THINK BALAK: Was Bilam A Wizard Or A Prophet?

THINK Pinchas: Vayedaber Moshe

When Hashem first encourages Moshe to assume his role as leader Moshe protests, lo ish devarim anokhi - I am not a man of words. Yet in the final weeks of his life, words pour out of Moshe as he gives the people his advice and guidance for the future - elah hedevarim asher dibber Moshe - these are the words that Moshe spoke. Drawing on a beautiful essay of Avivah Zornberg, we will argue that the unlocking of Moshe's speech in his final weeks is connected to a passage and indeed a particular verse in Parshat Pinchas   Source sheet here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xnr3nsKp8aNwMDusLvlubN7clfvdJipt8lZ3DU9MP9c/edit?usp=sharing]   Dedicated by Elaine Diller in loving memory of her parents, Michael and Sarah Marton z”l , through the Michael and Sarah Marton Family Foundation.

THINK BALAK: Was Bilam A Wizard Or A Prophet?

Bilam, hired to curse, but destined to bless. What were the natures of his powers? When the gemara debates whether he was a wizard or a prophet, what is being suggested about his character? Along the way we will examine an intriguing parallel between Bilam and Avraham, and in particular a cluster of midrashim around the akeida that may have been inspired by, and an oblique commentary on, the story of Bilam, the angel and his donkey Source sheet here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BCYEh-kIuk3wlDtVgOtysY1gf2WLaIJxFUPz9AtCaX4/edit?usp=sharing] THINK is generously sponsored by Elaine Diller in loving memory of her parents, Michael and Sarah Marton z”l , through the Michael and Sarah Marton Family Foundation.

THINK: Shelach - The Story Of The Ma'apilim

In tonight's THINK we look in depth at the story of the ma'apilim, the lesser-known, lesser-studied sequel to the story of the spies - of the group who decided to risk everything to enter the land (even after God had decreed that they would die in the desert) and ended up paying the ultimate price. Our class examines this tragic and strange story - and charts how in the 19th and 20th centuries the story of the ma'apilim returned to history becoming a critical image for thinkers as diverse as Haim Nahman Bialik and Rav Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe.  Source sheet here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h5DZcxBmN4MzyLdy_iOmycO52r0OUljHau9BBkXev6U/edit?usp=sharing] THINK is dedicated by Elaine Diller in loving memory of her parents, Michael and Sarah Marton z”l , through the Michael and Sarah Marton Family Foundation. May our learning a blessing for their memories

Reading Ruth On Lillenblum #2 - Elimelekh As A Study In (Failed) Leadership

In our second class exploring the work Nahalat Yosef, a beautiful commentary on Megillat Rut written in Tel Aviv by Rav Y.Z. Lipovitz, we examine the opening lines of the megillah and explore the character of Elimelekh. Although the verses themselves are sparse in detail, Rav Lipovitz, drawing on classical midrash and commentaries, paints a portrait of Elimelekh as a potentially transformative leader who could have saved Israel in a time of darkness. The discussion moves beyond Elimelekh the individual and develops a philosophy of Jewish leadership and Jewish history  - as demanding and relevant now as they were in mid-century Tel Aviv when they were first written. Source sheet here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bUmXyU9aUGpPgM1u-kKdIovGY7w4iOcfPsHEuZUMsIE/edit?usp=sharing] THINK is generously sponsored by Elaine Diller in loving memory of her parents, Michael and Sarah Marton z”l , through the Michael and Sarah Marton Family Foundation.

Reading Ruth On Lillenblum #1 - Introducing Rav Y.Z. Lipovitz’s Nahalat Yosef: A Tel Aviv Commentary on Megillat Rut

ln 1923 a young man named Rabbi Yosef Zev Lipovitz moved to Tel Aviv. He had been one of the leading lights at the great yeshiva of Slobodka. He was a  quiet man and did not seek out fame or publicity. Instead he and his wife opened a small pension, a hotel restaurant, on Lillenblum St, where, for the next 35 years, their front room became a gathering place for anyone in Tel Aviv, from famous journalists to simple labourers to the greatest rabbis, to learn Torah with Rav Lipovitz and hear the events of the day illuminated through ancient teachings.    The only work published in his lifetime was his gorgeous commentary on Megillat Ruth known as Nahalat Yosef. The work is simply beautiful, original and profound readings of Ruth that present a worldview of a great scholar and human who had much to say to the world around him   His name is not widely known these days and after his death in 1962, his wife Baylah, sold all her possessions down to her wedding ring to finance the publication of her husband's works.    Tonight we will begin to learn this great work - bringing his insights back to life in the city that R Lipovitz moved to more than 100 years ago Source sheet here. [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-TQOmTt7c3Nb6FtOKrl2rLlGGl3orrU5-B4PC_RwMJY/edit?usp=sharing]   THINK is generously by Elaine Diller in loving memory of her parents, Michael and Sarah Marton z”l , through the Michael and Sarah Marton Family Foundation.