Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Professor Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Professor and chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College (jewish.dartmouth.edu/), presented her Hammerman Lecture Series presentation "Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: The Life and Thought of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel" at Valley Beit Midrash's closing event in April 2018. This Valley Beit Midrash lecture took place before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Professor Heschel speaks about the remarkable life of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Rabbi Heschel was born in 1907 in Warsaw into a distinguished family of Hasidic rebbes. After his studies in Berlin, Rabbi Heschel escaped Europe and immigrated to the United States, becoming one of American Judaism’s most important interpreters and teachers of the twentieth century. Professor Heschel’s lecture will describe the Hasidic roots of her father’s theological writings and also of his political engagement in the Civil Rights Movement and in Christian-Jewish relations. She will discuss their family life, their close relationships with their Hasidic family, and some of the remarkable people who entered their lives, including Martin Luther King, Jr. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP TRANSLATION OF RABBI HESCHEL'S YIDDISH SPEECH: https://bit.ly/2r0D0o0 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 Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Professor and chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College (https://jewish.dartmouth.edu/), presented her lecture "What is ‘Human Dignity’ According to Judaism?" at Valley Beit Midrash's closing event in April 2018. This Valley Beit Midrash lecture took place before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2qT2B38 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 ★

Daniel Greyber, rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in Durham, NC (http://betheldurham.org/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Forgotten Mourners" at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Jewish law defines the mourning process for a parent, spouse, sibling, and child. But what happens when we lose someone who does not fit in those categories? Author of Faith Unravels: A Rabbi’s Struggle With Grief and God, Rabbi Daniel Greyber will recall his own experience of being a forgotten mourner after the death of two close friends and we will explore how we can build communities that acknowledge all who grieve and help them to heal. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Congregation-Or-…on-103351795773/ 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 Sheila Katz of the Berklee College of Music (https://www.berklee.edu/people/sheila-katz) presents her lecture "Connecting with the Enemy: A Century of Palestinian-Israeli Joint Nonviolence" before a roundtable lecture at The New Shul (http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. About the Author: Sheila H. Katz, Ph.D, is the author of Connecting with the Enemy: a Century of Palestinian-Israeli Joint Nonviolence. She received a doctorate in Middle East History from Harvard University where she specialized in Palestinian-Israeli relations, organized programs on Middle Eastern women, and taught for eight years. Her first book, Women and Gender in Early Palestinian and Jewish Nationalism (University Press of Florida, 2003), investigates the origins of conflict through the transformation of gender and national identities during the first half of the 20th century. She has published numerous articles and reviews Kandiyoti’s, Gendering the Middle East, the Arab Studies Journal, the International Journal of Middle East Studies, the Middle East Journal, the Association of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies Newsletter, Harvard International Review, and Lilith Magazine. Dr. Katz lived in Jerusalem for six years where she founded one of the early feminist groups and a network for Palestinians and Israelis to confront tough issues together. She led workshops on inequality and becoming allies in Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, England, France, Sweden, Italy, Greece, and the U.S. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz and Mr. Benjamin Taylor, Esq, present their talk "Crimes of Passion: The Extent of Human Responsibility" before a roundtable audience at the offices of Jaburg Wilk (http://www.jaburgwilk.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/cle-archives/ Many thanks to the Arizona Jewish Lawyers Association and Jewish Legal Aid for sponsoring this event. Thank you to Jaburg Wilk for hosting. For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/jaburgwilk/ https://www.facebook.com/AZJewishLawyersAssociation/ https://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 Jeffrey K. Salkin, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood, FL (www.templesolel.com/), presents his lecture "How to Re-Claim The Spiritual Meaning of Your Child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah!" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The bar and bat mitzvah is the most popular American Jewish life-cycle ceremony. But, it has also been the victim of its own success. How can we spiritually “upgrade” bar and bat mitzvah? Based on Rabbi Salkin’s well-known series of bar and bat mitzvah books. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/TempleSolelHollywood/ 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 Jeffrey K. Salkin, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood, FL (templesolel.com/), presents his lecture "The Gods Are Broken!" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Everyone knows the story of Abraham shattering his father’s idols. It might even be Judaism’s most famous (non-biblical) story. But it is not really a children’s story. It is the most important Jewish story, and it has deep implications for us today. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/TempleSolelHollywood/ 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 Jeffrey K. Salkin, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood, FL (https://templesolel.com/), presents his lecture "Righteous Gentiles of the Hebrew Bible: Ancient Models for Sacred Relationships" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Jewish history is more than “they hated us; they tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat!” We deserve to meet gentiles in Jewish history who were our friends. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/TempleSolelHollywood/ 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 Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse, Assistant Professor at Stanford University (religiousstudies.stanford.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Neo-Hasidism and the Theology of Halakhah: The Duties of Intimacy and the Law of the Heart" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Together we will seek a Neo-Hasidic theology of halakhah — an understanding of sacred deeds and the divine command that can redress the challenges of modernity and enliven the heart of the contemporary Jewish seeker. We will begin with a brief turn to the teachings of the key figures presented in the companion volume to this book, whose writings are the hearthstones of contemporary Neo-Hasidism. My goal, however, is not to describe their work but to add a new voice to the conversation. I will stake the claim that Neo-Hasidism must be a movement of praxis, one affirming that the life of the spirit is embodied and expressed through concrete deeds. A sense of obligation must be central to our conversation about halakhah, just as a mandate of responsibility is integral to our covenantal relationship with the Divine. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2u7Lnmq Event Co-Sponsored by Mt. Sinai Cemetery (www.mtsinaicemetery.com/) For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ 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 SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jas... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 United States— CC BY 3.0 US ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse, Assistant Professor at Stanford University (https://religiousstudies.stanford.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Neo-Hasidism and the Theology of Halakhah: The Duties of Intimacy and the Law of the Heart" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Together we will seek a Neo-Hasidic theology of halakhah — an understanding of sacred deeds and the divine command that can redress the challenges of modernity and enliven the heart of the contemporary Jewish seeker. We will begin with a brief turn to the teachings of the key figures presented in the companion volume to this book, whose writings are the hearthstones of contemporary Neo-Hasidism. My goal, however, is not to describe their work but to add a new voice to the conversation. I will stake the claim that Neo-Hasidism must be a movement of praxis, one affirming that the life of the spirit is embodied and expressed through concrete deeds. A sense of obligation must be central to our conversation about halakhah, just as a mandate of responsibility is integral to our covenantal relationship with the Divine. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2FTx06J For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Marilyn Byfield Paul, Ph.d (http://marilynpaul.com/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life" before an audience at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center(www.vosjcc.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. Many thanks to the Jewish Book Council (www.jewishbookcouncil.org/) for co-sponsoring this event! DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Now more than ever, people are seeking a reprieve from the constant pressure to achieve, produce, and consume. While many turn to sporadic bouts of mindfulness and meditation, organizational change specialist Marilyn Paul offers a complementary solution that is as radical as it is ancient. In her new book An Oasis in Time, Paul focuses on the profound benefits of taking a modern-day Sabbath each week for deep rest and nourishing renewal. The energy, perspective, creativity, sense of well-being, and yes, increased productivity that ensues are lifesaving. Purchase Marilyn's book HERE: http://amzn.to/2IwcESW 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 Aaron J. Hahn Tapper, the Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor in Jewish Studies and the founding Director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco (http://bit.ly/2p5kPO4), presents his lecture "The Jewish Story? Inclusion, Exclusion, and the Jewish ‘Other’ Within" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Jews and non-Jews frequently speak about “the Jews” as if they are a single, cohesive, interconnected group. But whether in their previous incarnations as Hebrews, Israelites, or Judeans, Jews have never been uniform or homogenous. There has never been a Jewish people, only peoples; never one Judaism, only Judaisms. In the twenty-first century, how can Jews be more inclusive, not just of those identifying as Ashkenazi, heteronormative, and Israel- and American-centric but rather of the historically multidimensional and vastly diverse Jewish communities that have existed within this social group since their very inception? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP Purchase Professor Hahn Tapper's book HERE: http://amzn.to/2FJGu7X For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ 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 Sam Intrator of Kavanah Life (www.kavanahlifesingles.com) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Transcending the Great Right-Left Divide in Israel Through Spirituality" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In closely examining our ancient Spiritual Origins in Israel, a very contemporary Jewish perspective emerges that transcends the current great Right-Left Political and Spiritual divide. Through our study of relevant Biblical texts and commentary that span most of Jewish History, a practical wisdom will be presented that speaks with great significance to the challenges of modern-day Israel. The Analysis will also show how certain ancient and futuristic mystical ideals provide guidance to help overcome many deep divisions in contemporary Israeli society as well in the Arab-Israeli conflict. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2Dfx6Dy For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/farmforward www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Sam Intrator of Kavanah Life (http://www.kavanahlifesingles.com) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "The Radical and Modern Approach of Ishbitz Hasidic Thought" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: In this podcast, Rabbi Sam Intrator explores the major themes that show how the Ishbitzer Rebbe’s ideas, while rooted in traditional sources, are radical departures from traditional interpretations. This unique school of Hasidic study offers deep psychological insights and a very modern approach to understanding human nature. It reveals both very transcendent and accessible ideas in spirituality. We will also explore the apparent rebellion of the founder of this dynasty Rabbi Mordecei Yosef against his mentor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, to show how disagreements are often not a rejection of another approach but is, in fact, an expansion and development of that which is seemingly being rejected. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2Dfp5hU For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ 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 Dr. Alan Brill, The Cooperman/Ross Endowed Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, presents his lecture "Rabbi on The Ganges: A Jewish Hindu Encounter" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Professor Alan Brill recently spent a sabbatical in India teaching about the little-known encounters that Judaism has with Hinduism from within the Brahmin world. He notes that Indian works on religion typically reference Judaism through the lens of the practices of Leviticus, especially with regard to animal sacrifice. Judaism, on the other hand, tends to understand Eastern religions using the Talmudic categories of idolatry. Neither side understands much about the other one and their respective living reality. Exploring the commonalities of ideas on priestly rituals, purity, meditation, and text study, this lecture looks at how what is first seen as completely foreign and different, can be appreciated on its own terms through asking the proper questions and finding an appropriate lens. Thus, space is created for a shared spiritual language of understanding. 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 ★

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President-Elect of Hebrew College (www.hebrewcollege.edu/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Mi Yodea: Humility and Hope in an Uncertain World" for The New Shul(http://thenewshul.org/). ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: Sharon Cohen Anisfeld has been Dean of the Rabbinical School since 2006. Prior to assuming this position, she served as an adjunct faculty member and then dean of students at the school. After graduating from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1990, Cohen subsequently spent 15 years working in pluralistic settings as a Hillel rabbi at Tufts, Yale and Harvard universities. She has been a summer faculty member for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel since 1993 and is co-editor of two volumes of women’s writings on Passover, “The Women’s Seder Sourcebook: Rituals and Readings for Use at the Passover Seder” (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2002) and “The Women’s Passover Companion: Women’s Reflections on the Festival of Freedom” (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2002). In 2015, Anisfeld was named one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by The Jerusalem Post. From 2011 to 2013, she was named to Newsweek’s list of Top 50 Influential Rabbis in America. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President-Elect of Hebrew College (http://www.hebrewcollege.edu/) presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Purim: The Jewish Holiday of Friendship" for the Jewish Community Foundation (www.jcfphoenix.org/) ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: Sharon Cohen Anisfeld has been Dean of the Rabbinical School since 2006. Prior to assuming this position, she served as an adjunct faculty member and then dean of students at the school. After graduating from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1990, Cohen subsequently spent 15 years working in pluralistic settings as a Hillel rabbi at Tufts, Yale and Harvard universities. She has been a summer faculty member for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel since 1993 and is co-editor of two volumes of women’s writings on Passover, “The Women’s Seder Sourcebook: Rituals and Readings for Use at the Passover Seder” (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2002) and “The Women’s Passover Companion: Women’s Reflections on the Festival of Freedom” (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2002). In 2015, Anisfeld was named one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by The Jerusalem Post. From 2011 to 2013, she was named to Newsweek’s list of Top 50 Influential Rabbis in America. 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/ https://www.facebook.com/hebrewcollege Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Rachel Tzvia Back (https://www.wpm2011.org/node/64) presents her lecture "The Woman’s Voice in Modern Hebrew Poetry from Lea Goldberg to Efrat Mishori" before a roundtable lecture at The New Shul (http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: A noted translator of Hebrew, Back has translated the work of Lea Goldberg in Lea Goldberg: Selected Poetry and Drama (2005), which won a PEN Translation Prize, and On the Surface of Silence: The Last Poems of Lea Goldberg (2017). She also translated In the Illuminated Dark: Selected Poems of Tuvia Ruebner (2014), which won the TLS Risa Dobm/Porjes Translation Award in 2016 and was a finalist for the National Translation Award in Poetry. She has translated many important Hebrew writers, including Hamutal Bar-Yosef, Dahlia Ravikovitch, and Haviva Pedaya. She was the primary translator of the anthology With an Iron Pen: Twenty Years of Hebrew Protest Poetry (2009). Her critical work includes the monograph Led by Language: The Poetry and Poetics of Susan Howe (2002). She lives in Galilee and teaches at Oranim Academic College near Haifa. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Sid Schwarz, Senior Fellow at Hazon (hazon.org/) o presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Judaism, Justice, and Holiness" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Rabbi Sid’s groundbreaking book, Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World 2006, offers a seminal thesis about the purpose of Judaism. The book portrays a tension between the commitment of Jews to universal values and the Jewish communal tendency to emphasize a more parochial set of priorities. This talk explores the sublime paradox of Judaism which combines a requirement that Jews fully engage in the world to advance peace and justice with a mandate for Jews to continue to be a people apart. 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: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Sid Schwarz, Senior Fellow at Hazon (hazon.org/) o presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Our Universe of Obligation: How Wide?" before a roundtable audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2sm8lWr For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ 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 Dr. Sid Schwarz, Senior Fellow at Hazon (https://hazon.org/) o presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish Future" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The American Jewish community is riddled with doubts about the viability of the institutions that well served the Jewish community of the 20th century. Synagogues, federations, and Jewish membership organizations have yet to figure out how to meet the changing interests and needs of the next generation. This talk will look at the social norms that are shaping the habits and lifestyles of younger American Jews and suggest four guiding principles that can actually lead to a renaissance in Jewish life. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/farmforward www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Giller, Chair of Jewish Studies at American Jewish University (http://www.aju.edu/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Some Basic Principles on Kabbalistic Spirituality" at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: What distinguishes the world-view of the kabbalist from other kinds of Jews? Is kabbalah a form of metaphysics, or is it what the world calls “mysticism?” If it is “mysticism,” what makes it like other forms of religious mysticism? How can conventional Jews incorporate kabbalistic ideas into their religious practice and world-view, and in what ways was this done over Jewish history? This talk will serve the purpose of clarify the role of Kabbalah in Jewish practice and to define the appropriate, as well as the improper uses of Kabbalah. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Congregation-Or-…on-103351795773/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ https://www.facebook.com/AmericanJewishUniversity Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Aaron Gross, Founder & CEO of Farm Forward (farmforward.com/) and a professor at the University of San Diego presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "What is a Jewish Response to Factory Farming?" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: How can Jewish community and Jewish teachings help us better respond to the factory farm systems that now produce the majority of animal products consumed in Israel, Europe, North America, and increasingly, the world? Are factory farms, which claim to feed the world, compatible with Jewish mandates to preserve human health? What do product claims like “antibiotic free” and “humanely raised” really mean? How might rabbinic teaching about tzaar baalei chayim–the Torah mandate not to cause unnecessary suffering–shape contemporary debates about the future of food? Join us and bring your own insights to share. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/farmforward www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Aaron Gross, Founder & CEO of Farm Forward (https://farmforward.com/) and a professor at the University of San Diego presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Jewish Animal Ethics from Torah to Today" for the Jewish Community Foundation (www.jcfphoenix.org/) ABOUT THIS LECTURE: This lively survey of Jewish animal ethics will consider passages from the Tanakh, rabbinic writings, modern Jewish thought, and the remarkable contributions contemporary Jews have made to secular animal ethics from Isaac Bashevis Singer to Jacques Derrida. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Jewish-Community…60791413/?ref=ts twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/farmforward 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 ★

**Please note: Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, Professor Claussen has requested that Valley Beit Midrash only release excerpts from this lecture.** Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey Claussen, the Lori and Eric Sklut Scholar in Jewish Studies and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Elon University, presents his lecture "Musar at a Time of War" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: How can the wisdom of the Jewish tradition guide our judgments about the morality of warfare? This session will explore how the practice of musar, an introspective and contemplative Jewish discipline, can shape and guide our moral responses to war. 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 ★

Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey Claussen, the Lori and Eric Sklut Scholar in Jewish Studies and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Elon University, presents his lecture "Compassion and Cruelty: The Promise and Limits of the Musar Movement" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: How can Jewish practice bring greater compassion into our lives? This session will explore ways in which practices developed by the 19th century Musar Movement can be effective in helping to develop compassion and other virtues, while also taking a critical look at the limits of compassion within this historic movement. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2F8omjV 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 ★

Judy Firestone Singer, Director of Development for Matnat Chaim (https://kilya.org.il/en/), presents her Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Tales on Saving Lives in Israel Through Inspiring Kidney Donations!" before an audience at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center(www.vosjcc.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. Many thanks to the Jewish Book Council (www.jewishbookcouncil.org/) for co-sponsoring this event! DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP ABOUT THIS LECTURE: “Whoever saves one life, it is as though he has saved the entire world.”Over the past several years, Israel has been transformed in an unexpected way: from a country some of whose citizens were notoriously active in organ trafficking, it has become the country with the world’s highest percentage of altruistic kidney donors! Along with some enlightened and ground-breaking legislation, this is largely due to the activity of an Israeli nonprofit called Matnat Chaim (Hebrew for “gift of life”) which recruits and supports healthy living donors who give their kidneys to strangers. Judy Singer donated her kidney in 2013 to Rena and found it to be a life-changing experience. Join us to hear more about this moving, fascinating, and uniquely Israeli/Jewish phenomenon. Donate to Matnat Chaim HERE: https://secured.israelgives.org/donate/matnat/ Learn more about the work of Matnat Chaim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mu_7VQMr3w For more info, please visit: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/VOSJCC/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ https://www.facebook.com/matnatchaim.eng/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Haim Ovadia, rabbi of Magen David Sephardic Congregation (http://www.magendavidsephardic.org/)in suburban Washington DC presents his lecture "Why Are There No Reform or Conservative Sephardic Movements" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The different cultures and religious approaches of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews are products of over a thousand years of living under the rule of two opposing religions, Islam and Christianity. Though both religions, as well as Judaism, are often bundled together as the Monotheistic or Abrahamic religions, there are fundamental differences between them. For better or worse, the unique characteristics of each dominant religion shaped the lives, cultures, and theology of its Jews. The rift which started thousands of years ago, has deepened after the emancipation in Europe, as religious leaders in the Ashkenazi world retreated into a spiritual ghetto, while Sephardic kept a vibrant and innovative legal approach. The lecture will review some of the influences of Islam and Christianity on Judaism, will track the path of Halakhic innovation over the centuries, and will explain why the Sephardic world appears to be more homogeneous than the Ashkenazi world. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2BbaDqn To receive Rabbi Ovadia's digital newsletter, sign up HERE: http://bit.ly/2rkFiSk For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ 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 Dr. David Sandmel of the Anti-Defamation League (https://www.adl.org/) presents his lecture "Interreligious Engagement & Building Community in 2018" before a roundtable audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: A look and conversation at fostering interreligious understanding and collaborative work to support vulnerable and marginalized communities. 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/ https://www.facebook.com/anti.defamation.league/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Yaffa Epstein, Director of Education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies(www.pardes.org.il/faculty/yaffa-epstein/)presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Because the Rabbi Said So: Exploring Power and Authority in the Rabbinate" at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Today we live in an age where travel is commonplace and extremely convenient. However, in the Rabbinic world, travel was an adventure, an experience, and a potential conduit for transformation. In this session, we’ll explore several stories from the Talmud that describe journeys the Rabbis took, the characters they met, and the lessons they learned in their travels—and what these lessons can teach us today! The session is open to all levels of experience with Talmud, and all texts will be both in the original and in translation. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING Materials: http://bit.ly/2FwqJOv For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Congregation-Or-…on-103351795773/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/pardesinstitute/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Yaffa Epstein, Director of Education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies(https://www.pardes.org.il/faculty/yaffa-epstein/)presents her Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Because the Rabbi Said So: Exploring Power and Authority in the Rabbinate" for the Jewish Community Foundation (https://www.jcfphoenix.org/) ABOUT THIS LECTURE: While utilizing power is a necessary part of any leader’s role, the abuse of power – particularly in the rabbinic arena – seems to be commonplace. How do we harness our internal power, as well as the power that we amass, in a healthy and constructive way? Do there need to be checks in place for our leadership to succeed? The issue of power and authority in the rabbinate is as critically important today as it has been since the first rabbi was ordained. We will explore some of the rabbinic perspectives on this question, and examine how they can inform our thinking around power and authority. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING Materials: http://bit.ly/2ARPcKG For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/Jewish-Community-Foundation-of-Greater-Phoenix-125740560791413/?ref=ts twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ https://www.facebook.com/pardesinstitute/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis, Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah (http://www.dancingwithg-d.com/) presents his lecture "Dancing With God: How to Connect With God Every Time You Pray" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: How do we really connect with God so that our prayers move from the head to the heart? In its wisdom, Jewish tradition has created what can only be understood as a dance that, if done properly, can lift the participant into an intimate encounter with the Divine. How is Jewish prayer a dance? One sits and stands, moves one’s hands, moves backward and forward, bows and rises up; one chants and sings and embraces God. Each movement is pregnant with meaning. Taken together, Jewish prayer is nothing short of a most intimate dance with the Creator. This book was written to help the reader learn how to ‘dance’ in such a way that he will connect with God every time he prays. 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/ https://www.facebook.com/RabbiMarkHillelKunis/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah (bethtefillahaz.org/) presents the second part of his class series "Jewish Wisdom on Actualizing Your Unique Life Potential" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: An exploration of the techniques and values that Judaism models about self-actualization. Who are we? Why are we here? In the first part of this exciting class, Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Scottsdale, AZ, shares thought-provoking and heartwarming stories, asks deep questions, and looks to Jewish texts both contemporary and ancient to understand the meaning of actualizing the unique potential each of us possesses. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2z5A3oa For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/cbtaz/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/rabbiallouche/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Professor Martin Lockshin presents his lecture "Does Judaism Teach that Anti-Semitism is Universal and Inevitable?" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: At least for the last 1,000 years Judaism has been teaching that, as we say in the Haggadah, “not just once did somebody try to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, but the Blessed Holy One saves us from them.” However, we cannot find this teaching anywhere in the Bible. This lecture will attempt to pinpoint when and why this idea, that anti-Semitism is universal and inevitable, developed. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2zgiVj0 For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah (bethtefillahaz.org/) presents the first part of his class series "Jewish Wisdom on Actualizing Your Unique Life Potential" before an audience at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: An exploration of the techniques and values that Judaism models about self-actualization. Who are we? Why are we here? In the first part of this exciting class, Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Scottsdale, AZ, shares thought-provoking and heartwarming stories, asks deep questions, and looks to Jewish texts both contemporary and ancient to understand the meaning of actualizing the unique potential each of us possesses. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2o1AEqU Clip of Sir Nicholas Winton, as described in the class: http://bit.ly/1c9HT1J For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/cbtaz/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ www.facebook.com/rabbiallouche/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Roly Matalon, Senior Rabbi at B'nai Jeshurun (https://www.bj.org/)presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "One Congregation's Approach to Intermarriage" at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Congregation-Or-…on-103351795773/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ https://www.facebook.com/bnai.jeshurun/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Shaul Magid, The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair in Jewish Studies Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at Indiana University (www.indiana.edu/~jsp/index.shtml), presents his lecture "Why Should Progressive Jews be Interested in Hasidism?" before a roundtable lecture at The New Shul (http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. This lecture was co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies at Arizona State University. Visit them at https://jewishstudies.clas.asu.edu/ ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Modern and even quite liberal iterations of Hasidism have increasingly become a kind of default Jewish theology for many American Jews. But why should progressive American Jews be interested in Hasidism? What does it offer us that non-Hasidic versions of Judaism do not? How does it respond to the more conventional notions of Jewish life and spirituality in America? DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2knZdgp For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ 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 Shaul Magid, The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair in Jewish Studies Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at Indiana University (http://www.indiana.edu/~jsp/index.shtml), presents his lecture "How is Anti-Semitism Used in the American Jewish Conversation" before a roundtable lecture at Temple Chai (www.templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ. This lecture was co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies at Arizona State University. Visit them at https://jewishstudies.clas.asu.edu/ 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 ★

Rabbi Benjamin Shalva(http://benjaminshalva.com/) presents his Valley Beit Midrash lecture "Ambition Addiction: How to Go Slow, Give Thanks, and Discover Joy Within" before an audience at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center(http://www.vosjcc.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. Many thanks to the Jewish Book Council (https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/) for co-sponsoring this event! DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Self-described ambition addict Benjamin Shalva (Spiritual Cross-Training) has written an insightful and illuminating book for anyone who wants to control that destructive strain of ambition and live with integrity. He identifies the signs and symptoms of ambition addiction and profiles iconic achievers to help readers identify unhealthy motivations. Then he reveals the five steps to living a fulfilling life of healthy, productive ambition in which grand but elusive fantasies give way to the true happiness of the here and now... Purchase Rabbi Shalva's HERE: http://amzn.to/2AYW4Xf For more info, please visit: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah https://www.facebook.com/VOSJCC/ www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ https://www.facebook.com/benjaminshalva/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, the founder of Hashgacha Pratit and a member of the Jerusalem City Council, presents his lecture "Can I Trust You? Kashrut, Social Dynamics, and Jewish Unity" before an audience at The New Shul (http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: A lecture describing Rav Aaron’s alternative Kosher supervision project Hashgacha Pratit that has been making waves in Israel, disrupting the troublesome dynamics between religion and state. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS 1: http://bit.ly/2iUqXVq LEARNING MATERIALS 2: http://bit.ly/2zXCQoe For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Learn more about Hashgacha Pratit at http://www.kashrut.org.il/ Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Ms. Estelle Frankel presents her lecture "The Wisdom of Not Knowing" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Jewish mystics teach that God, the Torah, and the human soul are each comprised of a known (nigleh) and a vastly greater unknown (nistar) and unknowable dimension. As we inquire into each of these domains, we begin to realize the impossibility of ever wrapping our minds around these infinite mysteries. Yet, it is through our inquiry into the unknown that we grow our souls. In this seminar, we will study Jewish spiritual teachings on the wisdom of “not knowing” and explore how the conscious practice of “unknowing” can serve as a vital force for growth, insight and creative inspiration in our lives. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2AqfnJB For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ 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 Asher Lopatin, President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (https://www.yctorah.org/), presents his Valley Beit Midrash (www.valleybeitmidrash.org) lecture "Top 10 Challenges Facing Jews Today" at Congregation Or Tzion (www.congregationortzion.org) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Despite the great diversity of the Jewish community, different denominations, or not affiliated with any denomination, those who practice, those who don’t, those who believe and those who just love the culture or the identity, we all share a lot in common. Rabbi Asher Lopatin, who over the years has connected with Jews from the entire spectrum, even though he is himself Modern Orthodox, explores the common challenges we all share as Jews, relating to our identity, our values, our evolving relationship with the Jewish State, and our understanding of what Judaism or being Jewish really means in the first place. By putting these challenges on the table, and sharing them, we can begin to see how our differences really build an important bridge that unites us individuals and as members of the Jewish People. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP Learning Materials: http://bit.ly/2zeQjqA For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/Congregation-Or-…on-103351795773/ 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 Dr. Eugene Korn, the Academic Director of The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, presents his lecture "Jewish Schizophrenia: What Did the Rabbis Think of Christianity?" before a roundtable audience at The New Shul (http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: For most of the last 2,000 years, Christianity understood Judaism and Jews as its enemies. But did the Rabbis always see Christianity and Christians as eternal enemies (“Esau hates Jacob”)? In this presentation we will examine whether In the eyes of the rabbis Christianity is like ancient idolatry described in the Bible and Talmud, as well as whether Jewish experience with Christians–both bad and good–in the Middle Ages influenced how the Rabbis evaluated Christianity, whether the Holocaust changed anything about how Jews and Christians understand each other today, and whether religious Jews and pious Christians can be partners for building a better future, without betraying the principles of their faiths. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS 1: http://bit.ly/2hs9Udi LEARNING MATERIALS 2: http://bit.ly/2yjtN0G For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ 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 Daniel Landes presents his lecture "The Poetry of Rav Kook: Finding The Lights in A New Dark Age" for Valley Beit Midrash event at Congregation Beth Tefillah (bethtefillahaz.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. Rav Kook (1865 – 1935) was a towering leader of the Jewish renaissance in the Land of Israel and a profound master in every area of classic Jewish scholarship. His philosophic mysticism contained a hard sense of reality, while also having profound optimism. In this lecture, we shall explore the unique features of Rav Kook’s thought within his personal poems, which he would awaken to write in the middle of the night! DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2yTOAqO For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/cbtaz 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 Dr. Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, noted theologian and writer, presented his lecture "Principles and Laws That Reflect the Triumph of Life Principle" at Valley Beit Midrash's opening event in Oct. 2017.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: http://bit.ly/2yNW0v3 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 Dr. Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, noted theologian and writer, presented his lecture "The 10 Jewish Moral Imperatives: A Jewish Response to a Fractured Society" at Valley Beit Midrash's opening event in Oct. 2017. This lecture proposes that the big story is not the deep polarization in American society and internal dissension in Jewry over Israel and communal policy. We are at the opening of a new era in Jewish history in which Jews seek to take power to shape our fate and to repair the world. This is our opportunity to offer Jewish models for tikkun olam to heal a fractured American society and to create a new pluralistic ethic of exercising power within Jewry. 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: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Sherre Hirsch (www.sherrehirsch.com/) presents her experiential lecture "Becoming a Mindful Soul in a Mindbending World" before an audience at Temple Kol Ami(www.templekolami.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: http://bit.ly/2ziiNMT For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/rabbisherrehirsch/ twitter.com/sherrehirsch www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Mike Uram, Executive Director of Penn Hillel, presents his lecture "Next Generation Judaism: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations" before an audience at The New Shul(http:/www.thenewshul.org/) in Scottsdale, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: The Jewish world is changing before our eyes. The traditional notions of what it means to be a Jew, what Jewish organizations look like and what Jewish leadership means are no longer working, leaving many Jewish organizations in a struggle for survival.... [Rabbi Uram's book] is an essential resource for lay leaders, rabbis, cantors and anyone who wants to build a brighter Jewish future for all Jews and the institutions that support them. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/The-New-Shul-207398175969503/ https://www.facebook.com/pennhillel/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Purchase Rabbi Uram's book here: http://amzn.to/2eU75DS Music: "Watercolors" by John Deley and the 41 Players, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

Mr. Bassem Eid, a Palestinian Human Rights activist, presents his lecture "How Does the BDS Movement Harass the Palestinian People?" before a lively roundtable 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: "Good Starts," a free-use public domain song by Jingle Punks, courtesy of YouTube's Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★

Mr. Bassem Eid, a Palestinian Human Rights activist, presents his lecture "Palestinians’ Internal Politics and Conflicts" before a roundtable audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. 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: "Good Starts," a free-use public domain song by Jingle Punks, courtesy of YouTube's Audio Library ★ Support this podcast ★