SESSION 1 - 9:30-10:30 PM

Moshe - Model of Humility or Great Debater?
Instructor: Rabbi Iscah Waldman
In this session we will look at both Biblical and Midrashic texts to take a closer look at the assumptions both we and the rabbis made about Moshe's approach to changing God's mind throughout the Torah. Will Moshe prove to be more manipulative than we thought? Or, can we learn something about negotiation from his creative approach?

When Bad Things Happen to Good Festivals
Instructor: Rabbi Ned Soltz
In both rabbinic as well as historical sources, we see incidents of conflict between Jews, and even between Jews and Romans. Can we learn anything from these religious and political passions which developed into violence?

Who is an Israelite? Who is a Jew?
Instructor: Zack Wainer
We'll trace an idea from a verse in Devarim to its echoes and interpretations in the Tanakh, classical Mefarshim, and Dead Sea Scrolls, all while digging into what these texts say about community, belonging, and the sacred.

SESSION 2 - 10:40-11:40 PM

Torah, Revelation, and Sacred Time in Jewish Mysticism 
Instructor: Eitan Fishbane

Can Someone Be Too Busy to Pray?
Instructor: Rabbi Eytan Kenter
Throughout the centuries, the question of who is obligated to time-bound commandments, specifically associated with prayer, has been focused on questions of gender. At this session, we will explore this question in a new, un-gendered way. Is it possible to remove someone's obligation to pray independent of their gender? Come and find out.

SESSION 3 - 11:50-12:50 AM

Torat Chesed: Loving kindness from the Book of Ruth to the Purpose
of Torah
Instructor: Rabbi Louis Polisson
Integrating traditional rabbinic commentaries and contemporary sources from Jewish and secular ethics, we’ll explore the ways in which building a world of kindness and caring are the goals to Jewish texts and practices.