Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Professor Samuel Fleischacker, the LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois-Chicago, presents his lecture "Existentialist Messianism" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ.

ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Maimonides says in his Commentary on the Mishnah and his Mishneh Torah that Moses wrote every word of the Torah at the dictation of God. But Maimonides also says that God can’t talk, and that anyone who thinks God can talk is an idolater. So what exactly does Maimonides mean by describing Moses as a scribe who wrote down God’s words? This talk will try to explain that, in the context of other things Maimonides says, and argue that, properly understood, Maimonides’ view of the composition of the Torah does not rule out what today is called “the documentary hypothesis”: the idea that a variety of people wrote the Torah rather than Moses.

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Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library.

Show Notes

Professor Samuel Fleischacker, the LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois-Chicago, presents his lecture "Existentialist Messianism" before an audience at Temple Solel (www.templesolel.org/) in Paradise Valley, AZ. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Maimonides says in his Commentary on the Mishnah and his Mishneh Torah that Moses wrote every word of the Torah at the dictation of God. But Maimonides also says that God can’t talk, and that anyone who thinks God can talk is an idolater. So what exactly does Maimonides mean by describing Moses as a scribe who wrote down God’s words? This talk will try to explain that, in the context of other things Maimonides says, and argue that, properly understood, Maimonides’ view of the composition of the Torah does not rule out what today is called “the documentary hypothesis”: the idea that a variety of people wrote the Torah rather than Moses. DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2QDclZg For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ www.facebook.com/templesolelaz/ twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library. ★ Support this podcast ★

What is Jewish Ideas to Change the World?

Jewish Ideas to Change the World delivers thought-provoking content by leading Jewish thinkers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. It is produced by Valley Beit Midrash.

Valley Beit Midrash (VBM) is dedicated to social justice as driven by Torah ethics. VBM's mission is to improve lives through Jewish learning, direct action, and leadership development.

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• Social Justice in the Parsha (weekly divrei Torah by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz)
• Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness (Rabbi Shmuly's class series)

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