blank_970_500 blank_345_230
May 8, 2022

The Scope of Torah – Aggadah, Normativity, Madda

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier is Director of Education and a member of the Drisha faculty. A Research Fellow in Philosophy of Religion at Notre Dame, he received his PhD in Ancient Judaism at Yale University and was a member of Yeshiva University’s Kollel Elyon. Previously he served as Director of the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Yale University and as the Flegg postdoctoral fellow in Jewish Studies at McGill University.

Shlomo is an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion and RIETS, as well as of the Wexner and Tikvah Fellowships. He has lectured and taught widely across North America, as well as at Yale Divinity School, Yeshiva University, the Tikvah Fund, and Bnot Sinai. A Founder of The Lehrhaus, Shlomo serves on the Editorial Committee of Tradition and has edited two books on contemporary Jewish thought.

icon Audio
icon Sources
icon Video

Torah is simultaneously one of the most important conceptions in Judaism and one whose scope is extremely difficult to define. Does it mean “a teaching”? The Five Books of Moses? A ruling? Any Jewish content, whether normative, interpretive, or otherwise? Can secular knowledge be seen as part of the scope of Torah? This question is much debated and reflects a variety of conceptions of Torah and of Judaism as a whole. This series explores this question head-on, exploring a range of possible meanings of Torah as well as the ramifications of defining the term one way or another. During the transitional time leading up to Shavuot, we will explore these questions, aiming to better appreciate what Torah can be.

Session 1

Session 1 - 05/01/2022

Session 2

Session 2 - 05/08/2022

Session 3

Session 3 - 05/15/2022

Source – Session 1

Click to open source sheet
Download Source Sheet

Source – Session 2

Click to open source sheet
Download Source Sheet

Source – Session 3

Click to open source sheet
Download Source Sheet