37th Annual Samuel & Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies 2012

Behind a Best Seller:

Kabbalah, Science and Loving One's Neighbor

in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Brit

with

Professor David B. Ruderman, University of Pennsylvania

Monday, October 22

A Remarkable Modern Jewish Book 

& Its Entrepreneurial Author

Kosher dessert reception follows first lecture in 220 Kane Hall
 
Wednesday, October 24

Who Were the Readers of Sefer ha-Brit and

Why Did They Read it? 

Both lectures begin at 7:30 p.m., Kane Hall, Room 220, UW Seattle Campus

 
No charge to attend. Register now
 

Is there a way to reconcile science, religion, and ethics? While this sounds like a 21st-century question, Pinhas Hurwitz dealt with this key challenge of modernity over 200 years ago. His best-seller Sefer ha-Brit (The Book of the Covenant), first published in 1797, argued that scientific knowledge and Kabbalah could fulfill his readers’ highest spiritual goals. With over 40 editions printed over two centuries, this book illuminates Jews’ relationship to modern society and highlights the enduring questions of how science and religion can co-exist meaningfully.
 

About Professor Ruderman:

David B. Ruderman is the Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Jewish History and Ella Darivoff Director of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the recipient of a lifetime achievement award for his work in Jewish history from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. Several of his notable courses are available on the Great Courses website.

Click here to read Professor Ruderman’s article on Sefer ha-Brit for The Jewish Week