Stroum Lectures Fall 2012
38th Annual Samuel & Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies 2012-13
BEHIND A BEST SELLER:
Kabbalah, Science, and Loving One’s Neighbor
in Pinhas Hurwitz’s Sefer ha-Brit
Oct 22nd & 24th, 2012
7:30pm at 220 Kane Hall, UW Campus
|
Monday, October 22nd: A Remarkable Modern Jewish Book and its Entrepreneurial Author |
Wednesday, October 24th: Who Were the Readers of Sefer ha-Brit and Why Did They Read it? |
Is there a way to reconcile science, religion, and ethics? While this sounds like a 21st-century question, Pinhas Hurwitz dealt with this key challenge of modernity over 200 years ago. His best-seller Sefer ha-Brit (The Book of the Covenant), first published in 1797, argued that scientific knowledge and Kabbalah could fulfill his readers’ highest spiritual goals. With over 40 editions printed over two centuries, this book illuminates Jews’ relationship to modern society and highlights the enduring questions of how science and religion can co-exist meaningfully.
David B. Ruderman is the Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Jewish History and Ella Darivoff Director of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award for his work in Jewish history from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. Several of his notable courses are available on the Great Courses website.
Click here to read Professor Ruderman’s article on Sefer ha-Brit for The Jewish Week
October 22 & 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm in Kane Hall, UW Campus
Reception to follow first lecture on Oct. 22nd
