Turn it and Turn it

The Catholic Church and the Jewish People in Contemporary Times (1/3) with Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths" 
This course will survey the complex and evolving relationship between Jews and Catholics in modern times, beginning with the statement issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 which retracted the Church’s long-standing claim that Jews are guilty of deicide, or God murder.
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/03/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

Minim Stories in the Babylonian Talmud: Heretics and the Jewish-Christian Literary Dialogue (3/3) with Dr. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
Stories portraying heretics ('minim') in rabbinic literature are a central site of rabbinic engagement with the 'other'. These stories typically involve a conflict over the interpretation of a biblical verse in which the rabbinic figure emerges victorious in the face of a challenge presented by the heretic. In this course, we will focus on heretic narratives of the Babylonian Talmud that share a common literary structure, strong polemical language and the formula, 'Fool, look to the end of the verse'. We will use previously untapped Christian materials to arrive at new interpretations of familiar texts and illuminate the complex relationship between Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity.These Talmudic literary creations must be seen as part of a boundary-creating discourse that clearly distinguishes the rabbinic position from that of contemporaneous Christians and adds to a growing understanding of the rabbinic authors' familiarity with Christian traditions.
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/16/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

Minim Stories in the Babylonian Talmud: Heretics and the Jewish-Christian Literary Dialogue (2/3) with Dr. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths" 
Stories portraying heretics ('minim') in rabbinic literature are a central site of rabbinic engagement with the 'other'. These stories typically involve a conflict over the interpretation of a biblical verse in which the rabbinic figure emerges victorious in the face of a challenge presented by the heretic. In this course, we will focus on heretic narratives of the Babylonian Talmud that share a common literary structure, strong polemical language and the formula, 'Fool, look to the end of the verse'. We will use previously untapped Christian materials to arrive at new interpretations of familiar texts and illuminate the complex relationship between Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity.These Talmudic literary creations must be seen as part of a boundary-creating discourse that clearly distinguishes the rabbinic position from that of contemporaneous Christians and adds to a growing understanding of the rabbinic authors' familiarity with Christian traditions.
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/09/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

Minim Stories in the Babylonian Talmud: Heretics and the Jewish-Christian Literary Dialogue (1/3) with Dr. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
Stories portraying heretics ('minim') in rabbinic literature are a central site of rabbinic engagement with the 'other'. These stories typically involve a conflict over the interpretation of a biblical verse in which the rabbinic figure emerges victorious in the face of a challenge presented by the heretic. In this course, we will focus on heretic narratives of the Babylonian Talmud that share a common literary structure, strong polemical language and the formula, 'Fool, look to the end of the verse'. We will use previously untapped Christian materials to arrive at new interpretations of familiar texts and illuminate the complex relationship between Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity. These Talmudic literary creations must be seen as part of a boundary-creating discourse that clearly distinguishes the rabbinic position from that of contemporaneous Christians and adds to a growing understanding of the rabbinic authors' familiarity with Christian traditions.
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 11/02/2022 as part of Drisha's Fall Zman. 

The Early Development of Jewish Universalism: From the Bible to the Rabbinic Period with Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
This lecture will explore the origins and development of universalist thinking in biblical texts and in documents produced by Greek speaking Jews in the late Second Temple period. Understood as the invitation to all people to worship the same god without converting or assimilating, Jewish universalism solidified into an idea which became predominant in Jewish thinking during the Hellenistic era.
This audio was originally recorded on 06/30/2021.

Does God Want Other Nations to Keep the Torah? An Aggadic History with Rabba Wendy Amsellem

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
Through the prism of Talmudic tales, this lecture will address questions relating to community, obligation, and the relationship between the Torah and humanity.
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 06/23/2021 as part of an evening series open to the public in association with Drisha’s Summer Kollel.

The Legacy of the Ten Plagues (3/3) with Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
The vividly dramatic account of the ten plagues in Exodus 7-12 has long captured the Jewish imagination and given rise to various interpretations and retellings which consider the meaning of this story. This series will open by exploring how Jews in the Second Temple period viewed the story as an origin tale rich with meaning regarding the beginnings of the Jewish people and their chosenness. It then considers the ways in which the legend also intrigued Greeks, Romans, and early Christians, who modified and circulated the story as a way of making a claim about the Jewish people’s origins. The series closes with an examination of how the story of the plagues stirred profound feelings of pride and ambivalence among rabbinic writers who struggled to comprehend the reason for human suffering and the nature of the covenantal God.
This audio was originally recorded on 04/21/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

The Legacy of the Ten Plagues (2/3) with Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
The vividly dramatic account of the ten plagues in Exodus 7-12 has long captured the Jewish imagination and given rise to various interpretations and retellings which consider the meaning of this story. This series will open by exploring how Jews in the Second Temple period viewed the story as an origin tale rich with meaning regarding the beginnings of the Jewish people and their chosenness. It then considers the ways in which the legend also intrigued Greeks, Romans, and early Christians, who modified and circulated the story as a way of making a claim about the Jewish people’s origins. The series closes with an examination of how the story of the plagues stirred profound feelings of pride and ambivalence among rabbinic writers who struggled to comprehend the reason for human suffering and the nature of the covenantal God.
This audio was originally recorded on 04/14/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

The Legacy of the Ten Plagues (1/3) with Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths" 
The vividly dramatic account of the ten plagues in Exodus 7-12 has long captured the Jewish imagination and given rise to various interpretations and retellings which consider the meaning of this story. This series will open by exploring how Jews in the Second Temple period viewed the story as an origin tale rich with meaning regarding the beginnings of the Jewish people and their chosenness. It then considers the ways in which the legend also intrigued Greeks, Romans, and early Christians, who modified and circulated the story as a way of making a claim about the Jewish people’s origins. The series closes with an examination of how the story of the plagues stirred profound feelings of pride and ambivalence among rabbinic writers who struggled to comprehend the reason for human suffering and the nature of the covenantal God.
This audio was originally recorded on 04/07/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman. 

Love of God, Love of Fellow: Encountering God in the Face of the Other with Dr. Eitan P. Fishbane

This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Judaism & Other Faiths"
Jews and Christians have lived together for 2000 years, through theological tension, cooperation, polemics, and violence. What are the theological issues that have defined each group’s identity over the course of time? How did each community read the Bible? Are there commonalities to be found between the kabbalistic and Hasidic traditions and Christianity?
Click here to view the accompanying source sheet. 
This audio was originally recorded on 12/27/2017 as part of Drisha's Winter Week.