December, 2015
To our members and friends, I hope you are well.
It has been gratifying reaching so many people through classes and online offerings through our Institute. We thank all who are supporters and members and who have been participating in the wide variety of learning opportunities as we spread our vision across the country and beyond.
Here are some upcoming highlights for December-January:
Sunday December 6, 10:00-11:00 am: I will give a lecture, “Amos, Prophet of Social Justice,” at Congregation Hochma U'mussar 718 Avenue S, Brooklyn. Free and open to the public.
Shabbat December 18-19: I will be the scholar-in-residence at Congregation Sherith Israel in Nashville, Tennessee (3600 West End Ave). Free and open to the public.
Shabbat January 15-16: I will be the scholar-in-residence at the Kemp Mill Synagogue, Silver Spring, Maryland (11910 Kemp Mill Rd). Free and open to the public.
Saturday night, January 23, 8:30-9:30 pm: The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals and Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (125 East 85th Street in Manhattan) are co-sponsoring a three-part series, History at Home: Saturday Night Fights: Great Jewish Debates. I will give the second lecture, “Controversies over the Historicity of Biblical Passages in Traditional Commentary.” Free and open to the public.
Year-Long Course: Navigating Through Nach: A Survey of the Prophets Beginning on Wednesday evening, January 27, I will resume our journey through the nineteen books of the Bible from Joshua through Chronicles. The best of traditional and contemporary scholarship will be employed as we study the central themes of each book. The course is taught at a high scholarly level but is accessible to people of all levels of Jewish learning. We have had over sixty people attending in the fall session. In the winter session we will cover the Books of Kings, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. All are welcome to join, and each lecture stands on its own so you can join at any time. If you want to catch up on previous lectures, you can find the fall session classes and source sheets on our website, jewishideas.org, under Online Learning.
Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:00pm Winter session dates: January 27, February 3, 10, 17, 24, March 2, 9, 16 Location: Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, 125 East 85th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues in Manhattan).
I also speak at Kehilath Jeshurun (125 East 85th Street) nearly every Shabbat and on holidays at their Sephardic Minyan, and give additional classes at KJ as well. All are welcome to join our vibrant, growing community, as we develop the ideas and ideals of our Institute in a communal framework.
I also am teaching advanced undergraduate Bible courses full-time in the Isaac Breuer College of Yeshiva University. This coming semester we will be learning the Books of Numbers, I Samuel, and Psalms.
My forthcoming book, a commentary on Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi is in the editing process, to be published by Maggid Press in Israel as part of their growing series of commentaries on the Bible.
Finally, please check out our Online Learning section on our website, jewishideas.org, for the latest recordings of my classes. I thank all of our members and friends for their ongoing support and participation as we spread our vision to thousands of people throughout the country and beyond. I look forward to learning together with you and growing the reach of our Institute with your help and involvement.
Have a wonderful Hanukkah,
Rabbi Hayyim Angel, National Scholar