Valley Beit Midrash

As part of the weekly Parsha Podcast on Divine Ethics and Human Justice with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

Enjoy the twenty sixth session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - Body vs. Soul In this class, we will explore the 40 greatest debates in Jewish history. We will study texts, reflect on the historical contexts, and discuss the values involved. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz will present for about 20-30 minutes and then the remaining 30-40 minutes will be for questions and conversation. DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

This lecture is in honor of Dr. Sherman Minkoff. ABOUT THE EVENT: The Hebrew School I attended as a child taught us about every catastrophe that befell the Jewish People. It was a tale of endless destruction, persecution, and exile. But left out of the story they told us was the best part — the miraculous capacity of the Jewish People to turn catastrophe into opportunity, and tragedy into creativity. The Jewish talent for renewal, re-invention, and resilience can give us hope for our future. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rabbi Ed Feinstein is senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California. He serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), was chosen for the American Library Association’s Top Ten Books on Rel

As part of the weekly Parsha Podcast on Divine Ethics and Human Justice with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jon Greenberg Event Co-Sponsored By: Sinai and Synapses, Scientists and Synagogues Program ABOUT THE EVENT: The class will cover many of the following ideas – *How the discoveries of Isaac Newton and Ferdinand Magellan changed the halachic definitions of up and down *Changing meaning within Tanach: Why is “a land dripping with milk and honey” a blessing in Torah but a curse in Isaiah?” *How did the Talmud’s classification of living things anticipate a scientific discovery by 1700 years? *Structure of the Solar System in the Talmud and later ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jon Greenberg received his Bachelor’s degree with honors in biology from Brown University and his Master’s and Doctorate in agronomy from Cornell University. He has also studied with Rabbi Chaim Brovender at Israel’s Yeshivat HaMivtar and conducted research on corn, alfalfa, and soybeans at Cornell, the US Department of Agriculture, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Cancer Research. Since 1989, h

ABOUT THE EVENT: This event will be a book interview of Dr. Fishbane’s latest work of original poetry entitled: “EMBERS OF PILGRIMAGE”. Rabbi Dr. Aubrey Glazer, who wrote the interpretive introduction, will offer a valuable voice in drawing meaning from the poetry while in conversation with Dr. Fishbane. Rabbi Dr. Aubrey is also the Director of The Panui Institute, of which this book is a project. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dr. Eitan P. Fishbane is Associate Professor of Jewish Thought at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), where he teaches students in all five graduate and undergraduate schools. Fishbane earned his Ph.D. and B.A., summa cum laude, from Brandeis University, and he served on the faculties of Carleton College and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion before coming to JTS in 2006. A 2015-2016 JTS Chancellor’s Fellow, Fishbane recently completed a term of service on the Faculty Executive Committee; he serves on the Rabbinical School Council at JTS, as B.A. and M.A. Advisor in Jewish Thoug

Enjoy the twenty fifth session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - Love: Emotion vs. Deed In this class, we will explore the 40 greatest debates in Jewish history. We will study texts, reflect on the historical contexts, and discuss the values involved. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz will present for about 20-30 minutes and then the remaining 30-40 minutes will be for questions and conversation. DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

As part of the weekly Parsha Podcast on Divine Ethics and Human Justice with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

Enjoy the twenty fourth session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic: Judging Others Favorably vs. Judging for Justice In this class, we will explore the 40 greatest debates in Jewish history. We will study texts, reflect on the historical contexts, and discuss the values involved. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz will present for about 20-30 minutes and then the remaining 30-40 minutes will be for questions and conversation. DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

A virtual presentation by Rabbi Dr. Devorah Schoenfeld ABOUT THE EVENT: The Song of Songs is a collection of poems describing romantic love, and is traditionally read as an allegory for the love between God and God’s people. Traditional commentaries have tended to read the Song of Songs as one continuous narrative, telling a single love story between two lovers. But is the Song of Songs one story or many? And how many lovers are there really? Using Rashi’s commentary and Midrash Rabbah as well as modern scholarship we will look at different possible answers to these questions, and how they can help us think about what it means to love God in a complicated world. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rabbi Dr. Devorah Schoenfeld is associate professor of Judaism at Loyola University Chicago. She received her PhD from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley in 2007 and her rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Maharat in 2019. Her research is on biblical interpretation and Jewish-Christian relations. -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/

As part of the weekly Parsha Podcast on Divine Ethics and Human Justice with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

Enjoy the twenty third session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic: Prioritizing the Poor vs. Equity Toward all Parties In this class, we will explore the 40 greatest debates in Jewish history. We will study texts, reflect on the historical contexts, and discuss the values involved. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz will present for about 20-30 minutes and then the remaining 30-40 minutes will be for questions and conversation. DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

A virtual presentation by Jonnie Schnytzer ABOUT THE EVENT: Chassidic masters created a Jewish revolution, which rekindled a mass of souls that were on the verge of burning out. They chose stories & melodies over the study-hall. In this series we feel the power & charm of the Chassidic stories, as well as learn how these brought God and His Torah not only to the learned, but also to the locksmith. Let’s go back in time and hear the stories as they were told in the heart of forests, inside wagons and ultimately, penetrating into the very study-halls, which opposed the Chassidic movement (this can be 1-8 lessons focusing on the background and rise of the Besht, the story of Chassidic masters and the stories they told (Ba’al Shem Tov, R. Nahman of Breslav, The Rozhiner Rebber, Chabad etc), the many aspects of the chassidic story – the idea of a multilayered story suited for everyone; giving simple meaning as well as vehicles carrying secrets, the story as a new way of teaching Torah, the story as a magical char

As part of the weekly Parsha Podcast on Divine Ethics and Human Justice with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

A virtual event presentation by Professor Paul Franks ABOUT THE EVENT: What is the legacy of German Judaism, and what can it still offer us today? German Judaism began with Moses Mendelssohn’s controversial German translation of the Humash in 1783, and ended with the Nazi pogrom of November 1938. The best known slogan of the Torah-true wing of German Judaism is “Torah im derekh erets” (“Torah with the way of the land”). But this slogan is often misunderstood as nothing more than an educational philosophy that came in one flavor. In fact, it is an ideal of humanity articulated, in several competing versions, in the context of the quest for Jewish civil rights. The German-Jewish tradition raises vital questions that remain relevant today: What is the mission of Jews within civil society? What makes a Jewish community Jewish? What role should Jews play within the ongoing struggle for social justice and civil rights? ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Paul Franks is the Robert F. and Patricia Ross Weis Professor of Phil

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Cohen ABOUT THE EVENT: By any measure (except the rawest type of vengeance) our carceral system is broken. In this class we will take a look at a Rabbinic understanding of justice which is not punishment centered, but rather center’s the victim’s experience and looks at the threeway relationship between victim/survivor, offender, and society as the basis for creating safety and justice for everybody. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Cohen is Professor of Rabbinic Literature at American Jewish University, Rabbi in Residence at Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Southern California, a co-convener of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance (BJJA), and immediate past chair of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE). He was the recipient of the 2016 Giant of Justice Award from CLUE. Cohen‘s latest book is Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism. -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybe

Enjoy the twenty second session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic: Auschwitz vs. Sinai: Which is the More Central Jewish Narrative Today? In this class, we will explore the 40 greatest debates in Jewish history. We will study texts, reflect on the historical contexts, and discuss the values involved. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz will present for about 20-30 minutes and then the remaining 30-40 minutes will be for questions and conversation. DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

As part of the weekly Parsha Podcast on Divine Ethics and Human Justice with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig ABOUT THE EVENT: In this class we will be looking at the different attitudes within Jewish law towards the possibility of abortion. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rav Yoni Rosensweig is the Rabbi of the Netzach Menashe community in Beit Shemesh, a teacher in Midreshet Linenbaum, and author of several books. -- DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/

Enjoy the twenty first session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic: Capital Punishment vs. The Death Penalty In this class, we will explore the 40 greatest debates in Jewish history. We will study texts, reflect on the historical contexts, and discuss the values involved. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz will present for about 20-30 minutes and then the remaining 30-40 minutes will be for questions and conversation. DONATE: www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP​​​​​​​ For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library/ www.facebook.com/valleybeitmi...​ Become a member today, starting at just $18 per month! Click the link to see our membership options: www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member/