Renee and Alexander Bohm Memorial Lecture

The holiday of Chanuka was one of many celebrations connected to the Hasmoneans, and virtually the only one to have survived antiquity. How can we explain the curious survival of Chanuka – a holiday that celebrates the re-dedication of a temple later destroyed? Why did Chanuka's flickering lights continue to outshine the darkness?

Does the ‘chanukia’ simply model the Menorah of the Mishkan -with an extra candle? Our session will begin by comparing the ‘Menorah’ to the other vessels of the Mishkan, in an attempt to ​better understand what it symbolizes. Afterward, we will turn to the prophet Chagai and the book of Macabees to appreciate why the Menorah became the national symbol of the Second Temple period – which will shed light on our Rabbinic tradition of lighting a ‘chanukia’ on Chanuka.

An exploration of the similarities and differences between Chanukah and the winter holidays of other faiths. Part of The Renee and Alexander Bohm Memorial Lecture Series.

How is sibling rivalry reflected in the story of Channukah? Part of The Renee and Alexander Bohm Memorial Lecture Series.

How did the Jews of early America begin to grapple with the implications of freedom and democracy on Jewish life? Part of The Renee and Alexander Bohm Memorial Lecture Series.

The ten commandments frame a finely-tuned dynamic between human beings and God. How is this illustrated? Part of The Renee and Alexander Bohm Memorial Lecture Series.

Malchiot, declaring God's Kingdom, emerges as one of the central themes of our prayers on Rosh HaShanah. We will begin by tracing the concept of malchiot in the Bible and its relation to the Covenant between God and His People. We will then study the malchiot section of musaf, which is introduced by Aleinu Leshabayach.