Valley Beit Midrash

ABOUT THIS EVENT: Let’s forget everything we’ve been told about what it means to be Jewish and delve into the four books which forever made, and changed Jewish history; The Bible – where our story begins; The Talmud – when we are told to question everything; The Guide for the Perplexed – the book which told to be rational, & The Zohar – the book which revealed God’s secret. In this class we will learn about the unique revolution offered by each book, unravel what it has meant to be Jewish over time, and perhaps even come to question what being Jewish means for each one of us. ABOUT THIS 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 aut