Jewish Culture & Ideas

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jews flooded into the United States. Large numbers settled in New York, fashioning an intellectual community that became the basis of American Jewish culture today.

Through essays, poems, novels, and short stories—in Yiddish and English—the writers who formed this “concentrated explosion of intellectual talent” sought to understand what this new country was about, and what it ought to be about. In doing so, they also prompted important changes in America itself.

In this course, the distinguished literary critic Dr. Ruth R. Wisse will explore the writing and ideas of the women and men who made up the first generation of the New York Intellectuals.

There is no other writer like Shmuel Yosef Agnon. Born in Polish Galicia, he moved to the land of Israel in 1908 and emerged as the Hebrew writer par excellence. His novels and stories are renowned for their power, sophistication, and thematic richness. And, unlike any other writer of his time and perhaps since, Agnon mixed rabbinic language and Jewish dilemmas with modern 20th century concerns in a deft and unique style, one that Saks calls a "modern midrash of literary art."

In his teaching and writing, Rabbi Soloveichik frequently draws on the full range of popular culture, including enduring television shows and films. He does this both because of his great love for humor and dramatic storytelling, and because of his belief that stories depicted on screen can provide powerful examples of faith, leadership, perseverance, and more.

Great lessons can be learned from books of every kind, and in Rabbi Soloveichik’s view, a great many Jewish lessons can be found in works that, on their surface, have little relation to Judaism at all. In this series, he’ll introduce subscribers to eight of his own favorite modern books, placing a special focus on those works that most impacted him and his worldview.

What is the difference between Jewish memory and Jewish history? Jewish history is the story of what happened and how; Jewish memory is the story of how Jews talk and feel about their national past. In this online course, Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter will survey some of the worst tragedies of Jewish history, paying close attention not just to what happened, but how Jews have remembered those tragedies as a collective—through liturgy, fasts, and days of mourning—and how they’ve used them to strengthen Jewish faith.

The Jewish writers and thinkers known as the "New York Intellectuals" left an indelible impact on American thought and culture. Ruth Wisse explores their ideas on politics, religion, and culture, and assesses their legacy for America and the Jews.

Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, the Mishnaic tractate Avot may be the most beloved work of rabbinic literature; but its purpose and teachings are also often misunderstood. In this audio course, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages found in Avot. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways like our own.

The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. In this audio course, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik explores the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.

The continued existence of the Jews is a miracle. Jewish history is replete with attempts to eliminate the Jewish people, and along with them the Jewish idea of God. But, in the end, all of them failed, and it was the Jews who survived and thrived. Here, in four brief but powerful episodes, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik walks through how the Jews survived the conquests of Egypt, Assyria, and Rome, and explains why, through their own miraculous eternity, the Jews have come to exemplify better than anything else the miraculous case for God.

The rhythm of the Jewish year is defined by the holidays. The month of Ellul is one of introspection and repentance because Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are near; Nissan is joyous because on Passover Jews remember how God took them out of Egypt; Av is sad and mournful because on Tisha b’Av Jews think back to the destruction of Jerusalem and their Temple. In this online course, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik delves into how those sacred Jewish times—the festivals, the fast days, the days of judgment and joy—illuminate the Jewish understanding of time and of life. With episodes on the honey of Rosh Hashanah and the repentance of Yom Kippur, on the palm frond of Sukkot and the miracles of Hanukkah, on the costumes of Purim and the new festivals of modern Israel, there is no better way to learn what makes each Jewish holiday a unique and sacred occasion.

Tikvah master teacher Ruth Wisse brings the stories of Tevye the Dairyman alive like never before. You'll laugh with Tevye, cry with him, and come to appreciate Sholem Aleichem's greatest character in a whole new light.

Noted Jewish historian Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter offers an exploration of the subtle philosophy and complex personality of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik—the 20th century's most important Orthodox Jewish thinker.