JLI Great Debates In Jewish History

This JLI course invites participants to gain fascinating insight into six mega-debates that have split the Jewish community throughout our history—and some of these matters continue to be debated today! “Great Debates in Jewish History” explores such questions as: Why were the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls opposed to rabbinic interpretation? What motivated the rebels at Masada? What is the Jewish perspective on taking up arms in situations where defeat is inevitable? What role does nationalism play in Judaism? Are faith and reason are mutually exclusive? What motivated the anti-Maimonideans in banning—and even burning—some of Maimonides’s works? What was behind the controvery surrounding the Chasidic movement? And is religion designed to be a private and personal experience, or one to be proudly paraded in the public domain?

Like all JLI courses, this course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning.

Two course options available.