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SAMACH VOV

JPH 230

Course Description

At the start of the 20th Century, Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn (Rashab) was at the forefront of a battle for the soul of Judaism in the Russian Empire. He understood that he was living through a period of intense ideological, cultural, social and political rupture. Traditional Jewish life would only survive intact if its meaning could be compellingly restated in terms that were entirely. Samach vov was Rashab’s answer to this challenge, and this text based study course will bring students directly into the heart of his epic intellectual odyssey, originally delivered in weekly installments over the course of two and a half years.

Learning Outcomes

  • Gain wider and deeper knowledge of early twentieth century intellectual history  

  • Gain the tools to critically read, translate, and parse complex Hebrew texts, and assess questions and arguments about religious practice, experience, literature, and meaning

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