Rational Judaism: Jewish Philosophy Informs Jewish Religion

with Rabbi Ari Cartun

Introductory lecture on Tuesday, January 13, 7:30 - 9:30 pm

Classes: Eight Tuesday nights from January 20 - March 10, 7:30 - 9:30 pm

A free exploration of the question: Do we believe, or do we know? How much of what we do Jewishly is sensible, and how much is anti-sense? How much do we care about that?

Jewish thinkers have tried to answer these questions for 3,000 years, both for themselves and for their students. Some Jewish thinkers have focused mostly on Judaism, and some are known mostly for their contributions to general philosophy. Some non-Jewish philosophers have had as much influence on Judaism as Jewish ones have (e.g. Aristotle, Averroes, Kierkegaard, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche).

In this class we'll cast a wide net, introducing concepts and questions, as well as ways to continue searching for philosophical answers to spiritual and ethical questions.

No prior study of philosophy is necessary.