16th Annual Robbins Collection Lecture in Jewish Law, Thought, and Identity at the Helen Diller Institute

In late antiquity, some Jews began to think of the Torah as a natural law — absolute, immutable, and transcending historical time. Other ancient Jews, particularly the Talmudic rabbis, resisted this new way of thinking and elaborated a conception of divine law as a contingent and dynamic phenomenon unfolding in historical time. This lecture applies insights from performance studies, as well as theories of humor and play, to illuminate the rabbis’ counter-cultural construction of a historically embedded divine law.

This distinguished annual lecture is a partnership between the Helen Diller Institute and the Robbins Collection and Research Center at Berkeley Law.

A light reception will be provided to all registrants.