Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Rebbe Nachman on Joy and Suffering" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THE LECTURE: We all encounter suffering — our own and that of loved ones, colleagues, and strangers. We want to support people and find meaning, both in moments of great joy and deep suffering. We will explore seminal writings of the great spiritual master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), in which he offers frameworks for spiritual understanding and practical advice for dealing with the extremes of the human condition. Self-transcendence, prayer, friendship, and faith are some of the themes we will encounter as we study the work of this increasingly relevant personality. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2HTdixH For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Elias Sacks, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder presents his lecture, "Does Christianity Matter for Judaism — and Vice Versa?" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: What can Christians learn from Judaism, and what can Jews learn from Christianity? What do we have to gain from inter-religious dialogue, and what challenges can such conversations pose? To what extent does a commitment to Judaism or Christianity benefit from – or even require – an engagement with the other tradition, and what sorts of risks might arise from these encounters? We will explore diverse answers to these questions, wrestling with sources from the New Testament to works of post-Holocaust theology. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2HGEJKP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Elias Sacks, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder presents his lecture, "Can Jews Be Citizens? Jewish Politics from the Enlightenment to Today" for the Jewish Community Foundation (www.jcfphoenix.org/) ABOUT THIS LECTURE: What should modern Jewish politics look like? To what extent should Jews seek to promote the well-being of the diverse societies they inhabit, and to what extent should Jews devote their attention to securing Jewish communal survival? Can an engagement with Jewish texts and practices form individuals into engaged citizens, and what role should Judaism play in times of civic disruption and discord? We will explore diverse answers to these questions, beginning with visions of Jewish political involvement championed by two leading figures in the Jewish Enlightenment — Moses Mendelssohn, the founder of modern Jewish thought, and Nachman Krochmal, Eastern Europe’s most important Jewish philosopher — and considering the relevance of these visions in light of events such as the election of Donald Trump. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS 1: https://bit.ly/2GaRCKE LEARNING MATERIALS 2: https://bit.ly/2HDWwSX For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Jewish-Community…60791413/?ref=ts twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California (https://www.vbs.org/worship/meet-our-clergy/rabbi-ed-feinstein), presents the 2019 Hammerman Family Lecture, "The Search for the Sacred: The Jewish Debate with Modernity" before an audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2FUZn8n For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/OrTzionAZ/ https://www.facebook.com/ValleyBethShalom twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Barry Scott Wimpfheimer, associate professor of religion and law at Northwestern University, presents his lecture "The Talmud: A Biography" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The Babylonian Talmud, a postbiblical Jewish text that is part scripture and part commentary, is an unlikely bestseller. Written in a hybrid of Hebrew and Aramaic, it is often ambiguous to the point of incomprehension, and its subject matter reflects a narrow scholasticism that should hardly have broad appeal. Yet the Talmud has remained in print for centuries and is more popular today than ever. Barry Scott Wimpfheimer tells the remarkable story of this ancient Jewish book and explains why it has endured for almost two millennia. Providing a concise biography of this quintessential work of rabbinic Judaism, Wimpfheimer takes readers from the Talmud’s prehistory in biblical and second-temple Judaism to its present-day use as a source of religious ideology, a model of different modes of rationality, and a totem of cultural identity. He describes the book’s origins and structure, its centrality to Jewish law, its mixed reception history, and its golden renaissance in modernity. He explains why reading the Talmud can feel like being swept up in a river or lost in a maze, and why the Talmud has come to be venerated–but also excoriated and maligned—in the centuries since it first appeared. An incomparable introduction to a work of literature that has lived a full and varied life, this accessible book shows why the Talmud is at once a received source of traditional teachings, a touchstone of cultural authority, and a powerful symbol of Jewishness for both supporters and critics. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2B1ZQBr For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Barry Scott Wimpfheimer, associate professor of religion and law at Northwestern University, presents his lecture "Charity in the Talmud: Religious Feelings and Macroeconomics" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The Talmud expresses its values and commitments through law and legal institutions. But legal rules and bureaucracy sometimes develop into static entities that stifle individual ethical imperatives. This lecture will discuss a talmudic passage about charity that tries to juggle these commitments. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2Ud4fJ6 For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., founding rabbi of Congregation Nevei Kodesh in Boulder, Colorado (www.neveikodesh.org/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Lighting the Way in a Dark World: The Tzaddik & The Bodhisattva" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THE LECTURE: We will compare texts and practices of two ancient traditions—Judaism and Tibetan Buddhism—through the most esteemed personification of each path. In Judaism, it is the Tzaddik (righteous person) upon whom the entire world depends. And in Tibetan Buddhism, it is the Bodhisattva (one who willingly gives up their own wellbeing for the sake of others.) Studying these wise, incisive teachings brings to light surprising similarities, and illuminates the path for all modern spiritual seekers. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2RUOxoD For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., founding rabbi of Congregation Nevei Kodesh in Boulder, Colorado (https://www.neveikodesh.org/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "She Who Dwells Within: Shechinah, the Feminine Face of Gd in Torah, Mysticism, and Our World" before an audience at Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley (bethemethaz.org/) in Sun City West, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Join us for a sumptuous study of the divine feminine as she appears in the Jewish tradition from ancient times to today. We will attempt to understand her through Hebrew texts, images of beauty and suffering, and as she emerges on the world stage in our own day. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2U9JuxM For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ facebook.com/BethEmethofWValleyAZ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Manny Waks (http://www.mannywaks.com/) presents his lecture "Who Gave You Permission? The Memoir of a Child Sexual-Abuse Survivor Who Fought Back" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THE LECTURE: Manny Waks was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, the second oldest of 17 children. As an adolescent he was sexually abused at the religious school across the road from where he lived. Betrayed by those he trusted, Manny rebelled against his way of life, though he later went on to become a prominent Jewish community leader. In mid-2011 Manny went public about his experiences to bring justice to the abusers, and those who covered up their crimes. For his courage in speaking out, Manny and his family were intimidated and shunned by their community. Although he has been forced to leave Australia, Manny continues to advocate for survivors and hold those in power to account. This is the story of a man who shattered a powerful code of silence, the battles he has fought, the vindication he has earned, and the extraordinary toll it has taken on his personal life and that of his loved ones. It is also the raw self-portrait of a man on a mission, trying to live his life. Manny’s journey reminds us of the difference one man can make, and the price he has to pay. Learn more about Manny's work at: http://www.kolvoz.org/ DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/MannyWaksPublic www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Ira F. Stone, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel (www.phillymussar.org/stone.html)presents his lecture "The Greatest Jewish Philosopher That Nobody’s Heard Of: A Meeting with Emmanuel Levinas," before a roundtable audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Although widely known in the world of contemporary secular philosophy, the work of the French-Jewish philosopher, Emanuel Levinas, is hardly known at all in the Jewish world. His work has made little or no impact on contemporary Jewish discourse. Yet, his work is deeply grounded in Jewish texts and thought and, more importantly, offers a powerful way of approaching Jewish life in the post Shoa world. I will try to introduce his life and work and discuss why it is so important for our time. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/OrTzionAZ/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Ira F. Stone, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel (http://www.phillymussar.org/stone.html)presents his lecture "Messillat Yesharim Reading Classical Texts with a Contemporary Philosophic Lens," before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The most difficult task in reading classical texts is that of translation. Not from one language to another, but from one cultural context to another. Literal readings tend to miss the nuance and metaphor that one generation takes for granted, but becomes frozen over time. I will try to demonstrate how using a contemporary philosophic lens to read one particular classical text opens it up for contemporary understanding and serves as a model for reading such texts generally. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. David Z. Moster, Director of the Institute of Biblical Culture(http://www.BiblicalCulture.org) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Etrog: How a Chinese Fruit Became a Jewish Symbol" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Every year before the holiday of Sukkot, Jews all around the world purchase an etrog—a lemon-like fruit—to participate in the holiday ritual. In this book, David Z. Moster tracks the etrog from its evolutionary home in Yunnan, China, to the lands of India, Iran, and finally Israel, where it became integral to the Jewish celebration of Sukkot during the Second Temple period. Moster explains what Sukkot was like before and after the arrival of the etrog, and why the etrog’s identification as the “choice tree fruit” of Leviticus 23:40 was by no means predetermined. He also demonstrates that once the fruit became associated with the holiday of Sukkot, it began to appear everywhere in Jewish art during the Roman and Byzantine periods, and eventually became a symbol for all the fruits of the land, and perhaps even the Jewish people as a whole. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 https://www.facebook.com/BiblicalCulture/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Samuel Fleischacker, the LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois-Chicago, presents his lecture "Existentialist Messianism" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Maimonides says in his Commentary on the Mishnah and his Mishneh Torah that Moses wrote every word of the Torah at the dictation of God. But Maimonides also says that God can’t talk, and that anyone who thinks God can talk is an idolater. So what exactly does Maimonides mean by describing Moses as a scribe who wrote down God’s words? This talk will try to explain that, in the context of other things Maimonides says, and argue that, properly understood, Maimonides’ view of the composition of the Torah does not rule out what today is called “the documentary hypothesis”: the idea that a variety of people wrote the Torah rather than Moses. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2QDclZg For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Samuel Fleischacker, the LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois-Chicago, presents his lecture "Existentialist Messianism" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Martin Buber ended a 1909 lecture he gave in Prague with a parable suggesting that each of us is responsible for bringing the Messiah. Some years later, Franz Kafka – who may have been in Buber’s audience – wrote a famous story that echoes Buber’s parable in striking ways. A little later, Walter Benjamin wrote what looks like a riff on it. We’ll look at all three texts, plus the Talmudic passage on which Buber was drawing, and consider whether they give us a modern, existentialist way of making sense of Messianism. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2VCdqEm For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Ilana Kaufman, Director of Jews of Color Field Building Initiative, presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture " A Community of ‘Others’: Jews, Peoplehood, and Justice" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Together we will explore the multi-layered complexities of social identities and what it means for Jewish communities to be inclusive, exclusive, and expansive. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: bit.ly/2PUntRZ For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Ilana Kaufman, Director of Jews of Color Field Building Initiative presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture " Jewish Identity and Justice" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Rooted in the week’s Parsha, we will explore the text through lenses of Jewish Identity, Community and Justice. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Paul Mendes-Flohr, Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is currently the Dorothy Grant Mclear Professor of Jewish Intellectual History at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, presents his lecture "Martin Buber’s Philosophy of Dialogue" before a roundtable audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Best known for his poetic meditation of dialogue, I and Thou, Martin Buber (1878-1965) promoted a conception of Jewish religious spirituality that is to be expressed primarily in the so-called secular sphere of everyday life, of our interpersonal and inter-communal relations. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/OrTzionAZ/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Paul Mendes-Flohr, Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is currently the Dorothy Grant Mclear Professor of Jewish Intellectual History at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, presents his lecture "Franz Rosenzweig: Herald of a Jewish Renaissance" for the Jewish Community Foundation (www.jcfphoenix.org/) ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: From the midst of assimilation and even thoughts of converting to Christianity, Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) affirmed Jewish religious practice and Torah-study as addressing an individual’s most urgent existential questions DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Jewish-Community…60791413/?ref=ts twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Noam Weisbrod, the director of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, presents his lecture "Water and Food Security in Israel and Beyond: Can We Do Better?" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The world, stimulated by population growth, climate instability, desertification, and rising lifestyles, is facing severe water and food security problems that are getting worse every year. Facing these issues from its inception, Israel – as a young country constructed on drylands – has been forced to become creative and dynamic in finding ecologically smart solutions. Today scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, located in the southern desert of Israel, are developing technologies that are game-changers – able to enrich desert farming, harness solar energy, recycle water, and much more. This talk will explore how Israel has become a trailblazer in the field and propose solutions that can impact not just Israel, but the world. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP Learn more about Ben-Gurion University of the Negev HERE: http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Pages/default.aspx For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai https://www.facebook.com/BenGurionUniversity twitter.com/VBMTorah https://twitter.com/bengurionu www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Howard M. Markose, a teacher of Bible and Biblical Hebrew Grammar at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem (www.pardes.org.il/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "JThe Leadership of Aaron and Moses – A Look at Differing Styles" before an audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The Jewish tradition feels really good about both Aaron and Moses as examples of great human beings. Aaron is called ‘Pursuer of Peace, Lover of all Creatures’ while Moses is known as ‘Moshe Rabbeinu’ – our rabbi Moses, with all of the positive implications that come with calling someone ‘our rabbi’. But how did these two great men fare when called upon to exercise exemplary leadership? In our discussion this evening, Aaron and Moses are called upon to be leaders as they address the challenge of an ornery and impatient people. Are the requisite traits of a leader any different today? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2C3Lm54 For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/OrTzionAZ/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Howard M. Markose, a teacher of Bible and Biblical Hebrew Grammar at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem (https://www.pardes.org.il/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Jacob and Esau’s Long-Awaited Meeting – Friendly or Antagonistic?" before an audience at Congregation Beth Israel(Congregation Beth Israel, Scottsdale Arizona https://cbiaz.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: IThey have not seen each other for over two decades. Jacob faces an unavoidable reunion with his brother Esau and the description in the Hebrew Bible is quite riveting. The question that has been asked for centuries is how Esau’s readiness for the reunion is to be understood. What did Jacob think? What do we think? What is the contemporary relevance of this analysis? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2Lbpsjh For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/cbiaz twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Robert Eisen, the Chair in the Department of Religious Studies at The George Washington University, presents his lecture "The Peace and Violence of Judaism: From the Bible to Modern Zionism before a roundtable audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Religion is fraught with ambiguity when it comes to peace and violence. There are texts in every major religious tradition that foster violence toward outsiders alongside those that foster peace toward them. Sometimes, the ambiguity can be found in a single text. That is, the very same text can inspire peace or violence toward others depending on how it’s read and interpreted. This talk will explore the dynamic described here in the classical texts of Judaism and why it occurs. It will also examine the relevance of these texts and their ambiguities to the current conflict in the Middle East. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2Kmrc8M For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/YCTorah/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Robert Eisen, the Chair in the Department of Religious Studies at The George Washington University, presents his lecture "Justifying Israel’s Wars in Jewish Law: Challenges and Solutions" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: While Israel’s wars have a been a challenge for all Jews who support Israel, they have presented unique challenges for religious Zionists who adhere to Jewish law. Jewish law developed mostly during centuries in which Jews had no state and no army, and therefore it contained little material on war prior to 1948. In consequence, when the state of Israel was created and found itself at war, religious Zionist rabbis had to construct a body of law dealing with war almost from scratch. This talk will focus on how these rabbis dealt with this challenge with remarkable creativity and ingenuity. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Herbert Cohen presents his lecture "Mussar and Film: Movies That Help Us Grow!" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Movies are not simply entertainment. They also can serve as vehicles for self-discovery. Rabbi Cohen identifies films that have something important to say about the human condition and that contain nuggets of wisdom that can enrich our relationships with our children, our spouses, our parents, and our friends. Book signing to follow. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Samuel C. Heilman - The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America Professor Samuel C. Heilman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Queen College, presents his lecture "The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The lecture explores the remarkable resurrection of Hasidism in America and its capacity for maintaining the charismatic authority of its dynastic leadership, often via struggle and gripping family dynamics. We will look at two Hasidic dynasties that found themselves with too many successors – Satmar and Bobov – two with too few successors – Munkács and Boyan – and one that claims they do not really need a successor – Chabad/Lubavitch – because they refuse to believe their leader ever died. These are chronicles of the making and unmaking of men, a search for charisma, leader- ship, and struggles for power. They tell of families united and divided, of death and resurrection, and of hopes raised and dashed. They give substance to the eternal question of Hasidism: Who will lead us? For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Samuel C. Heilman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Queen College, before a VIP audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Avram Mlotek, co-founder of BASE Hillel (basehillel.org/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "We Are Here: Spiritual Resistance During The Holocaust" before an audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In this session, we will learn and hear how Jews used prayer, poetry, song, music and more as vehicles for spiritual resistance during the Jewish people's darkest hour. From ghetto cabarets and concentration camps to the forests, Jews fought back not only with their body but in spirit. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2JNobOT For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ facebook.com/BethEmethofWValleyAZ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Avram Mlotek, co-founder of BASE Hillel (http://basehillel.org/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Songs of Generations: Jewish History through Yiddish Song" before an audience at Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley (http://bethemethaz.org/) in Sun City West, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer called Rabbi Mlotek’s grandparents, “The Sherlock Holmes of Yiddish Song.” Come explore Jewish history through this rich legacy of Yiddish song with a particular focus on pre-World War II Eastern European life. Songs of workers, family life, romance, politics and Judaism paint a vibrant life of what Jewish life looked like before the horrors of the Holocaust. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2OvrhaE For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ facebook.com/BethEmethofWValleyAZ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Adrienne Krone, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Jewish Life at Allegheny College (sites.allegheny.edu/philo/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Sacred and Sustainable Space: Ancient Agriculture and Innovative Judaism" before a roundtable audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: This lecture will offer insight into how Jewish community farms have become a site for North American Jews to enact their values, express their Jewish identities, and reconnect with agricultural aspects of Jewish tradition long marginalized through centuries of Jewish life in the Diaspora. Driven by concerns about environmental degradation, industrial agriculture, animal welfare, and food insecurity, Jews in North American have created alternative spaces and innovative Jewish practices. In these spaces, Jews rethink what it means to be Jewish and find new ways to enact Judaism that are meaningful for Jews and beneficial for the plants, animals, and other humans that live alongside them. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Adrienne Krone, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Jewish Life at Allegheny College (https://sites.allegheny.edu/philo/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash leceture "Saving Seeds: A Revived Historical Jewish Agricultural Settlement in New Jersey Takes on Climate Change" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: This lecture will describe the efforts of the Alliance Community Reboot (ACRe) organization to rebuild a Jewish community farm on the land where the Alliance Colony was founded in 1882 as one of the first Jewish agricultural settlements in the United States. This farm, which remains in the hands of descendants of one of the original settlers of the Alliance Colony, neighbors a historic synagogue and Jewish cemetery. This historic setting informs the vision for the organization but the goals for the farm are also grounded in twenty-first century values including sustainability and food justice. Their combined dedication to Jewish history and environmental values is exemplified by the designation of a large portion of ACRe’s land resources to the Experimental Farm Network, an organization that is breeding seeds to combat climate change. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Aharon Ariel Lavi, co-founder of the Eco-Hassidic community “Garin Shuva”, on the Gaza border; the Nettiot Intentional Communities Network; MAKOM: the national umbrella organization of intentional communities in Israel; and Hakhel: the Jewish Intentional Communities Incubator in the Diaspora, presents his lecture "About Economy and Sustenance: Judaism, Society, and Economics" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The economic forces are among the strongest forces at play in human society. In every purchase, sale, commercial viewed and even in the reading of these lines lies an economic activity that shapes the face of society. There are many ways to manage and examine the economy, and although their implementation requires scientists, essentially these are ethical decisions on cultural, social and spiritual dilemmas. This book aims to discover the contribution of the Jewish cultural world to economic thought and to understanding the structure of society. A Jewishly rooted viewpoint will allow us to provide new answers for the most basic questions that shape economic activity and from it, society in general. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: FORTHCOMING For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Mel Gottlieb, President of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (ajrca.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Kabbala and Consciousness" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: This lecture will be on the dynamics of practical Kabbala as a growth system creating consciousness in the realm of the intellect, the emotions, and in concrete action. It will utilize the Sefirot, the Hebrew Alphabet as a path towards individuation, and allow for greater awareness of imbalances and the ‘shadow,’ through study and meditation. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2qaCu6V For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/ajrca www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Mel Gottlieb, President of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (https://ajrca.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Making Enemies Into Friends" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: This lecture will be an articulation of the Torah’s mandates toward encountering our enemies and transforming them into friends, including the exception for the category of Amalek, and the reasons for this. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2PUntRZ For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/ajrca www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Shai Secunda, Jacob Neusner Associate Professor of Judaism at Bard College (religion.bard.edu/), presents his lecture "Jews on the Big Screen: Understanding New Israeli Film and Television" before an audience at the Jewish Worship Group in Surprise, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Israeli film and television has come a long long way since its humble and scrappy beginnings. It has become smart and savvy and a source of pride and fascination for many Jews tuning in around the globe – especially religious Americans. What might it all for understanding Israeli culture and ourselves? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: Forthcoming For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Shai Secunda, Jacob Neusner Associate Professor of Judaism at Bard College (http://religion.bard.edu/), presents his lecture "Iran is Closer Than You Think: The ‘Iranian’ Talmud" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: As its very name indicates, the Talmud Bavli was produced in Babylonia in the centuries following the compilation of the Mishnah. But politically and culturally speaking, Talmudic Babylonia was actually at the center of a powerful Iranian Empire. What happens when we approach the Talmud as a product of Iran – for our learning, and for our self-understanding? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2OCeVTi For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dov Linzer, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (https://www.yctorah.org/) presents his lecture "Unequal Justice? Jew/Non-Jew Distinctions in Civil and Criminal Halakha) before a roundtable audience at Temple Kol Ami (www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: One of our basic democratic principles is that everyone deserves equal treatment under the law. In religious law, however, there tends to be a privileging of those who are members of the faith over those who are not. While this makes sense in matters of ritual, it would seem deeply unfair, indeed unethical, to apply such distinctions to matters of civil and criminal law. In this lecture, we will see how halakha initially gave warrant for unequal treatment of non-Jews and how over time, due to changing circumstances and attitudes, a number of major halakhic decisors minimized or eliminated these distinctions. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2J3KnUg For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.kolami.9 twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/YCTorah/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, presented her lecture "Wise Aging: Getting Good at Getting Older" at Valley Beit Midrash's opening event in Oct. 2018. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Occasionally, we meet an older person we admire and think: “I want to be like her when I grow up. I want to be wise, joyful, grateful, compassionate, patient, funny, curious, optimistic!” As Estelle Reiner said in the classic deli scene from When Harry Met Sally: “I want what she’s having.” The question for us as we get older is: what do I need to do now to become the eighty-five-year-old I someday hope to be? What work do I have to do now to acquire a heart of wisdom? This Valley Beit Midrash lecture took place before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, presented her lecture "Why Friendships Change As We Age" at Valley Beit Midrash's opening 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/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2E9sWCY For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz and Mr. Laurence B. Hirsch, Esq. present their talk "American, Israeli, and Jewish Legal Perspectives on Divorce" before a roundtable audience at the offices of Jaburg Wilk (www.jaburgwilk.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP Many thanks to the Arizona Jewish Lawyers Association and Jewish Legal Aid for sponsoring this event. Thank you to Jaburg Wilk for hosting. For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/jaburgwilk/ www.facebook.com/AZJewishLawyersAssociation/ www.facebook.com/Jewish-Legal-Aid-255117814622551/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Uri Topolosky, the Rabbi of Kehilat Pardes (http://www.kehilatpardes.org/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Stumbling Stones: The Oldest Form of Jewish Spirituality" before an audience at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: One of the oldest forms of Jewish spirituality, may also be the most accessible for the modern Jew. This conversation with an established community builder, will offer an inspirational encounter with holy texts and foundational stones that have elevated our people throughout the centuries. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2AYMAAe https://bit.ly/2ORRRwa For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/OrTzionAZ/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Marianne Novak, a student at Yeshivat Maharat, presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "From Punishment to Compassion" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The time leading up to Tisha B’av and its aftermath, leading ultimately to Rosh HaShana, demands an almost instantaneous move from extreme sadness, grief and anger to joy and happiness to be with God. How does our tradition help us move from one radical state to the other with purpose and meaning? How does this process enhance our relationship with God? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2OlotOK For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/yeshivatmaharat/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Elad Nehorai, the Pop Chassid (popchassid.com/), presents his Valley Beit Midrash Lecture "The Change-Making Power Of Community." ABOUT THIS LECTURE: We have been inundated recently with stories about how “echo chambers” hurt political discourse and make it harder to affect positive change. But what if there was more to the story? In this session, Elad will explore the incredible power communities (both online and offline) have to create change, and how these “echo chambers” can actually be used to amplify a cause to the outside world in a way no individual could on their own. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/torahtrumpshate/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 the defining problems in our generation. But how does one balance that against the call by our very religion to act, in so many ways, as a tribe? How do we square what seems like self-interest with the call to make the world a perfect place? In this session, Elad will discuss these tensions, and how Judaism itself holds the answers to them. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/torahtrumpshate/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. How is Judaism different? Can we be both compassionate and committed? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2sBxTfQ For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 this territory? A narrative of tension between Moses and the tribal leaders in the desert and its resolution will serve us as a guide. This will be a text-based study. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2HpojkB For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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-sponsoring this event! DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP BUY THE BOOK: https://amzn.to/2KgtPYM ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In a major work of scholarship both erudite and very funny, Jeremy Dauber traces the origins of Jewish comedy and its development from biblical times to the age of Twitter. Organizing his book thematically into what he calls the seven strands of Jewish comedy (including the Satirical, the Witty, and the Vulgar), Dauber explores the ways Jewish comedy has dealt with persecution, assimilation, and diaspora through the ages. He explains the rise and fall of popular comic archetypes such as the Jewish mother, the JAP, and the schlemiel and schlimazel. He also explores an enormous range of comic masterpieces, from the Book of Esther, Talmudic rabbi jokes, Yiddish satires, Borscht Belt skits, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm to the work of such masters as Sholem Aleichem, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Philip Roth, Sarah Silverman, and Jon Stewart. For more info, please visit: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/VOSJCC/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

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 1842 by a leading Sephardic rabbi of Jerusalem, paints a fascinating picture of a personal, intellectual and spiritual relationship between rabbi Moshe Galante (chief rabbi of Damascus in the late 18th century) and a contemporary Muslim Sufi Sheikh. The course of that relationship, culminating in a joint mystic-spiritual journey, provides insights relevant to Muslim-Jewish religious encounter and dialogue then – and now. We will read the original text (in Prof. Zohar’s English translation) and discuss its implications. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2wfRBlu For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 for communal uniformity have been hallmarks of Jewish life in Europe and North America in recent centuries. However, great Sephardic rabbis in these times regarded inclusiveness as one of the greatest values that should guide their decision making and leadership. In this lecture, Prof. Zohar presents and discusses this theme, as embodied in concrete decisions made by these rabbis. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2I8gmVo For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 boys graduate without a high school diploma. New York State Education Law requires that non-public schools provide a curriculum that is “substantially equivalent” to that of public schools, meaning a minimum of English, math, science, and social studies lessons. Most Hasidic male high school graduates are illiterate in core subjects, barely fluent in the English language, unqualified for most decent-paying jobs, and ill-equipped to navigate the broader world. Hasidic Jews are the fastest growing population in NYC, outpacing every other Jewish denomination. By 2030, 30% of Brooklyn’s youth are predicted to be enrolled in Hasidic yeshivas. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★