Late April through May, our Classics in Religion series will host one of our favorite presenters, Leslie Schwartz.

Here is her course description. We hope you can join us for one or more of these sessions, held Mondays at 11 a.m. at the Penn Yan Public Library!

Talmudic Stories
April 30, May 7, May 14, and June 4, 2018

Jews have been called “The People of the Book.” Our primary book, the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), is a source of inspiration and connection. It can also be intriguingly and frustratingly incomplete.

Talmudic literature is the attempt of generations of rabbis to understand and elucidate Torah. The ancient Jewish sages who composed the Talmud focused on Jewish law. However, Talmud also includes numerous short stories offered as artistic reworkings of the legal questions. A close reading of these stories offers meaningful lessons for life as well as an appreciation for the artistry of these ancient teachers.

The facilitator for these sessions is Leslie Schwartz, Ph. D. Coming from a liberal Jewish tradition, Leslie’s approach to ancient Jewish texts emphasizes her admiration of their ultimate goal— to make our own lives holy through study, questioning, awe, and gratitude.