School of Humanities

In many legends and stories, the Talmudic rabbis depict God in shockingly human terms: the divine being wears tefillin and prays, studies Torah, weeps, makes mistakes, and suffers correction by humans. Were the rabbis just having fun? Or were these anthropomorphic representations of God grounded in a subversive resistance to prevailing Greco-Roman ideas about the divine? This lecture considers the ancient rabbis’ use of humor and play to explore and express the “seriously” distinctive character of Israel’s God.

The Klezmatics are globally-renowned world music superstars, playing klezmer steeped in Eastern European Jewish tradition and spirituality mixed with a broad range of eclectic musical influences - music that is wild, mystical, provocative, reflective, and ecstatically danceable.

By its very nature, the ideals of religion entail sin and failure. Judaism has its own language and framework for sin that expresses itself both legally, where sin is permissible or mandated, and philosophically, asking the questions - why sin occurs and how does Judaism react to religious crisis. Prof. Bashevkin will weave together biblical and rabbinic studies to reveal a holistic portrait of the notion of sin and failure within Jewish thought.

Please join us for a mesmerizing concert of Baroque Sephardic music, where the rich tapestry of history comes alive through enchanting melodies and rhythms.