Jewish Studies

Abraham Nathan ben Elisha Hayyim Ashkenazi (ca. 1643/4–1680), more commonly referred to as Nathan of Gaza, was a gifted kabbalist and Torah scholar who served as the central prophetic figure of Sabbateanism, the messianic movement surrounding Sabbatai...

Abraham ben Shmuel Abulafia (1240–ca. 1291) was a foundational Spanish Kabbalist who created a unique form of Jewish mysticism. His approach, commonly referred to as Ecstatic Kabbalah or Prophetic Kabbalah, emphasized how one could elicit a direct...

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) was a philosopher, scholar, mystic, poet, and activist whose teachings during the twentieth century left an indelible mark on American Jewish life. Having seen his entire way of life eradicated during the Holocaust...

Yisra’el ben Eliezer (c. 1700–1760), more commonly known as the Ba’al Shem Tov (“Master of the Good Name”) or Besht[ 1 ], was a Jewish mystical teacher and founder of the Hasidic movement, the most prominent sect of Jewish mysticism that began in Eastern...

In this year’s List Lecture, Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth College) examined how Jews, Arabs, and Christians engaged the promises of European modernity in the nineteenth century. Focusing on parallel moments of optimism and eventual disillusionment, the...

The nature of Midrash has perplexed scholars since the very inception of Jewish Studies as an academic discipline. This systematic analysis of midrashic terminology presented by Ishay Rosen-Zvi, offers a perspective that stands in sharp contrast to the...

Center for the Study of World Religions hosted our annual List Lecture Speaker Adam Afterman. Dr. Adam Afterman is a Professor at the Department of Jewish Philosophy and Talmud at Tel Aviv University, specializing in Jewish philosophy and Kabbalah. He is...

In the fourth annual List Lecture in Jewish Studies, Professor Steve Kepnes outlines a number of ways in which Jewish liturgy can be seen as "Theo-Drama" with specific analyses of the Kedushah, (Holiness) and Hallel (Praise) liturgies.

On April 3, 2023, Shaul Magid delivered the Albert & Vera List Fund for Jewish Studies Lecture at the Center for the Study of World Religions. In this talk Magid explored the relationship Critical Race Theory and Black Studies have with Jewish Studies, in...