Valley Beit Midrash

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Katz

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Some two thousand years ago, the story goes, a rabbi named Yochanan makes the epitome of pragmatic gambles—wagering the entire fate of the Jewish people. His quick thinking inspired generations of subsequent rabbis to navigate their own ethical challenges pragmatically—determining truth, upholding compromise, convincing others, keeping peace with neighbors, avoiding infighting, weighing sinning in hopes of promoting a greater good. In his talk, based on his book Yochanan's Gamble, Rabbi Katz lays out a new Jewish path forward for resolving moral conundrums in our day and breaking the deadlock that exists in our broken political discourse.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Marc Katz is the rabbi of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He is the author of two books: "The Heart of Loneliness: How Jewish Wisdom Can Help You Cope and Find Comfort" which was a finalist for the national book award and his most recent, "Yochanan’s Gamble: Judaism’s Pragmatic Approach to Life" which was chosen as a finalist for the PROSE award, one of chief awards in academic publishing.