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 thirty second session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - Zealousness vs. Tolerance 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/

Enjoy the thirty first session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - Halacha vs. State: What's the Vehicle for Progress 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: When we don’t feel well, we usually go and see the doctor. But do we have to? Can I let my health slip? Is there an obligation to stay healthy? Come and learn the basic sources behind this question and the meaning behind this technical discussion. 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/

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 presentation by Rabbi Marc Gopin ABOUT THE EVENT: Around the globe, people who work in the helping professions are often heroic bridge-builders and creators of peaceful societies. They have in common, Marc Gopin argues, a set of cultivated moral character traits and psychosocial skills. They tend to be kinder, more reasonable, more self-controlled, and more goal-oriented towards peace. They are united by a particular set of moral values and the emotional skills to put those values into practice, allowing them to excel in what he calls “Compassionate Reasoning.” In this book, Gopin draws upon the history of ethics along with his own thirty-year career in the field of peacebuilding to develop an understanding of this type of reasoning. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Marc Gopin is the Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC), and the James H. Laue Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, at George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia, USA. Gopin h

Enjoy the thirtieth session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - Hobbes vs. Anarchist: A King vs. No King 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: Taking a journey back in time with texts from Midrash & Kabbalah, we will look at how death can be understood and as a result, perhaps what life is about (this can be 1-4 lessons spanning from the idea of death in the Bible and the circle of life in kabbalah through to the idea of resurrection of the dead and the secret of death according to Zohar). ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jonnie Schnytzer is a Phd candidate focusing on medieval kabbalah. His dissertation is focused on the kabbalistic system of thought of Rabbi Joseph ben Shalom Ashkenazi. Jonnie is also preparing a critical edition of Ashkenazi’s commentary on Sefer Yesira. Probably the only PhD student in Jewish Philosophy who can say that he once beat the head of Israeli naval commandos in a swimming race, Jonnie’s also the author of Mossad thriller, The Way Back, which paints a picture of contemporary Israel. Jonnie has recently orchestrated the publishing of an English edition of ‘The Hitler Hagga

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/

Russ Linden is a management consultant, leadership instructor and author, who's worked with public and nonprofit organizations for 35 years. He's also a regular shul goer, and often gives the D'var Torah R his lay-led Shabbat morning service. You can purchase the book (Loss and Discovery: What the Torah Can Teach Us about Leading Change) on Amazon at the link below! https://www.amazon.com/Loss-Discovery-Torah-Leading-Change/dp/1666701114

Enjoy the twenty ninth session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - The Mussar Movement vs. the Hasidic Movement 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 Mindy Weisel ABOUT THE EVENT: This compelling and candid memoir (AFTER: The Obligation of Beauty) by Mindy Weisel, an internationally acclaimed artist and author, traces her search for beauty in her life, which began as a child born in the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Person’s Camp to parents who had survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. This is not her parents’ story, rather, it is a courageous and honest portrait of her struggle to understand the black hole she was born into. Her successful journey in becoming an artist with her own voice, and an unshakable will to live with beauty, is most inspiring. By weaving an eloquent tapestry of her art, narrative, poetry and journals, Ms. Weisel offers moving insights into her life and work, especially her deep-seated conviction that beauty and love can overcome tragedy. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Mindy Weisel, an internationally renowned artist, author and speaker, was elected into the Smithsonian Archives of American Artists in 2000. Her

A virtual event presentation by Dr. David I. Bernstein ABOUT THE EVENT: Mordechai Anilewicz was one of the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in the spring of 1943. Yet alongside him in the ghetto was another Jewish leader, Emmanuel Ringleblum, who chose the pen over the sword. Two heroes, two different kinds of heroism, for their own time and place — and beyond. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dr, David I. Bernstein is the Dean of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Previously he was the Director of Midreshet Lindenbaum. He has a BA and MA in History and a Ph.D. in Religious Education from NYU. His passion for Jewish history has taken him as historian-in-residence with student and adult groups to Poland, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin and other important European sites of Jewish life. -- 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!

ABOUT THE EVENT: How are honeybees portrayed in biblical and later Jewish sources? Why is honey kosher? What is the status of other hive products – bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly? Join Rabbi Amalia to discuss this and other issues relating to bees. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Rabbi Amalia Haas facilitates life cycle events, programming and retreats grounded in Torah, mindfulness, bibliodrama, nature, art and music. She was ordained in 2020 by Yeshivat Maharat and completed a residency in Chaplaincy at the Cleveland Clinic. She is also a Holding Space Consultant with the Institute for Birth, Breath and Death. Her company Bee Awesome markets kosher raw honey for Rosh HaShanah. Her varietal honey tasting and experiential calendar and honey bee programs inspire communities to save the bees and avert climate crisis. She holds an M.A. in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University and a B.A. in Musical Performance from Oberlin College. Amalia lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband Adam, six children ages 10 – 24, and m

Enjoy the twenty eighth session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - Spinoza vs. the Rabbis of Amsterdam 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 event presentation by Professor Marc Zvi Brettler ABOUT THE EVENT: Hannukah is a prime example of a post-biblical festival—but it has left its tracks in the Bible, and is based on biblical texts. We will look at the earliest evidence we have for this festival, and how it has changed over time. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Marc Zvi Brettler is the Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Duke University. His books How to Read the Jewish Bible; The Jewish Study Bible (edited with Adele Berlin); and The Bible and the Believer (with Peter Enns and Daniel Harrington). He co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament, and co-authored The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently, both with Amy-Jill Levine. He is deeply committed to making the Jewish community more aware of the richness of Jewish literature from the past, including the New testament, and to introducing academic biblical study to th

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 seventh session of Valley Beit Midrash's "The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!" series. (1 per week for 40 weeks). Topic - What's the Purpose of Mitzvot? Obedience vs. Meaning 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/