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Before Good & Evil: Moral Relativism in Jewish Ethics
A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi David Kasher
EVENT CO-HOSTED BY: Temple Har Shalom
ABOUT THE EVENT:
What does it mean to call something “good” or “evil”? Are moral values absolute, or do they depend on culture, context, and perspective? This class explores how Jewish texts across the ages have grappled with questions of moral relativism — examining biblical narratives, rabbinic debates, and modern philosophical reflections to uncover how Jewish tradition understands the foundations of moral judgment.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West, based in Los Angeles. He grew up bouncing back and forth between the Bay Area and Brooklyn, hippies and Hassidim – and has been trying to synthesize these two worlds ever since. He received rabbinic ordination at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a doctorate in legal studies from Berkeley Law. He has served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, Director of Education at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. He is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, and the host of the Torah podcast, Best Book Ever.
Power & Politics in the Hebrew Bible
A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi David Kasher
EVENT CO-HOSTED BY: Congregation Kol Ami, United Jewish Federation of Utah
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The epic narratives in the Books of the Prophets take us on a dramatic journey from the chaotic days of the Judges to the building and breaking of the Israelite monarchy in Samuel and Kings. Along the way, we encounter prophets, priests, and kings locked in a struggle over the meaning of power, justice, and leadership. Together we’ll explore how these stories reflect the political theory of the Hebrew Bible, and ask what wisdom these books might hold for us as we wade through the political chaos of our own day.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West, based in Los Angeles. He grew up bouncing back and forth between the Bay Area and Brooklyn, hippies and Hassidim – and has been trying to synthesize these two worlds ever since. He received rabbinic ordination at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a doctorate in legal studies from Berkeley Law. He has served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, Director of Education at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. He is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, and the host of the Torah podcast, Best Book Ever.
A Jewish Trinity: Contemporary Christian Theology Through Jewish Eyes
A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Alan Brill
EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Emanuel
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The Christian affirmation of a triune God has always perplexed and confounded Jews. Can Jews get beyond understanding the Trinity as inherently tri-theistic This talk serves as an entrance into a range of issues in Jewish-Christian theological difference, presenting a Jewish understanding oftopics in contemporary Christian theology such as Trinity, original sin, and incarnation. Brill will discuss that Jews and Christians can engage in comparative discourse on theological issues with full clarity and understanding. We will seek to go beyond reconciliation toward a richer and deeper theological discussion of similarities and differences.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill is the Cooperman/Ross Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, Brill is an expert on Jewish thought and interfaith relations. He is the author of many books including Judaism and World Religions: Christianity, Islam, and Eastern Religions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), Judaism and Other Religions: Models of Understanding (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010). Brill received a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in India. He was a keynote speaker at the R-20 conference held in Indonesia, This research produced his recent volume Rabbi on the Ganges: A Jewish Hindu Encounter (Lexington Books, 2019). His recently published book is A Jewish Trinity: Contemporary Christian Theology Through Jewish Eyes (Fortress Press, 2025).
Animals as Kabbalistic Masters
A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer
EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Har Shalom
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Animals don’t receive much attention in kabbalistic texts and even less so scholarship on kabbalah. When they do, it is predominantly to teach humans to be better humans. However, there were some anonymous kabbalists that believed there was a deeper connection between humans and animals, to the point that stories were told about animals that shared kabbalistic secrets. What can they teach us today about animal, humans and a shared future?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Jonnie Schnytzer is probably the only PhD in Jewish Philosophy, focusing on medieval kabbalah, who can say that he once beat the head of Israeli Naval Commandos in a swimming race. His dissertation focused on the scientific kabbalah of Rabbi Joseph ben Shalom Ashkenazi. Jonnie’s forthcoming book is about Ashkenazi’s Kabbalah as well as a critical edition of the kabbalist’s magestic commentary on Sefer Yesira. Jonnie’s also the author of Mossad thriller, The Way Back, which paints a picture of contemporary Israel. Jonnie also orchestrated the publishing of an English edition of ‘The Hitler Haggadah’, an important piece of Moroccan Jewish history from the Holocaust. Jonnie has also taken on several leadership roles in the Jewish world, including advisor to the CEO of Birthright and executive manager with StandWithUs. He lectures on a wide variety of topics relating to Judaism and Israel, especially about the untold stories and unspoken heroes of Jewish history. Jonnie is happily married, with four gorgeous little kids, lives in Israel and thinks that Australian Rules Football is the greatest sport ever invented.
What We Celebrate When We Celebrate Hannukah
A hybrid event presentation (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Ben Greenfield
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Classic Rabbinic sources offer very different answers to a key Hannukah question: what exactly are we celebrating on this holiday? From Medieval Zionism to Rabbinic Pacifism, well explore 5 vital “retellings” of the Hannukah story with very different takes on these 8 days.
This program marks the official launch of VBM Las Vegas!
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Ben Greenfield serves as Scholar in Residence, VBM Las Vegas and as the Director of Jewish Learning at The Adelson Upper School, in Las Vegas. Ben trained at Gush, Yeshiva University, Johns Hopkins, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. His original studies in Jewish thought have received several national prizes and can be found on Tablet and the Lehrhaus.
Lessons from the Olive Tree for Families, Jewish Unity, and the Social Security System.
A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jon Greenberg
EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY:
BMH-BJ
ABOUT THE EVENT:
This program will explore the symbolic and halachic significance of the olive tree. The questions we'll examine include:
- Neglected agricultural and political reasons that the olive-oil chanukiyah displaced an earlier symbol of Chanukah,
- Why the 15th of Av became a day for matchmaking,
- How the social and technological history of olive use mediates a five hundred year-old debate about how to read the Talmud, and
- The beautiful lesson about family relationships that the Psalms draw from the biology of the olive tree.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Greenberg received his bachelor’s degree with honors in biology from Brown University and his Master’s and Doctorate in agronomy from Cornell University. He has also studied with Rabbi Chaim Brovender at Israel’s Yeshivat Hamivtar and conducted research on corn, alfalfa, and soybeans at Cornell, the US Department of Agriculture, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Cancer Research. Since 1989, he has been a science teacher and educational consultant. Dr. Greenberg was Senior Editor of science textbooks at Prentice Hall Publishing Co. Previously on the faculty of Yeshivas Ohr Yosef, the School of Education at Indiana University, and the University of Phoenix, he taught at the Heschel School from 2008 to 2024. In 2021, he published Fruits of Freedom, a Passover Hagadah with a commentary from the perspective of the history of Jewish food and agriculture. He is a frequent speaker at synagogues, schools, and botanical gardens. Dr. Greenberg can be contacted at jon@torahflora.org.
How are these Responsa different from all other Responsa?
A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. David Golinkin
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Responsa are written answers by rabbis to halakhic questions. Since 1985, I have written approximately 900 responsa, over 200 of which have been published.In this lecture, I would like to explain my methodology by describing six characteristics of my Responsa, and giving examples, primarily from my most recent volume: Responsa in a Moment, volume 6.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia. He made aliyah in 1972, earning a B.A. in Jewish History and two teaching certificates from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received an M.A. in Rabbinics and a Ph.D. in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was also ordained as Rabbi.
Prof. Golinkin is President of Schechter Institutes, Inc. and President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where he also serves as a Professor of Talmud and Jewish Law. For twenty years he served as Chair of the Va’ad Halakhah (Law Committee) of the Rabbinical Assembly which writes responsa and gives halakhic guidance to the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel. He is the founder and Director of the Institute of Applied Halakhah at The Schechter Institute whose goal is to publish a library of halakhic literature for Jews throughout the world. He is the Director of the Center for Women in Jewish Law at the Schechter Institute whose goal is to publish responsa and books by and about women in Jewish law. He is also the founder and Director of the Midrash Project at Schechter whose goal is to publish a series of critical editions of Midrashim.
Rabbi Golinkin is the author or editor of 63 books, and has published over 200 articles, responsa and sermons.
In June 2014, Rabbi Golinkin was named by The Jerusalem Post, as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world. In May 2019, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Jewish Theological Seminary. In November 2022, he received the Nefesh B'Nefesh Bonei Zion Award for his contributions to Israeli society in the field of education.
Ethics at the Center: Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life
A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Elliot Dorff
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Drawing from Chapter 3 of the book, Ethics at the Center: Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life, this session will explore how Western, Christian, and Jewish traditions understand the nature of the human being, and how these differing perspectives shape a wide range of moral issues.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Elliot Dorff, Rabbi (Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1970), Ph.D. in philosophy (Columbia University, 1971), is Rector and Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy at American Jewish University. From 1974 to 2020, he taught a course on Jewish law at UCLA School of Law. He has served on three United States federal government commissions -- on access to health care, on reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and on research on human subjects -- and he currently serves on the State of California's commission to govern stem cell research within the state. He has chaired four scholarly organization: the Academy of Jewish Philosophy, the Jewish Law Association, the Society of Jewish Ethics, and the Academy of Judaic, Christian, and Muslim Studies. He has served as a member of the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards since December 1984, as its Vice Chair from 1997 to 2007, and as its Chair from 2007 to 2022, writing 30 responsa approved by the committee and several concurring opinions. In Los Angeles, he is a Past President of Jewish Family Service and remains on its Board, and he is a former member of the Board of the Jewish Federation Council. He has been a member of the Priest-Rabbi Dialogue sponsored by the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since its inception in 1973 and has co-chaired it since 1990. In addition to awards given by several communal organizations in Los Angeles, he has been awarded four honorary doctoral degrees, the Leve Award of the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Journal of Law and Religion. He has published over 200 articles on Jewish thought, law, and ethics, and he has written fifteen books on those topics and edited or co-edited fourteen more. Since 1966 he has been married to Marlynn, and they have four children and eight grandchildren, who, he thinks, are more important than anything listed above.