Prof. Ron Hendel will discuss his new commentary on the Book of Genesis and its meaning through the ages.

Discover the foods of the Biblical world and how they were produced. We’ll learn about farming in Biblical Israel and neighboring lands, and how the basic foods were processed from the crops. Then we’ll look into everything from cooking methods to the seasonings and other ingredients that made Biblical cuisine s... Read more

Closing Session: Our Gift to You! Join us for the closing session of this course with international baroque music conductor and expert, Nicholas McGegan!

Not sure who Jephthah is, or his (unnamed) daughter? Watch the video of this week's session about the Judges Chapter 11&nbs... Read more

“All the world is not worth the day on which the Song of Songs was given to the people of Israel.” So proclaimed Rabbi Akiba 2,000 years ago, in defense of a little book of poems about which raged a big rabbinic controversy: Did this slender book of love poetry deserve a place in the canon alongside “weightier” books of psalms and prophecy, creation stories and liberation tales? In the end, Rabbi Akiba prevailed, and since that time, Jews from many cultures have been reciting Shir Hashirim,... Read more

Read and study the Zohar, the masterpiece of Kabbalah in the original Aramaic with Daniel Matt. The upcoming Zohar course (Series 31) runs from April 1 through May 20 on Zoom (including April 3, 24; May 1, 8, 15, 22) from 11am–12:15pm, Pacific. This course will explore volume 3 of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition.

In anticipation of Shavuot, this program will explore the relationship between the Torah given at Sinai and the Torah developed in the academies of Pumpedita. Through close readings of Talmudic texts and later philosophical and theological interpretations, we will examine the radical concept of the Oral Torah, and try to understand how rabbinic tradition balances sacred origin with human creativity.