Drawing upon 3,000 years of Jewish intellectual thought, the Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought is a
multi-denominational and independent think tank developing new ideas to enrich Jewish life.
World-leading thinkers, scholars and educators gather here to ignite pluralistic, intellectually sophisticated and inspiring Jewish thought for the 21st century.   
 
People today live in an open marketplace of ideas, ideologies and lifestyles. To flourish in this marketplace and transform the complex challenges of our time into opportunities for growth, Judaism must be receptive to critical thinking, contemporary scholarship, and interdisciplinary exchange. By nurturing innovative, cutting-edge Jewish scholarship, women's voices in Jewish academia, and interreligious dialogue with world-renowned theologians, the Kogod Research Center underscores the deep relevance of Judaism to a life of fulfillment in today's world.
The Fellows are drawn from the faculties of Israel’s leading institutes of advanced education and come to the Center for intensive yearround work. Back to top
 
 The Scholars Forum is a research framework for a select group of world-class academics that develops value-based analyses and interpretations of the classic Jewish library. Back to top
 
Junior Scholars Programs
The Junior Scholars Programs nurture a promising cadre of Judaic scholars dedicated to addressing contemporary challenges and deepening the connection between Jewish scholarship and everyday life.
 
Junior Scholars Programs include: the Graduate Beit Midrash for outstanding MA students, the Junior Fellows Program for distinguished PhD candidates, the Maskilot Fellowship Program for a select group of female PhD candidates to bolster the inclusion of female scholars in the upper echelons of Israeli life, and Seder Nashim for MA students through post-doctoral students committed to exploring the intersections of Jewish studies and gender studies. Back to top
 
Osher Department of Religious Pluralism
The Osher Department of Religious Pluralism engages senior academics and prominent religious figures from the Christian and Islamic communities around the world in learning conferences with Jewish scholars, laying the foundations for advances in interreligious research, pluralism and understanding. Back to top

     
   
Engaging Israel: Beyond Advocacy
The Jewish community and Israel have failed to develop a new Jewish narrative for the Jewish people around the world on which to base their relationship with Israel
VIDEO: David Hartman To Deliver Final Lecture of Spring Series on March 8, 2010
Rabbi Prof. David Hartman will deliver his final lecture of the Spring 2010 Jay and Hadasa Pomrenze Lecture Series, titled, “Talmudic and Traditional Perspectives on the Legal and Moral Status of Women, Converts and Non-Jews,” at 20:00, March 8, 2010
Video of Edward Bronfman Family Foundation Annual Lecture, ‘Holy Living in Human Bodies,’ February, 16, 2010, Now Online
The video of the 2010 Edward Bronfman Family Foundation Annual Lecture on Religious Pluralism, ‘Holy Living in Human Bodies,’ held February, 16, 2010, is now available for viewing
Who Is A Rabbi?
Let us make sure that our rabbis are neither viewed nor view themselves as prophets who own the word of God, and who are the sole communicators of this word to a disempowered people
No More Blind Faith in Rabbis
“As a community, we will have to pay a heavy price: To give up some respect for the rabbis and to be more critical of them. Authority and charisma, accompanied by spiritual and religious power, create an opening for sexual abuse.” Channa Pinchasi offers her thoughts on the Rabbi Elon affair.
David Hartman Lecture to Feature Readings from Tova Hartman on Orthodox Jewish Feminism
Rabbi Prof. David Hartman will speak Februrary 22, 2010, on ‘Readings from Dr. Tova Hartman Confronting Fundamentalist Orthodoxy’s Approaches to Jewish Feminism’
Havruta 4: “The Business of Ethics”: A Letter to Our Readers
Our fourth issue of Havruta is devoted to a timely topic, “The Business of Ethics.” The financial crisis affects us all: it shakes our foundations
‘Holy Living in Human Bodies,’ is title for 2010 Edward Bronfman Family Foundation Annual Lecture
The Edward Bronfman Family Foundation Annual Lecture on Religious Pluralism for 2010 is titled, ‘Holy Living in Human Bodies,’ and is set for Tuesday, February 16, 2010. A video will be posted online shortly afterward
2010 International Theology Conference at Hartman Institute, February 14-18, 2010, is titled, ‘Holy Living in Human Bodies’ (Video)
The invitation-only conference will address questions such as: What does it mean to be made “in God’s image” in these mortal bodies? What moral implications arise from a serious engagement with the animal nature in which our rational self-awareness dwells?
New book: ‘Traditional Jews in Israel: Modernity Without Secularization’ by Yaakov Yadgar
The book reveals the character of the mesoratim as a modern identity structure that holds a fruitful dialogue, both critical and respectful, with the Jewish tradition, instead of either negating tradition or modernity
Hartman Institute scholars write on controversy over segregated bus lines in Israeli media
Hartman Institute’s Avi Sagi and Adi Ophir have each published opinion articles on the controversy surrounding sex-segregated bus lines in Israel on leading Israeli news websites
A sense of space: Envisioning an Israel that enables religious difference
A kibbutz funeral where a Rolling Sones song is played provides a glimpse of how Israel should embrace an expansive view of pluralistic Judaism
In the midst of the freeze
A standstill must not be all that we yearn for. If we lower our expectations they will be fulfilled
The Talmudic Comedy: Romance, Masks and Traditional Texts
The oldest known Hebrew play is a romantic comedy full of sexual innuendo, which makes use of quotes and references from classic Jewish texts as raw comic and dramatic material. Yair Lipshitz researched the play and found that it allowed its audience, Italian Jewry in the 16th century, to view the ancient texts in a new way, which in all likelihood was not possible within the synagogue or the Beit Midrash.
Revenge
‘Inglourious Basterds,’ the new movie by the director Quentin Tarantino, describes a Jewish campaign of revenge against the Nazis at the peak of World War II which leads to a change in the course of history. This is a brutal, scathing, baseless and breathtaking fabrication and its sweeping cinematic manifestation raises questions regarding the gap between the fantasy of revenge in the cultural sense and the desire to fulfill it. Yoske Ahitov examines these questions and describes how Jewish culture deals with the issue of revenge and its place in the space between the text and the idea, on the one hand, and the act and execution, on the other. He further examines the question of whether grandiose fantasizing about revenge can free a person from the longing for revenge, or whether it in fact intensifies the desire to fulfill the fantasy.
What Did Poetry Give Ibn Gvirol That Philosophy Could Not?
Shlomo Ibn Gvirol is known as a wonderful poet and an influential philosopher, writes Menachem Lorberbaum. However, while his philosophical writing deals with the importance of the human journey towards perfection using the intellect, poetry allowed him to relate to the materiality of the human body. On the tension between writing philosophy and writing poetry, and the complexity of the author’s world.
Between a Legal Inquiry and a Discussion of Ethics
The Spirit of the IDF Document and the Investigation of Operation Cast Lead: Professor Avi Sagi, one of the authors of the Spirit of IDF document which replaced the army’s Code of Ethics, explains that one of the document’s objectives is to block the attempt by terrorists to undermine the moral values of Israeli society. He writes that Israel needs to determine whether from this point of view the behavior of its soldiers during Operation Cast Lead gave terror a victory.
One Mount, Two Religions, Three Proposals
The controversy over the Temple Mount is again threatening to ignite the region. Three Israeli and Jewish viewpoints suggest a different perspective on the holiness of the site and the meaning of sovereignty over it. Professor Israel Knohl relates to the partial fulfillment of Yeshayahu’s vision; Professor Elhanan Reiner explains the idea behind aliyah le’regel; and Professor Menachem Fisch explains that the holiness of place is not connected to ownership.
Cultivating a culture of innovative traditionalism
Shalom Hartman Institute is dedicated to bridging tradition and modernity and confronts philosophical and theological questions that arise from the challenging reality of Judaism in the 21st century
New book: ‘A Double-Edged Sword’
Dr. Elie Holzer’s new book examines the attitude toward national military activism as it is expressed in the writings of thinkers, rabbis and public figures within the religious Zionist community and describes its development since the beginning of nationalist Zionism until the Disengagement in 2005 and events in Amona in 2006. Holzer’s research explains how Religious Zionism changed from being a staunch opponent to the use of military force to being a fervent supporter of the military ethos and describes the new trends in interpretation in the Religious Zionist camp as a result of the tension between the ideology that sanctifies the military and the fact that the IDF is subject to policy decisions that involve the evacuation of settlements
How did the word “Jew” become the name most identified with the Jewish People?
How did the word “Jew” become the name most identified with the Jewish People as a whole? Orit Avnery reviews the development of the name and its identification: from the son of Yaakov and Leah to the monarchy of Judah and to the Babylonian Exile and those who returned from it, as well as its decline and marginalization following the Bar Kochba revolt
God’s rainbow: Anger management device
The research of Professor Yair Lorberbaum on the image of God in the Bible shows that in contrast to the positions of most of the classical commentators and researchers the Biblical God is subject to emotional flare-ups and is affected by his relations with man. God`s longing for a connection with man, claims Professor Lorberbaum, is sometimes in conflict with his historic plans; however, this longing itself essentially constitutes the deep motivation for his plans
The secular Ten Commandments of Bialik
The followers of Israeli poet Haim Nahman Bialik were in raptures over his poetry and his innovations but consistently ignored his call for the building of a secular halakha that would define an obligatory ethical foundation for the emerging national entity. Ari Alon directs our attention to a speech the national poet gave a year before his death in which he coined two historic Jewish terms. Alongside his warning of the coming Holocaust, Bialik asked that his audience make known to the world a new set of Ten Commandments - a secular Ten Commandments that will be kept between nations
‘Of What Use is a Candle in Broad Daylight?’ The Reinvention of a Myth
Has the sun always been large and dazzling and the moon smaller, waxing and waning each month? Or were the cosmos different at the dawn of Creation? The Jewish view of the luminaries ranges beyond the skies, to the biblical text and its interpretive tradition. For us, the story of the sun and moon speaks of our lives and experiences as humans
New Havruta article online: ‘Of What Use is a Candle in Broad Daylight?’ The Reinvention of a Myth By Melila Hellner-Eshed
Has the sun always been large and dazzling and the moon smaller, waxing and waning each month? Or were the cosmos different at the dawn of Creation?
Update: David Hartman lecture January 11: Eric Fromm’s humanistic approach to halakha
January 11 lecture completes Fred and Della Worms Lecture Series on spiritual opportunities and dangers of halakha
Hartman Institute mourns passing of Robert H. Smith
The Shalom Hartman Institute mourns the passing of Robert H. Smith, z”l, and prays that God bring comfort to the Smith and Kogod families
Reclaiming our vision of a Jewish State
We need to develop a new Jewish conversation in Israel, one which religious, traditional, secular, and all others in between can participate in together
Scholars Circle to conduct first Winter Conference
The Hartman Institute North American Scholars Circle is conducting its first annual Winter Conference the first week of January 2010, and a highlight is a special presentation by scholar and author Michael Walzer, titled, ‘The Anomalies of Jewish Identity.’
David Hartman Winter 2010 public lecture series premieres Jan. 25
David Hartman will focus on the clash of modernity and traditional Judaism in his Winter 2010 Jay and Hadasa Pomrenze Lecture Series. The title will be: ‘Talmudic and Traditional Perspectives on the Legal and Moral Status of Women, Converts and Non-Jews’
Hartman Institute launches Hebrew website
Hartman Institute launches Hebrew website
Hartman Institute to conduct memorial evening for Yochanan Muffs
Shalom Hartman Institute will conduct a memorial evening in January for world-renowned Judaic studies scholar Yochanan Muffs, who died December 6, 2009
The IDF’s moral eclipse
Assuming the Goldstone report is distorted and dripping with hatred for Israel, does that justify the lack of an investigation into what happened during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip?
The fight over Israeli law vs. Jewish law
A state governed by Jewish law is a not a state where all Jews can live in. God made room for the world through self-contracting. We must cease yearning for the day in which all of our ideological realities will prevail
Women at a funeral: The last act of kindness
I want to change the world, to amend it. And there is also what to amend in the cemetery as in life. Our society, in this matter, is tarrying
Doing what we must to bring Gilad Shalit home
Our enemies may interpret the price we pay as weakness. We know it is not that we ignored the price but rather that it is our greatest strength
VIDEO: Hartman Institute scholar Israel Knohl in National Geographic TV special
Shalom Hartman Institute Senior Fellow Israel Knohl is the featured player on a major National Geographic channel documentary and gives a lecture at Harvard
New Hartman Institute video shows breadth, depth of Institute activities in North America, Israel
New Shalom Hartman Institute video shows the benefits and life-enriching services we provide to thousands of people, young and old, professional and student, secular and religious, Jewish and non-Jewish, North American and Israeli, year in and year out
The spirit of the IDF ethics code and the investigation of Operation Cast Lead
One of the objectives of the ‘Spirit of the IDF’ document is to block the attempt by terrorists to undermine the moral values of Israeli society. Israel needs to determine whether from this point of view the behavior of its soldiers during Operation Cast Lead gave terror a victory
Hartman Institute announces reorganization for growth
The Shalom Hartman Institute is pleased to announce a new organizational structure built around three centers focusing on our core areas of advanced Judaic Studies research, educational initiatives in Israel, and North American leadership development.
Hartman Institute scholars, ideas, and programs in the news recently
Hartman Institute ideas, scholars, and programs - Be’eri - have been in the news a great deal recently
Religious Zionist soldiers must swear allegiance to army, State, or stay out of IDF
Religious Zionism must decide if commitment to holiness of Land of Israel overrides other concerns; if so, they must declare conscientious objection to serving in IDF
Israel must return to culture of constructive criticism lost since Rabin’s death
Israel is a society of deep differences. When each sector becomes defensive at its own moral challenges, we have institutionalized moral mediocrity and failings. We can harness our differences into a powerful force for improvement if we build a healthy and vibrant culture of dialogue, respectful debate and mutual criticism
Auschwitz or Sinai?
Our bodies have painfully tasted man’s indifference and inhumanity to his fellow man. We have witnessed in our own flesh the moral evil present in human society. Our suffering should not lead us to self-righteous postures, but to an increased sensitivity about all human suffering
Bringing our boys home
One life has infinite value, and as such there can be no disproportionate payment. If one of our children comes home there is no price, there is no numerical equivalent we have to worry about
Hartman Institute participating in Sukkot learning, culture festival in Jerusalem
Shalom Hartman Institute will be one of the Jerusalem centers offering programs during Gateways, a festival of Jewish learning and culture that draws together secular, traditional and religious to celebrate Jewish learning and culture
17 leading thinkers named to inaugural Hartman North American Scholars Circle
Hartman North American Scholars Circle is a division of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Robert and Arlene Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought, which has been formed to provide new ideas and responses to the moral and spiritual challenges facing contemporary North American Jewry
Reflections on the existential rhythms of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
The language of the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayers is not meant to terrorize us into self-negating submission. The stark, evocative imagery of the liturgy is aimed primarily at shattering complacency
Is and ought for the holidays
The Yamim Noraim lead us to see statements of should and ought as moral claims that extend beyond past history. We might hear such comments as indications of our responsible aspirations and our hopeful desires. Should and ought can be motivational terms
A High Holidays guide, including a new video from Donniel Hartman
Please read, download, and use these materials during your personal and professional reflections during this month. Let us know what you think of them, and tell us how you used them
Beyond Maimonides: The search for God in postmodern America
The current penchant for motion and journeys may prove disorienting and taxing on the soul. As we settle into the new millennium, religious seekers may create a new conceptual framework, another theological dance between earth and heaven
HAVRUTA NEWS: Interview with leading scholar of mysticism, Moshe Idel, now online
Two articles from the third issue of Havruta, ‘The Spiritual Quest,’ are now available online
The sages, Tisha B’Av, self-correction and salvation
As we commemorate the period between 17 Tammuz and Tisha B`Av, I find consolation in the fact that our sages were able to point out their own and their students’ deficiencies courageously, thus showing us the way to self-correction and salvation in our days
Hartman Institute creating ‘North American Scholars Circle’
Shalom Hartman Institute is creating a new initiative - the Hartman North American Scholars Circle, as part of a select group of recommended scholars, aimed at creating a new think tank to provide sophisticated new responses and ideas to the particular moral and spiritual challenges facing contemporary North American Jewry
Fun and Fences: The ethics and esthetics of neighborliness in a Midrash and Israeli commercial
Watching Cellcom’s new pastoral, jovial, disturbing commercial about a soccer ball kicked over the Separation Fence I fear Israel may have lost too much in its wayward quest for fun
Summer study programs under at Hartman Institute (Video)
Summertime is in full swing at Shalom Hartman Institute. Nearly 80 Jewish community leaders from across North America arrived at the Institute on July 1, 2009, for a week of lectures, seminars, tours and special events in the Lay Leadership Study Seminar
Kogod lecture Tuesday, June 30, 2009, on role of religion in public space
The Robert P. Kogod Annual Lecture will be given Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at 8 pm, at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem on the subject of ‘The Role of Religion in the Public Space: Israeli and American Perspectives’
The ultra-Orthodox, gays and the future of Jerusalem
If Jerusalem is going to belong to and unify us all, it must be a place that Shabbat observers, non-observers, or those who observe Shabbat in non-halakhic ways all feel at home
Four-part video series: ‘Serving God,’ online now
‘Serving God,’ a four-part lecture series, is based on presentations given in June 2009 to the attendees of the Angelicum Interfaith Fellows program, a new Shalom Hartman Institute initiative that includes priests and members of the laity studying at Pontifical University of Rome.
Send women to spy out the land
What would have happened if women, rather than men, had been sent to spy out the land of Canaan? Would we then have been spared 40 years of wandering in the wilderness?
Shabbat, shmitta, and slavery: Human freedom and the yoke of heaven
Does the Bible see man as free, as a sovereign and autonomous being? From the very beginning, the answer is less than clear-cut
Introduction to Havruta, No. 3: The Spiritual Quest
Havruta journal editor Stuart Schoffman previews the third issue, ‘The Spiritual Quest’
A song for many voices: The soul of secular Israel
In spite of its undeniable shortcomings, Zionism’s dizzying success has been to create native generations of Israelis who see the Land as their natural home. This rootedness has pushed Israelis beyond pragmatism
The tug between obligations to parents and children in Jewish law (Video)
How does religious commitment help us choose between our parents and our children? Which of our identities, as children of our parents, or as parents of our children, is stronger, according to religious belief? Get answers in this video lecture
Evening of lectures, study on politics of birth in Jewish literature, June 17, 2009
Pregnancy and labor in Jewish thought will be the theme of an open evening presenting the scholarship of the Hartman Institute’s Seder Nashim beit midrash program on Judaism and gender, Wednesday, June 17, from 18:00 to 21:00
Beyond Left and Right in Israeli dialogue
This 42nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Six-Day War - source of our great pride and ongoing frustration - is a good moment to affirm that the historical justice and necessity of the sovereign Jewish state are indeed more deeply rooted than Obama noted in his speech
Third issue of Havruta journal explores spirituality
Havruta invites readers to examine diverse aspects of myth and spirituality and includes a roundtable on the topic of Jewish spirituality in America
Havruta Archive - No. 2
New, returning programs in busy Hartman Institute summer (Video)
Shalom Hartman Institute is gearing up for a busy summer, with programs for rabbis, community leaders, Christians, philosophers from mid-June through July
Are Jews ready for Obama?
U.S. President’s speech spoke of hope and morality of aspirations. Can Jewish world embrace Obama vision for Middle East, Jews, Israel, and Islam?
Hartman Institute creates new program for Angelicum Pontifical University of Rome
Shalom Hartman Institute is launching a new initiative for upcoming religious leaders in June 2009, in partnership with the Russell Berrie Fellowship Program at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), one of Rome`s major pontifical universities
New book explores military activism in religious Zionism
Eli Holzer explores the phenomenon of Zionism and militarism in his new book, ‘A Double-Edged Sword: Military Activism in the Thought of Religious Zionism,’ published as part of the Shalom Hartman Institute Israel and Judaism series
Hartman Institute launches ‘Reshit’ - online Hebrew scholarly journal
The Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at Shalom Hartman Institute is proud to announce the launch of Reshit, an online Hebrew language journal dedicated to contemplations in all aspects of Jewish culture
Paucity of ideas threatens Judaism, Israel (Also: video, Hebrew versions)
In a world where all Jews are Jews by choice we will be sustained only if we field a religion filled with ideas and values that inspire commitment and give meaning to belonging
Megillat Ruth and ’Matan Torah‘ to the world
Matan Torah is about a covenant between God and Israel, where God gives Israel the Torah. But there is nothing in Exodus about a universal mission of spreading Torah to the other nations
Hesed and Jewish way of life toward poor, widow, stranger
Megillat Ruth, together with the laws of leket, pe’ah and geulah, are all generalized categorized as forms of hesed, free will giving out of love. Yet in fact there is an interesting tension between these laws for helping the other and voluntarily given hesed
Women, come and read all of the Megillot
Women’s reading of the megilla is not bound by a halahkic obligation or restriction. However, this new and exciting Jewish experience can provide a rich religious and spiritual experience
An introduction to ‘Shavuot: Revelation and Modernity’
Shavuot is one of the most important days of the year at Shalom Hartman Institute, as we are dedicated to learning yearround, and this holiday is an opportunity to share that with the general public both in Israel and now, online
Esther’s not-so-fairy-tale ending
The Book of Esther has a happy ending: the Jews have light and joy, delight and even honor. But it is worth asking what happened to Esther afterwards, when the parties and celebrations were over and life returned to normal
Shavuot 2009 lectures on ethics, war, scheduled at Hartman Institute
The annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot lectures at Shalom Hartman Institute are one of the year’s most anticipated events. This year’s theme is, ‘Ethics, Judaism and War,’ and features lectures in English and Hebrew
Parochial interests can destroy national consensus
Political parties in Israel use the government to satisfy their particular constituencies and ignore the larger community. As long as this continues, we will never build a healthy nation
Israel Knohl speaks about new book on Gabriel Revelation (Video)
Knohl describes the historical Jesus as ’a very devoted and national Jew who wanted to sacrifice his life in order to redeem his people‘
The two-state solution: A Jewish and moral obligation
I am arguing for the proud and vocal adoption of the two-state solution. To do so is to maintain Jewish values. To fail to do so is would damage the moral and Jewish fiber of Israeli society
New book in Yahaduyot series: Eliezer Goldman’s ‘Judaism Without Illusion’
Goldman (1918-2002) was one of the most original and profound Jewish philosophers of our day. His work includes research and independent philosophic creation, and lays out a novel reading of Jewish sources in the light of contemporary philosophy
Pesach shows radical uncertainty of history
The Haggadah gives a sense of security: God will always find a way to enter into the picture and liberate and save Jews. But that story is very hard to tell our children and ourselves in the post-Holocaust world
Israel Knohl to lecture on ‘Dying and Rising messiah in Judaism and Christianity’ in London in May
Lecture will explore formation of concept of the dying and rising Messiah in light of discovery of Gabriel Revelation and is in connection with his new book, ‘Messiahs and Resurrection in the Gabriel Revelation’
Zionism rebooted: The case for peace
Why is the image of Israel as a source of a new vibrant Jewish culture or as the object of our critical engagement not enough to make its place in American Jewish life self-evident? Why is it these strategies have not cleared up the nagging question: Why Israel?
Final Pomrenze lecture by David Hartman tackles Berkovits, women, halakha
David Hartman’s Winter 2009 Pomrenze Lecture Series, which focused on the thinking of three significant 20th century Jewish rabbis and philosophers, Joseph Soloveitchik, Mordecai Kaplan and Eliezer Berkovits, concluded with a final lecture on Berkovits
The death of the right wing in Israel
As is evidenced over the last four weeks of Netanyahu’s coalition discussions, it is clear that there is no right-wing majority within Israeli society
Extremism trumping rationality in modern world
The deepest challenge to Judaism is that we have given up on the belief in the rational capacity of human beings to build a decent life
Pomrenze Lecture rescheduled for March 23
Rabbi Prof. David Hartman has rescheduled to Monday, March 23, 2009, the next session in the Winter 2009 Pomrenze Lecture Series, entitled: ‘Challenges Facing Modern Jewry in Israel and the Diaspora - Reflections on the Thought of Soloveitchik, Kaplan, and Berkovits’
Pomrenze lecture for March 16 rescheduled to March 23
David Hartman`s March 16, 2009, Pomrenze Lecture has been postponed and will be rescheduled for March 23, 2009
Orality, narrative, rhetoric: New directions in Mishnah research
What characterizes the Mishnah as a composition? What kind of project is it? What is the place of midrash within it? What kind of historical value does it hold? What are its relationships to older traditions? Or, in short: what is mishnah
Mort Mandel praised as beit midrash with family name dedicated (Video)
Morton Mandel was lauded as a man with a true love of learning and ideas at the dedication of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Beit Midrash at Shalom Hartman Institute. Watch a video of the ceremony
Video of Hartman Theology Conference forum, ‘Holy Envy’
Video of the 2009 Shalom Hartman Institute Theology Conference public forum, held in honor of late theologian and onetime Hartman Institute fellow, Krister Stendahl, can be seen here
Video: Religious tolerance, real pluralism and ‘Holy Envy’
In opening remarks at a recent public forum during the Shalom Hartman Institute annual Theology Conference, Prof. Menachem Fisch discussed the difference between tolerance and religious pluralism
New ‘Havruta’ Magazine theme: ‘Israel at 60: Judaism and Democracy’
Now on sale, the second issue of Havruta, a Journal of Jewish Conversation, with the theme, ‘Israel at 60: Judaism and Democracy in the Old-New Land’
The ‘queer’ Orthodox Jew
One factor which contributes to the pain of Modern Orthodox singles is their position within the broader Orthodox community: Rarely are singles simply accepted without any caveats, or without the ‘nebich’ factor
Sources for Winter 2009 Pomrenze Lecture series
Sources for Winter 2009 Pomrenze Lecture series by Rabbi Prof. David Hartman
Mandel Beit Midrash to be dedicated February 26
Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel have lived their lives in total dedication and commitment to the well-being of the Jewish people
Theology conference public lecture honors memory of Krister Stendahl
Topic of ‘Holy Envy’ to be addressed by Paula Fredriksen, Jesper Svartvik, Shiraz Hijiani. Rabbi Prof. David Hartman will give a personal note during the evening
Theology conference participants a diverse, global group
List of Jewish, Christian, Muslim theologians from North America, Europe, Israel attending invitation-only theology conference, Feb. 22-26
Purim preview: Who really controls Ahashverosh?
Ahashverosh has a weakness, an Achilles heel, a secret point of vulnerability, which causes him a great deal of anxiety: his relations with women
Ask not what your country can do for you…
It will not serve their parties or Israel`s democracy to have a protracted process of posturing and mutual denigration. Tzipi and Bibi sit down together now. We all know that you know you have no choice
22nd annual Theology Conference set for Feb. 22-26, 2009, at Hartman Institute
Questions to be explored include how death influences our ethical choices, our bonds in community and our alienation from others, the imperative of our personal callings, and the shape of the fears that haunt us most deeply
Israeli and Palestinian relations: Into the future
Our total commitment to resolve the tragic conflict with the Palestinians will be the finest expression of our loyalty to a tradition which seeks to unify solidarity with all of humanity and gratitude for the gift of Judaic particularity
Gaza war shows Israel’s democratic resilience
Along with the democratic capacity to improve, Israel has the democratic conscience to protect its own citizens while trying to minimize the enemy’s civilian casualties, too
Struggling with the Israeli-Palestinian issue, video series
In the wake of Israel`s war on Hamas, and a new U.S. president`s renewed efforts to help bring about peace in the Middle East, Hartman Institute brings you video recordings of three provocative lectures on the Israeli-Palestinian issue
Gaza War: We won, we left, now what?
As Israelis who yearn for peace for ourselves and our neighbors, we would love this war in Gaza be the ‘end of the beginning.’ As we have learned from the Bible, such moments only occur tomorrow - never today
Why we are here in Israel (despite Gaza war)
This is our moment to spin our Israeli yarn, and add to this magical Jewish tapestry with as many golden cords as we can create for as long as we choose, on our timetable, not cowed by anyone`s threats
David Hartman Pomrenze Lecture Series on challenges facing modern Jewry - videos available
Theme is: Challenges Facing Modern Jewry in Israel and the Diaspora - Reflections on the Thought of Soloveitchik, Kaplan, and Berkovits
Israel’s war on Hamas: Special commentary on the war’s justification, consequences and impact
Read these special articles and view the special videos we have prepared for you with the goal of answering questions, or more likely, prompting new ones
Weapons of outrage
’Tell me, what am I supposed to think?‘ Words to that effect from the Old Country have been sailing into my email inbox for the past few weeks
Redemptive fictions: Holiness, heresy and the ironies of Zionism
The profound historical necessity of a renewed Jewish state was finally comprehended by the world and its remaining Jews only after millions were murdered by a Judeophobic madman and his ostensibly rational apprentices
AB Yehoshua: ‘I will not have someone else define my identity for me’
I find the notion of letting non-Jews formulate a definition of ‘Who is a Jew’ morally intolerable. I will not have someone else define my identity for me
Give preference to halakha that enables giyyur even if candidate is not Orthodox
Failure to recognize that a partially observant but fully Jewish family is highly preferable to a continued situation of intermarriage is a deep sin against the value of Jewish continuity
Talmon book collection inaugurated at well-attended event (Video)
More than 100 guests from all over Israel - academics, friends, and family - filled the new Shalom Hartman Institute to mark the inauguration of the Shemaryahu Talmon section of the Alvin Cramer Segal Library, December 29
The pain and dilemma of an Israeli father and citizen
It is difficult for Israeli parents to send our children to war. Some might see this as a great weakness; I see the new ethos as the source of strength
Is religious law sole authority in Judaism?
Exploring the inner struggle within Jewish tradition of whether moral sentiments that contradict religious life have authority for a person committed to living according to God`s will
The unholy alliance in Hebron
The alliance is between radical Israeli settlers and the vast majority of Israelis, whose hopes for peace in the near future were shattered as a result of the Intifada
The significance of Israel for the future of Judaism
Treating Israel solely as a haven against persecution is incomplete and inadequate for understanding the significance and importance of the rebirth of the Jewish state
On Torah, trenches and trifles: A modern legend
In the beginning the Torah lay bound up in a corner, and whosoever desired would come and claim her…
Covenant and moral sensibility: An interview with David Hartman
David Hartman persists in his vigorous philosophical battle for a version of Judaism to which he has dedicated his life. In a recent interview, he considers both the past and the future in the unique spirit of inquiry that his always animated his work
Divide Jerusalem to unite it
Jerusalem must be a divided city - divided among all aspects and ideologies of Israeli society, for only as a divided city can it be united as the capital of all Israelis
The secret of Israel and its people
I thought I knew who the Jewish people were when I was a rabbi for 19 years and taught philosophy and created a Jewish Studies program at McGill University. But then I came here and I found, really, who are the Jews
Listen to audio of Rabbi Prof. David Hartman receiving Weizmann Institute honorary doctorate
David Hartman received an honorary doctorate from Weizmann Institute in Rehovot on Nov. 17 in recognition of his lifelong work to revitalize Judaism and strengthen Jewish identity among Jews the world over; above all, of his gift of vision and action, faith and scholarship, toward building a more pluralistic, tolerant, and enlightened Israeli society
Lindenbaum lectures: How is it Possible to Speak of a Personal God After the Holocaust?
Audio and video versions of the first two lectures in the Fall 2008 Lindenbaum lecture series from Rabbi Prof. David Hartman are now online
Seder Nashim beit midrash opens with studies in ‘childbirth and delivery’
Participants explored, as they will all year, the topics of childbirth and delivery from various perspectives, examining childbirth as experience and metaphor in the Jewish tradition
Watch David Hartman’s Lindenbaum Lecture Series
This page will be updated regularly to include links to all Lindenbaum Lectures as the videos are posted on our site, usually within a few days of the presentation
Advanced Institute academic year opens this week
The seminars of choice this year include: Violence, Halakhah and Nationalism, the footsteps of the past in the life of the modern Jew, the Ha`azinu portion of the Torah, and the problem of the righteous man who suffers.
Letter to the new American president
In writing to you, I am making no claim as to Israel`s significance to the future of America. Rather I am writing because I believe in the significance of your actions for the future of Israel
Why celebrate diversity?
To be able to hear the validity and power of those who don’t agree with you is the surest way to develop your own convictions, which are yours
On Rosh Hashana - challenge the lives we have created
A Jewish society is one which understands that to be fully human is not to accept our failings; to be fully human is to aspire to overcome them
Heschel conference at Hartman: A Radical Image of Religious Life
A two-day conference, October 6-7, will examine the work of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972). Heschel, author of Man in Search of God and Torah Min Hashamyim, is considered on of the leading theologians of the 20th century
The Jewish poet and the Jewish prime minister
Given the concerns of today’s Jewish world, it is worth pondering the messages and paradoxes of Emma Lazarus’s first published essay on a Jewish subject, “Was the Earl of Beaconsfield a Representative Jew?”
Buy Hebrew books, in Israel, from Shalom Hartman Institute
Hebrew books from Shalom Hartman Institute are now available for direct, secure, online purchase in Israel
Hartman Institute part of Sukkot learning fest in Jerusalem
The rationale behind this event is to bring together all streams of Jews on Sukkot, the Feast of Ingathering, in Jerusalem for a celebration of Jewish learning and culture
Blood of the children: The unheard cries
One of the core features of the Jewish people is that we have always defined our own standards and fought for our right to live by them. The State of Israel is the product of this history and this people can afford to do no less
Messiah stone featured in Biblical Archaeology Review
In-depth article about the "Messiah Stone" and its translation is available in new issue
Beijing 2008: Where are all our medals?
Israel can never expect any significant Olympic achievement until physical exercise and athletic prowess become as important on the football field as they are on the battlefield
New gender programs begin at Hartman Institute
Shalom Hartman Institute is ready to launch two new gender programs in the coming academic year. In doing so, the Institute aims to be at the forefront of exploring and helping to redefine women’s role and status in Israeli and Jewish life
Pilot Christian leadership program a success
The program has made a considerable contribution to interfaith activity
‘Boundaries of Judaism’ in second printing
Donniel Hartman book deals with categories of inclusion and exclusion in Judaism. In fact, it deals with the ever-relevant question, ‘Who is a Jew?’
Learning a lesson from a shooting
For some, shooting of Palestinian prisoner by IDF soldier is a moment to close ranks; for others it is a moment for finger-pointing. I believe it is an opportunity for education and growth
Christian leadership program begins at Hartman Institute
Leading Christian academics, theologians and clergy are headed to the Shalom Hartman Institute beginning July 21 for an intensive 10-day seminar in Jewish texts and learning that is the first of its kind even at an Institute that has been deeply involved in interfaith activities for decades
Israel expresses courage of Jewish people to act, knowing world is imperfect
Israel is not the fulfillment of our messianic dreams of a just society overcoming greed and corruption, but an opportunity to translate Judaic values into reality
‘Gabriel’s Revelation’ tablet translation now available on Hartman website
Israel Knohl’s translation and interpretation are being discussed worldwide by Christians, Jews, archeologists, theologians, historians, and the media
Philistines and the future of Zionism: The redemptive scenario of Rabbi Zvi Tau
Tau teaches that the State of Israel is itself sacred to a degree, and must be loyally served and protected, and his unusual and creative analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has generated great interest among some Israelis - and concern among others
Questioning origin of Hasidism founder Baal Shem Tov
Rabbi Yisroel (Israel) ben Eliezer, often called Baal Shem Tov, considered to be the founder of Hasidic Judaism, was born in Bukovina, a region in the Carpathian Mountains now divided between Romania and Ukraine, and not in the Podolian village of Okopy
Sharing Jewish space: Membership, conversion, and the search for community
Over the last two centuries, the Jewish people and their religion have become diverse as never before. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to define a shared ethos around which the Jewish community can remain unified
Ground for Zionist revolution was set at Sinai
On Shavuot we learn that God is not a super daddy who will necessarily protect us under all situations. Covenant is not an infantilizing experience, but rather an empowering one
Heavenly Jerusalem, earthly Jerusalem
Never has a city been so beautiful and so blemished, so revered and so reviled, so easy to love and so hard to live in
Shavuot at Hartman: Religious Meaning of Revelation
Shavuot learning at Shalom Hartman Institute Sunday, June 8, 2008, and Monday, June 9, 2008, will include lectures in English and in Hebrew from top Institute scholars
Israel cannot be arbiter of conversions to Judaism
The firing of Rabbi Druckman is a wakeup call to all Jews, religious and non-religious alike, to recognize the Jewishness of Israel and its policies are in serious danger because of ultra-Orthodox arrogance and political power
Krister Stendahl, theologian, former Hartman Institute director, dies at 86
Stendahl was one of the 20th century`s pioneers of Jewish-Christian dialogue and helped run annual Institute Theology conference for Jews, Christians and Muslims
Havruta: Unique new journal now available from Shalom Hartman Institute
Havruta is an experiment in translation and adaptation, with articles written especially for it or adapted from scholarly books and journals
Ritual, renewal, and prophecy: Visions of an old-new age
From new ‘Havruta’ magazine: The idea that ‘Torah is not in heaven’ validates creative human interpretation of the texts of the Torah and ethical sensibilities inspired by them, rather than labored re-interpretations stemming from adherence to belief systems alien to these texts
War and ethics in the IDF ethical code
The ethical code integrates proportionality and restriction into IDF operational policy, our attempt at maintaining moral integrity in way we handle conflict militarily
David Hartman adds lectures on morality, law, women, converts, non-Jew to Lindenbaum-Pomrenze series
Lectures will take place March 24 and April 7, both at 8 p.m., at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem
From survival to freedom and back: A new agenda for Israel and the Diaspora
Rarely in history has the Jewish people been so challenged as today. Everything we cherish and love in our heritage is at stake. We now know that the continuity of the Jewish people in free, democratic societies cannot be taken for granted. We can disappear
‘The Jewish Political Tradition’ comes out in Hebrew
Series explores Jewish political thought from biblical times to present; texts and commentaries in Volume I address basic question of who ought to rule community
Hebrew translation of Muffs book, "The Personhood of God," published
Theologian examines anthropomorphic evolution of Divine Image, from creator to father, husband, king, master
Leibowitz and Heschel: Prayer and relationship of God to modern individual
Leibowitz is concerned about rational consistency of halakha; Heschel seeks to revitalize Judaism within modern context
Images of God: Prophetic dispute between freedom and determinism
Does God judge us individually, on account of the consequences of willful choices? Is our fate sealed by a destiny predetermined by the deity? This reminds us of debate over how much behavior and potential are dependent on genetics or environment
     
 
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