Scholar in Residence Shabbaton with Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman

Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman is co-director of the curriculum department at the Jewish Learning Institute and oversees the production of its courses. He has authored, edited, or otherwise participated in the creation of more than twenty JLI courses, including Life in the Balance (Jewish Medical Ethics), How Happiness Thinks (Positive Psychology), Great Debates in Jewish History, The Dilemma (The Talmud and Comparative Law), and Paradigm Shift (The Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe).

Friday, November 13th

The Evil Eye: From the Talmud to Kabbalah to Your Grandmother

A red string tied around the wrist, three little spits when someone praises a child, a quick “no evil eye!” after good news. You’ve probably come across these practices, but where do they come from? Does Judaism take the evil eye seriously, and can a jealous glance really do harm? The greatest Jewish thinkers disagreed, and their answers may surprise you.

Saturday Morning, November 14th

Clues in the Margins: Cracking the Code of 700-Year-Old Jewish Art

Centuries ago, Jewish artists in Europe filled prayer books and Passover Haggadahs with painted pictures. Together we’ll follow the clues and discover the messages these artists hid in plain sight, revealing their struggles, their fears, and the customs of their day.

Saturday Evening, November 14th

A Historical Thriller in Multimedia | Libel: When One Life Was Demanded to Save Many

An accusation ignites a city and a Jew is executed, yet the accusers’ fury is not satisfied. Instead, a terrifying ultimatum is delivered: surrender a man in hiding, or the community’s leaders will pay with their lives. With no court, no protection, and no way out, the clock begins to run. Set in early-17th-century Poland and drawn from a true case, this story forces an impossible question with no clean answers. You are the judge. How does it end?