heretic. This lecture will explore the other opinions throughout Jewish history.
February 6, 2018
In this lecture will explore the history of Yiddish films in America and how the evolution of these films reflects the comfort level of American Jews in American culture and society.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore the reasons that Jews were attracted to Shabbetai Zevi and how the Jews dealt with his apostacy and his death.
May 16, 2012
This lecture will explore the challenges and criticisms of the Hesder movement especially within certain segments of the Religious Zionist community.
December 5, 2011
This lecture will explore the journey of each of these great rabbinic scholars through their lengthy commentaries on the Tur to their concise codes in the Shulhan Arukh.
April 27, 2009
This lecture will study the history and the culture of this early American Jewish community.
November 5, 2008
This lecture will examine the story of Sinai and will compare the reading of the chapters in the Book of Shemot as explained through the eyes of the traditional commentaries and through the eyes of the modern Biblical scholars.
May 25, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore Rambam's true understanding of this principle.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
January 21, 2015
In this lecture, we will explore how the rabbinic community responded to the massacres of 1648/49.
February 3, 2009
This lecture will examine the story of Sinai and will compare the reading of the chapters in the Book of Shemot as explained through the eyes of the traditional commentaries and through the eyes of the modern Biblical scholars.
May 11, 2016
Rambam presents the principle of reward and punishment.
February 2, 2016
In this lecture, we will try to understand Rambam's position and to present a position that disagrees with Rambam's description of Moshe.
December 13, 2006
In this class, we will study several examples of Modern Orthodox teshuvot and attempt to both present the methodology of these teshuvot and explain why Modern Orthodoxy has ceded this aspect of the process to others.
November 22, 2016
The story and the role of the Jews in the tale highlights the complicated and important role of the Jews in the history of New York City.
November 8, 2006
This lecture will explore two responsa. one written by Rashi and the other by the Rivash, the leading halakhic authority in Algiers in the fifteenth century who had escaped from Spain in 1391 after being forced to convert to Christianity.
November 11, 2014
This lecture will explore if and how the plague was memorialized by European Jewry through an analysis of relevant ritual and historical material.
February 21, 2010
This lecture will explore the edict passed by the Duke of Mecklenburg in 1772 requiring the Jews to delay burial for three days.
December 29, 2014
Shabbetai Tzvi was the most famous false messiah in Jewish history. He declared himself messiah in the mid-seventeenth century and almost half of world Jewry believed in him. How did his followers​ react when he converted to Islam? The answer tells us much about Shabbatai Tzvi and how Jews react to internal crisis.
October 19, 2010
This lecture will explore the meaning of this tradition.
February 5, 2008
We will explore the evolution of the Kaddish and the different customs that were practiced in specific communities.
January 21, 2015
In this lecture, we will explore how the rabbinic community responded to the massacres of 1648/49.
November 7, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the early days of Hollywood
December 5, 2019
Rabbi Feinstein’s reaction to the Orthodox feminist movement in the 1970s.
October 29, 2010
This lecture will explore the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document and analyze their content.
November 18, 2012
This lecture will explore the interplay between the rabbis and the community regarding deriving profit from non-kosher wine which the rabbis had declared to be forbidden.
February 24, 2010
This lecture will examine the history of the Kabbalists in Safed and it will study the structure and themes of Lecha Dodi.
November 17, 2009
This lecture will study four nineteenth and twentieth century commentators and philosophers and examine how they address the meaning of prayer in an age of rationalism that is often centered on the individual rather than God.
February 13, 2007
In the early 1930's Rabbi Tobias Geffen, the Orthodox rabbi in Atlanta, received some inquiries from colleagues whether Coca Cola was kosher.
February 9, 2016
Rambam writes that anyone who rejects the belief that God dictated the entire Torah including the Oral Torah to Moshe is a heretic. How can we explain this extreme position of Rambam?
November 11, 2013
In this lecture we will compare Rashi's commentary on Chumash with his commentary on Tehillim.
February 13, 2007
In the early 1930's Rabbi Tobias Geffen, the Orthodox rabbi in Atlanta, received some inquiries from colleagues whether Coca Cola was kosher.
May 27, 2011
This lecture will focus on the biography of Rabbi Aharon Kotler, the rosh yeshiva in Kletzk, Lithuania who escaped to the United States in 1941 and established the yeshiva in Lakewood, NJ.
February 3, 2010
This lecture will explore the relationship between the Shema and its accompanying blessings.
May 26, 2008
This lecture will explore the Jewish community in London at the beginning of the twentieth century.
February 15, 2012
This lecture will explore the approaches of Arukh Ha-Shulhan and Mishneh Brurah to halakhic codification during this period.
June 3, 2008
This lecture will explore this history with a focus on the rabbinic tradition that developed in Aleppo during this period.
May 12, 2014
This lecture will explore the history of the JPS translations and the importance of the translations in the history of American Jewish culture.
November 13, 2011
This lecture will explore the transition from the Gaonic tradition of the Moslem period to the rabbinic tradition of the Ramban in Christian Spain.
September 15, 2009
this lecture will focus on whether the posek has to consider changes in behavior or societal change.
October 15, 2013
In this lecture we will explore three examples of Rashi's commentary on the book of Breishit
October 25, 2010
This lecture will study the use of halacha in the Book of Jubilees and explore the importance of this work in the history of halacha.
January 21, 2015
In this lecture, we will explore how the rabbinic community responded to the massacres of 1648/49.
December 29, 2014
Shabbetai Tzvi was the most famous false messiah in Jewish history. He declared himself messiah in the mid-seventeenth century and almost half of world Jewry believed in him. How did his followers​ react when he converted to Islam? The answer tells us much about Shabbatai Tzvi and how Jews react to internal crisis.
November 15, 2010
This lecture will explore three halakhic disputes between the Sadducees and the Pharisees and analyze these disputes from a socio-religious context and in terms of their importance in the development of Jewish law.
April 9, 2017
Please enjoy the drasha and I join Sharon in wishing you and your families a chag kasher ve-sameach.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore how the Jews responded to this crisis and how both the Reform and Orthodox movements redefined their views of the personal messiah.
January 25, 2011
This lecture will provide the background for the Jewish experience in Persia which began during the Babylonian exile following the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
November 15, 2006
In this class, we will study and evaluate Rabbi Schicks' teshuvot on this topic and analyze his seemingly contradictory views on this subject.
May 1, 2007
This lecture focuses on the role of the Vilna Gaon in the shaping of the religious personality of Lithuanian Jewry in the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
August 31, 2010
This lecture will explore the commentary of the ibn Ezra on a number of these verses and will examine two super commentaries on the ibn Ezra that attempt to reconcile the ibn Ezra's commentary with the traditional view of Moshe's authorship of the Torah.
July 18, 2009
In this shiur we will analyze the role of the minority opinion. Can a rabbi rely on this opinion?
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
November 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the ways in which the traditional commentators address this issue.
October 25, 2006
This lecture will address the history of codification and its importance in the history of Jewish law.
November 16, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the interactions of the Jews in a southern Polish town in the first half of the 1600s.
November 22, 2016
The story and the role of the Jews in the tale highlights the complicated and important role of the Jews in the history of New York City.
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
March 3, 2009
This lecture will explore the various views of Jewish scholars concerning the exact nature of this phenomenon.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore the history of messianic speculation and the opposition to this movement and explain the rationale for each approach.
February 17, 2014
Malbim was born in Poland and served as a rabbi in several communities prior to being selected as the rabbi of Bucharest in 1858. In Bucharest, he met with resistance...
October 19, 2010
This lecture will explore the meaning of this tradition.
October 23, 2013
We will explore at least one instance in which Rashbam’s explanation is quoted by Hugh of St. Victor. How does Rashbam’s approach shed light on Rashi’s view of Christian Biblical commentary?
May 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the importance of each of these communities and the both the friction and cooperation that existed among the Jews of Berlin during this period.
January 31, 2012
This lecture will explore the process by which the Rema's commentary on the Shulhan Arukh was accepted throughout Poland.
February 27, 2007
The age of technology has introduced new and innovative ways to spread all types of information including halakhah.
March 23, 2013
The moment of eating the matzah and marror is one of the great highlights of the Jewish calendar.
January 23, 2018
In this lecture, we will explore the ways in which the Nazis tried to influence American movies during the 1930s in order to make sure that they did not portray Nazi Germany in a negative light.
May 28, 2014
This lecture will explore the unique aspects of this translation and compare it wit the Orthodox Artscroll translation. Is this Etz Hayim translation really revolutionary or controversial within the traditional community?
December 5, 2006
In this class, we will explore the methodology of these teshuvot and study three examples.
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will examine the origins of this belief and how it developed since 1948 as well as the religious opposition to this idea.
February 18, 2008
The Kol Nidrei service begins with a declaration permitting the "sinners" to participate in the Yom Kippur service.
May 16, 2017
In this lecture, we will explore the place of Arnold Rothstein in American History and in the History of Jews in America.
January 30, 2018
In this lecture, we will trace three different periods in the history of Holocaust films
November 10, 2009
This lecture will study the history of the Reform innovations in the Siddur and compare the modern day Conservative and Reform siddurim with a brief reference to the new Modern Orthodox Koren Siddur.
February 3, 2013
This lecture will explore the origins of this philosophy and the reactions to his activity. How was this debate a reaction to the challenges of modernity during this period?
February 27, 2012
This lecture will explore the fascinating biography of Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz from his early life in Lithuania through his years as the rabbinic authority in Bnei Brak, Israel.
January 27, 2013
This lecture will explore the establishment of private Jewish schools for girls in Vilna and St. Petersburg in the 1800s.
November 21, 2011
This lecture will explore the history of the Mishneh Torah and the rabbinic reaction to it.
February 13, 2007
In the early 1930's Rabbi Tobias Geffen, the Orthodox rabbi in Atlanta, received some inquiries from colleagues whether Coca Cola was kosher.
January 21, 2015
In this lecture, we will explore how the rabbinic community responded to the massacres of 1648/49.
September 15, 2009
this lecture will focus on whether the posek has to consider changes in behavior or societal change.
May 19, 2008
This lecture will explore the issue of these conflicting allegiances and their implication for the history of the Jews in Modern Europe.
July 29, 2010
This lecture will explore four explanations for the relationship between the rabbinic interpolation of the Biblical texts and their literal meaning.
May 16, 2012
This lecture will explore the challenges and criticisms of the Hesder movement especially within certain segments of the Religious Zionist community.
February 3, 2010
This lecture will explore the relationship between the Shema and its accompanying blessings.
May 11, 2016
Rambam presents the principle of reward and punishment.
February 17, 2014
Malbim was born in Poland and served as a rabbi in several communities prior to being selected as the rabbi of Bucharest in 1858. In Bucharest, he met with resistance...
October 29, 2010
This lecture will explore the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document and analyze their content.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
January 21, 2012
This lecture will explore whether the code of Rabbi Joseph Caro was immediately accepted as authoritative among the Jews of the Spanish diaspora.
November 26, 2012
In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg issued an edict requiring the Jews to wait three days after death prior to burial in order to prevent the premature burial of a live person.
November 15, 2006
In this class, we will study and evaluate Rabbi Schicks' teshuvot on this topic and analyze his seemingly contradictory views on this subject.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
October 25, 2012
This lecture will explore the stablishment of private minyanim in Lemberg, Galicia under the Habsburg rule.
December 5, 2011
This lecture will explore the journey of each of these great rabbinic scholars through their lengthy commentaries on the Tur to their concise codes in the Shulhan Arukh.
January 28, 2010
This lecture will analyze the evolution of these blessings from their private recitation in the home to their prime role as the beginning of the daily service.
May 28, 2014
This lecture will explore the unique aspects of this translation and compare it wit the Orthodox Artscroll translation. Is this Etz Hayim translation really revolutionary or controversial within the traditional community?
May 18, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the history of the idea of the Messiah and how it has been understood in the modern age.
May 6, 2015
The role of secular studies became a contentious issue and the resolution of this issue lies at the heart of the creation of Yeshiva College and then Yeshiva University.​
November 3, 2009
This lecture will address the role of the synagogue following the destruction and the introduction of the Amidah during this period.
October 31, 2007
This lecture will explore both the halakhic and moral background of this issue and attempt to explain the relationship between halakhah and morality in this instance.
February 3, 2015
This lecture will present three different rabbinic responses to this challenge; the approach of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the response of the members of the Hildesheimer Seminary inn Berlin and the reaction of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook.
November 21, 2018
I had the honor to interview Saul Zabar. This interview was the topic of my lecture on “The Zabars.
October 15, 2013
In this lecture we will explore three examples of Rashi's commentary on the book of Breishit
January 7, 2016
In this lecture, we will examine a talmudic text that describes a prayer to angels that was recited upon entering the bathroom.
May 2, 2012
This lecture will survey the history of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
February 17, 2009
This lecture will focus on analyzing the Rambam's novel and potentially problematic interpretation of this principle of faith through the study of selections from his Commentary on the Mishnah, Moreh Nebuchim and Mishneh Torah.
November 22, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography of Robert Moses and examines the history of the West Side Highways and the Cross Bronx Expressway. Was Robert Moses a great builder, a destroyer or a little of both?
November 21, 2018
I had the honor to interview Saul Zabar. This interview was the topic of my lecture on “The Zabars.
November 23, 2010
This lecture will explore this tradition and evaluate why not all views were accepted into the rabbinic discourse.
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
November 28, 2017
This lecture will examine four Jewish actors; John Garfield, Groucho Marx, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
May 2, 2012
This lecture will survey the history of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
February 26, 2014
This lecture will attempt to explain the complex set of factors that led Hoffmann to his understanding of the origins of both Biblical and talmudic law.
February 24, 2009
this lecture, we will explore the three places in which the Rambam discusses the messiah. in his Commentary on the Mishna, the Mishneh Torah and the Epistle to Yemen.
December 5, 2019
In this lecture, we will study two responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
January 7, 2016
In this lecture, we will examine a talmudic text that describes a prayer to angels that was recited upon entering the bathroom.
July 4, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of the earliest rules of decision making and the extra-halakhic considerations that help to determine the halakhah.
May 31, 2019
In this lecture,Rabbi Mintz presents the remarkable history of the Satmar Rav.
November 23, 2010
This lecture will explore this tradition and evaluate why not all views were accepted into the rabbinic discourse.
November 14, 2017
This lecture will explore the World War II era in Hollywood through a study of the four films
November 9, 2015
Rambam claims that anyone who believes that God has a human form is a heretic. This lecture will explore the other opinions throughout Jewish history.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
February 6, 2014
This lecture will explore S.D. Luzzatto's method of exegesis including his willingness to engage scholarly discussion of textual emendations and human involvement in Biblical miracles.
November 4, 2014
In 1096, the Crusaders entered Jewish cities in Germany and offered the Jews the choice of conversion to Christianity or death.
January 26, 2016
In this lecture, we will trace the history of the concept of prophecy. Who is worthy to prophecy? What is the prophetic experience?
May 14, 2005
The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism.
March 29, 2015
It gives me great pleasure to once again share with you my Shabbat Ha-Gadol drasha that was delivered at Kehilat Rayim Ahuvim.
November 11, 2015
Rambam writes that God created the world creation ex nihilo, from nothing. This lecture will explore whether this view was universally accepted by Greek philosophers and by Jewish thinkers.
April 22, 2013
The lecture will examine the narrative elements of each story and the characters described in each one as a model for the possible responses to the an oppressive ruling authority.
February 13, 2018
In this lecture we will explore the history and evolution of Jewish humor in America.
November 13, 2011
This lecture will explore the transition from the Gaonic tradition of the Moslem period to the rabbinic tradition of the Ramban in Christian Spain.
April 24, 2007
This lecture will explore the history of the Jews of Galicia and how the historical study of these communities has changed in recent years.
October 23, 2013
We will explore at least one instance in which Rashbam’s explanation is quoted by Hugh of St. Victor. How does Rashbam’s approach shed light on Rashi’s view of Christian Biblical commentary?
May 18, 2016
In this lecture, we will explore the history of the idea of the Messiah and how it has been understood in the modern age.
February 15, 2012
This lecture will explore the approaches of Arukh Ha-Shulhan and Mishneh Brurah to halakhic codification during this period.
May 18, 2009
This lecture will explore the development of both the Eastern European and Syrian communities in Brooklyn.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
February 20, 2007
In this class we will study three teshuvot by Rabbi Henkin
January 29, 2014
In this lecture we will examine his sermons and try to decipher a pattern to his use of the Biblical texts and the message that he was trying to impart to the community.
January 30, 2007
Louis Ginzberg came to the United States in 1902 and spent 51 years at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as a leading talmudic.
July 25, 2009
This lecture will explore the authority of an individual's posek and the posek of the community.
December 5, 2012
The Responsa volume Besamim Rosh was published in 1793 by Rabbi Saul Berlin, a respected rabbinic scholar, and claimed to contain responsa...
November 7, 2007
this lecture, we will explore two instances of this distinction. the rules of the lost object of a non-Jew and the law of a non-Jew's mistake in business.
May 6, 2015
The role of secular studies became a contentious issue and the resolution of this issue lies at the heart of the creation of Yeshiva College and then Yeshiva University.​
February 9, 2016
Rambam writes that anyone who rejects the belief that God dictated the entire Torah including the Oral Torah to Moshe is a heretic. How can we explain this extreme position of Rambam?
February 10, 2010
this lecture, we will try to make sense of the shemoneh esreh.
November 7, 2011
This lecture will explore the transmission of Jewish learning and halakhah in Franco-Germany in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries.
May 2, 2012
This lecture will survey the history of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
November 19, 2014
This lecture will explore the reasons for the Expulsion given by the Jews in the generation following the Expulsion.
July 18, 2009
In this shiur we will analyze the role of the minority opinion. Can a rabbi rely on this opinion?
May 13, 2011
This lecture will also evaluate other factors that impacted the yeshiva in its final years.
January 23, 2018
In this lecture, we will explore the ways in which the Nazis tried to influence American movies during the 1930s in order to make sure that they did not portray Nazi Germany in a negative light.
February 18, 2016
This lecture will explore different midrashic traditions that claim that laws in the Torah will be null and void in the time to come, either the Messianic period or the era of the Resurrection.
July 29, 2010
This lecture will explore four explanations for the relationship between the rabbinic interpolation of the Biblical texts and their literal meaning.
February 6, 2018
In this lecture will explore the history of Yiddish films in America and how the evolution of these films reflects the comfort level of American Jews in American culture and society.
November 15, 2006
In this class, we will study and evaluate Rabbi Schicks' teshuvot on this topic and analyze his seemingly contradictory views on this subject.
November 22, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography of Robert Moses and examines the history of the West Side Highways and the Cross Bronx Expressway. Was Robert Moses a great builder, a destroyer or a little of both?
November 29, 2011
When Rabbenu Asher, the leading rabbinic authority left Germany for Toledo in 1302, it brought an end to the creative rabbinic tradition in Germany.
May 19, 2011
The Slobodka Yeshiva was founded by Rabbi Nosson Zvi Finkel in 1882 in a suburb of Kovno.
May 14, 2005
The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism.
May 9, 2017
Samuel Bronfman is one of the most successful Jews of the twentieth century.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
February 9, 2016
Rambam writes that anyone who rejects the belief that God dictated the entire Torah including the Oral Torah to Moshe is a heretic. How can we explain this extreme position of Rambam?
February 3, 2013
This lecture will explore the origins of this philosophy and the reactions to his activity. How was this debate a reaction to the challenges of modernity during this period?
October 25, 2010
This lecture will study the use of halacha in the Book of Jubilees and explore the importance of this work in the history of halacha.
February 15, 2012
This lecture will explore the approaches of Arukh Ha-Shulhan and Mishneh Brurah to halakhic codification during this period.
August 22, 2010
This lecture will examine the evolution of the history of the Torah text beginning with the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
April 14, 2010
This lecture will explore the origins of the Hasidic movement and the role of the Baal Shem Tov.
February 11, 2014
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, there were both German and Jewish scholars who began to claim that the second half of the Book of Isaiah...
May 14, 2005
The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism.
February 27, 2012
This lecture will explore the fascinating biography of Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz from his early life in Lithuania through his years as the rabbinic authority in Bnei Brak, Israel.
February 24, 2009
this lecture, we will explore the three places in which the Rambam discusses the messiah. in his Commentary on the Mishna, the Mishneh Torah and the Epistle to Yemen.
October 29, 2010
This lecture will explore the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document and analyze their content.
November 26, 2012
In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg issued an edict requiring the Jews to wait three days after death prior to burial in order to prevent the premature burial of a live person.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
April 23, 2013
This lecture will examine each of these versions in an effort to determine the structure and meaning of this story.
May 11, 2016
Rambam presents the principle of reward and punishment.
February 3, 2015
This lecture will present three different rabbinic responses to this challenge; the approach of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the response of the members of the Hildesheimer Seminary inn Berlin and the reaction of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
February 5, 2008
We will explore the evolution of the Kaddish and the different customs that were practiced in specific communities.
October 30, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography and impact of Rabbi Leo Jung, rabbi of The Jewish Center from 1922-1987.
December 5, 2019
Rabbi Feinstein’s reaction to the Orthodox feminist movement in the 1970s.
May 9, 2012
This lecture will explain several aspects of this yeshiva including the proposal to merge Mercaz with the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
November 7, 2007
this lecture, we will explore two instances of this distinction. the rules of the lost object of a non-Jew and the law of a non-Jew's mistake in business.
February 6, 2007
Solomon Freehof created the genre or responsa literature within the Reform movement.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
December 29, 2014
Shabbetai Tzvi was the most famous false messiah in Jewish history. He declared himself messiah in the mid-seventeenth century and almost half of world Jewry believed in him. How did his followers​ react when he converted to Islam? The answer tells us much about Shabbatai Tzvi and how Jews react to internal crisis.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
February 12, 2015
Yom Ha-Shoah was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to be observed every year on the 27th day of Nissan.
Yom Ha-Shoah was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to be observed every year on the 27th day of Nissan.
February 17, 2014
Malbim was born in Poland and served as a rabbi in several communities prior to being selected as the rabbi of Bucharest in 1858. In Bucharest, he met with resistance...
March 1, 2011
This lecture will explore this tradition.
November 19, 2014
This lecture will explore the reasons for the Expulsion given by the Jews in the generation following the Expulsion.
October 28, 2014
This lecture will lay the foundation for the analysis of how Jewish thinkers addressed Jewish crisis and tragedy throughout the centuries.
May 2, 2012
This lecture will survey the history of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
October 30, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography and impact of Rabbi Leo Jung, rabbi of The Jewish Center from 1922-1987.
November 3, 2009
This lecture will address the role of the synagogue following the destruction and the introduction of the Amidah during this period.
December 9, 2017
In this lecture, we will look at several films with scenes of Jewish themes.
November 23, 2010
This lecture will explore this tradition and evaluate why not all views were accepted into the rabbinic discourse.
November 11, 2014
This lecture will explore if and how the plague was memorialized by European Jewry through an analysis of relevant ritual and historical material.
December 5, 2019
Rabbi Feinstein’s reaction to the Orthodox feminist movement in the 1970s.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore how the Jews responded to this crisis and how both the Reform and Orthodox movements redefined their views of the personal messiah.
January 30, 2018
In this lecture, we will trace three different periods in the history of Holocaust films
November 23, 2010
This lecture will explore this tradition and evaluate why not all views were accepted into the rabbinic discourse.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
November 11, 2015
Rambam writes that God created the world creation ex nihilo, from nothing. This lecture will explore whether this view was universally accepted by Greek philosophers and by Jewish thinkers.
February 3, 2009
This lecture will examine the story of Sinai and will compare the reading of the chapters in the Book of Shemot as explained through the eyes of the traditional commentaries and through the eyes of the modern Biblical scholars.
February 26, 2014
This lecture will attempt to explain the complex set of factors that led Hoffmann to his understanding of the origins of both Biblical and talmudic law.
May 9, 2011
This lecture will utilize primary sources to present a taste of the Volozyn Yeshiva in its early days and to appreciate the unique approach to Torah study and to yeshiva administration that was introduced by Rabbi Haim of Volozhyn.
November 11, 2012
This lecture will explore the beginning of the breakdown of the effectiveness of the herem through the study of two cases in Hamburg in which Jews challenged the authority of the Rabbinic court by presenting their case to the Hamburg Senate.
February 21, 2010
This lecture will explore the edict passed by the Duke of Mecklenburg in 1772 requiring the Jews to delay burial for three days.
October 27, 2009
This lecture will examine several sources that describe synagogues in Israel and in the diaspora and analyze the role of these synagogues in the Jewish world of the time.
February 26, 2014
This lecture will attempt to explain the complex set of factors that led Hoffmann to his understanding of the origins of both Biblical and talmudic law.
February 6, 2018
In this lecture will explore the history of Yiddish films in America and how the evolution of these films reflects the comfort level of American Jews in American culture and society.
August 15, 2009
This shiur will explore the sources on this topic which present a surprisingly expansive view of the rights of the posek in determining halakhis decisions
February 27, 2007
The age of technology has introduced new and innovative ways to spread all types of information including halakhah.
November 14, 2007
This lecture will explore the evolution of these laws and their application in modern times where assimilation and intermarriage remain a serious concern.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
November 9, 2015
Rambam claims that anyone who believes that God has a human form is a heretic. This lecture will explore the other opinions throughout Jewish history.
January 31, 2012
This lecture will explore the process by which the Rema's commentary on the Shulhan Arukh was accepted throughout Poland.
November 7, 2011
This lecture will explore the transmission of Jewish learning and halakhah in Franco-Germany in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries.
November 5, 2008
This lecture will examine the story of Sinai and will compare the reading of the chapters in the Book of Shemot as explained through the eyes of the traditional commentaries and through the eyes of the modern Biblical scholars.
February 10, 2009
This lecture will explore the history of the Jewish attitude towards praying to angels
November 4, 2014
In 1096, the Crusaders entered Jewish cities in Germany and offered the Jews the choice of conversion to Christianity or death.
May 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the importance of each of these communities and the both the friction and cooperation that existed among the Jews of Berlin during this period.
February 17, 2010
This lecture will study the ramifications of this dispute through an analysis of the texts of the maariv service and a historical survey whether Jews actually davened maariv.
October 27, 2015
This lecture will explore the history of Jewish approaches to Christianity. According to Rambam, God is One. Does Christianity violate this principle?
November 26, 2012
In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg issued an edict requiring the Jews to wait three days after death prior to burial in order to prevent the premature burial of a live person.
May 1, 2007
This lecture focuses on the role of the Vilna Gaon in the shaping of the religious personality of Lithuanian Jewry in the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century.
April 12, 2011
The Function of Dayenu in the Haggadah.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
November 1, 2006
This class will analyze and compare the treatment of the Laws of Visiting the Sick as they are described in the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch.
April 28, 2015
JTS was founded in 1886 as a reaction to the Pittsburgh Platform of the Reform movement. The Seminary struggled in its early years to distinguish itself from both HUC and the Lower East Side Orthodox Jews.
November 5, 2013
In this lecture, we will study Ramban's view on Midrash as reflected in his remarks at the Disputation of 1263 and in his Commentary on the Chumash.
February 12, 2015
Yom Ha-Shoah was established by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to be observed every year on the 27th day of Nissan.
November 29, 2006
this class, we will study and analyze three teshuvot of Rav Feinstein.
May 5, 2009
Cincinnati was one of the most important American cities in the second half of the nineteenth century
September 8, 2013
The title of the drasha was "White as Snow: Why is White the Color of Yom Kippur?" I hope you will enjoy the shiur and that it will provide some insight as we prepare for Yom Kippur.
October 30, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz explores the biography and impact of Rabbi Leo Jung, rabbi of The Jewish Center from 1922-1987.
January 30, 2007
Louis Ginzberg came to the United States in 1902 and spent 51 years at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as a leading talmudic.
March 23, 2013
The moment of eating the matzah and marror is one of the great highlights of the Jewish calendar.
January 30, 2018
In this lecture, we will trace three different periods in the history of Holocaust films
February 10, 2009
This lecture will explore the history of the Jewish attitude towards praying to angels
May 26, 2008
This lecture will explore the Jewish community in London at the beginning of the twentieth century.
May 31, 2019
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz discusses the life and accomplishments of Henrietta Szold
November 6, 2018
In this lecture, Rabbi Mintz discusses the biography of Leonard Bernstein, the role of Judaism in his life and the connection of West Side Story to the history of Hell’s Kitchen and the Upper West Side.
November 12, 2008
This lecture will explore the ways in which the traditional commentators address this issue.
October 29, 2010
This lecture will explore the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document and analyze their content.
November 17, 2009
This lecture will study four nineteenth and twentieth century commentators and philosophers and examine how they address the meaning of prayer in an age of rationalism that is often centered on the individual rather than God.
December 29, 2014
Shabbetai Tzvi was the most famous false messiah in Jewish history. He declared himself messiah in the mid-seventeenth century and almost half of world Jewry believed in him. How did his followers​ react when he converted to Islam? The answer tells us much about Shabbatai Tzvi and how Jews react to internal crisis.
May 14, 2005
This lecture will explore the reasons that Jews were attracted to Shabbetai Zevi and how the Jews dealt with his apostacy and his death.
February 3, 2009
This lecture will examine the story of Sinai and will compare the reading of the chapters in the Book of Shemot as explained through the eyes of the traditional commentaries and through the eyes of the modern Biblical scholars.