Between This World and the Next: Rabbinic Visions of Purgatory

“THE SPACE IN BETWEEN: THRESHOLDS AND BORDERS IN JEWISH LIFE AND THOUGHT”

Mondays, January 30–May 22, 2023 
1:00–2:30 p.m. ET

Please note that there will be no session on February 20 or April 3.

We are living in an undefined time: our daily existence is no longer dominated by the pandemic, yet neither have we settled into a new normal. This sense of being in transition—neither here nor there—can feel destabilizing; but is the time in between really temporary, or are we always living in between moments, identities, and phases of life?

In this series, JTS scholars will delve into the idea of liminality—the time or space in between—which we encounter often in Jewish ritual, identity, law, and life. Join us to consider what these many manifestations of “in-between-ness” can teach us about ourselves and about Judaism, and to explore how we might find strength and meaning in an orientation not of “either/or” but of “both/and.”

Note: Each Monday series has a new Zoom link. Please register for the series in order to receive the Zoom link for the current series.   

COURSES, FACULTY, AND DATES

The World as Liminal: Genesis and the Incompleteness of Creation   
January 30
With Dr. Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTS

Between This World and the Next: Rabbinic Visions of Purgatory
February 6
With Dr. Rachel Rosenthal, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS

The Tent of Meeting: Central or Marginal?
February 13
With Dr. Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTS

Between Law and Narrative in the Talmud
February 27
With Dr. Sarah Wolf, Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS

Between Obligation and Free Choice 
March 6
With Rabbi Gordon Tucker, vice chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement, JTS

Jewish-American, American-Jew: The Complexities and Joys of Living a Hyphenated Identity
March 13
With Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS

On the Margins: Conversos and the Question of Jewish Belonging Throughout History
March 20
With Dr. Jonathan Ray, Samuel Eig Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Georgetown University, and JTS Alumnus

Gender Identity in Rabbinic Literature
March 27
With Dr. Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, Assistant Professor, Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS

Between Marriage and Freedom: The ”Chained Wife” in Modern Hebrew Literature and Culture
April 10
With Dr. Beverly Bailis, Assistant Professor of Jewish Literature, JTS

Defying All Categories: Witches in the Talmud 
April 17
With Dr. Marjorie Lehman, Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS

The Blasphemer in Leviticus: A Marginal Figure
April 24
With Dr. Alan Cooper, Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies, JTS

Sarah’s Laugh: Doubt, Trust, and the Ambiguity of the Womb  
May 1
With Rabbi Mychal Springer, Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and Adjunct Professor, JTS

Talmudic Writings on the Passage from This Life to the Next 
May 8
With Dr. David Kraemer, Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics

Between Suns: Twilight in Rabbinic Sources 
May 15
With Dr. Sarit Kattan Gribetz, JTS fellow and assistant professor of Classical Judaism, Fordham University

Kiddush and Havdalah: Marking the Boundaries of Sanctified Time
May 22
With Dr. Judith Hauptman, E. Billi Ivry Professor Emerita of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture, JTS

Note: Each Monday series has a new Zoom link. Please register for the series in order to receive the Zoom link for this series.