Join us for this one-week series of interactive presentations by Rabbi Ostrich on a variety of intriguing topics. Each 90-minute session will begin at 7:00 pm.
Sunday June 13. Gematria: Jewish Numerology
The basis of Midrash is that God embedded secret information in the words and passages of the Torah. Gematria—assigning numerical values to each Hebrew letter and then determining the value of each Hebrew word—is one of the paths to such hidden wisdom. If two different words have the same numerical value, then Gematria looks for a connection in their meanings. Join us as we explore the techniques of Gematria and look at some of the wisdom that such numerical analysis can reveal.
Monday June 14. The Many Definitions of the Word “God”
When most people have a pretty good idea of what the word “God” means, there are others who find the notion of a conscious Divine Entity which is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent and which takes an interest in the world unbelievable. Does this mean that there is no God, or does this mean that the traditional definition of the word may not be accurate. Through the ages, religious thinkers and philosophers have struggled to understand the nature of the Deity, and they have derived a number of different understandings—different definitions. This session will review the traditional definition of God and the various alternatives. Our review can help you enhance and clarify your own spiritual thinking.
Tuesday June 15. A Developmental History of Judaism
How did an ancient desert religion develop into the spiritually sophisticated religion of the Talmud—or the multi-faceted cultural and religious systems of today? The late historian Ellis Rivkin explains this process in terms of the different ways that Jews have understood God’s will: how do we know what God wants us to do? Join us for a sweeping tour through 4000 years of Jewish history and learn about the origins and rationales of Judaism’s many variations.
Wednesday June 16. Did the Jews Kill Jesus? Analysis and Deeper Dive into Ancient Documents
One of the persistent “reasons” for anti-Semitism has been the charge of deicide—that “the Jews” murdered “the Christian God” and thus deserve punishment. This session will follow the analysis of historian Ellis Rivkin in his book, What Crucified Jesus?, and examine the political and religious dynamics of the First Century Israel, helping us understand both the factors that led to the execution of Jesus of Nazareth and the historical attribution of blame to “the Jews.” We shall also look at the current state of this ancient charge and the progress in Jewish-Christian relations in the last century.
Thursday June 17. Business Ethics in the Talmud
Jewish Wisdom literature—from the Bible to the Talmud and beyond—has always been concerned with both the spiritual and the practical. As the Creator of everything—both the sacred and the mundane, God is interested in every aspect of human life. Since God cares about the Creation, God is interested in our behavior—and that we treat each other with fairness and respect. Following this mandate, the Torah and the Talmud invest quite a bit of effort in teaching us righteous behavior. In this session, we shall look at a variety of Talmudic passages approaching the issues that face people in business, real estate, and other forms of commerce. While interesting in and of themselves, these passages continue to be relevant as many of these challenges are still a part of the human dynamic.