Decoding ‘God’s Vernacular’:View of Hebrew in Classical Judaism – Dr. Zohar Raviv at Alma College

By Steve

Posted on October 22, 2010

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Dr. Zohar Raviv at Alma College Tel Aviv

This is the second in a four part series by Dr. Zohar Raviv at Alma College in Tel Aviv. This week’s topic: The View of Hebrew in Classical Judaism. This is a breath taking lecture as Zohar takes us on a journey through the classical texts and into the shallow waters of Jewish Mysticism. We travel through the centuries trying to unpack just what the Rabbis had in mind describing Hebrew as the “Holy Tongue”. In this lecture he shares some of his insights into the mystical tree that has its root directed into the heavens and its branches entangled in the world. Enjoy this podcast by clicking on the icon for the broadcast. Video highlights of this lecture will be presented later in the week.

Dr. Zohar Raviv is a world-renowned educator of Judaism, whose academic and professional experience span Israel, North-America, Europe, South-Africa and Australia. Raviv holds a B.A in Land of Israel Studies (Bar-Ilan University), a Joint M.A in Jewish Thought and Education (Brandeis University), as well as an M.A in Near-Eastern Studies and a Ph.D in Jewish Thought and Mysticism (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor). Raviv recently assumed the position of Chief Education Officer for Taglit-Birthright Israel, after finishing his tenure as Assistant professor of Jewish Studies at Oberlin College (Ohio). These are a series of videos of the first session of 4 lectures that Dr. Raviv is presenting on Key Paradigms of Jewish Thought and Life. This first one is on The Evolving “One” : Ideas of God in Jewish Discourse. It is both fascinating and thought provoking. He provides a variety of approaches in understanding the Philosophical, Theological, and Religious implications in the origin of the “Jewish” God. “Eventually the human mind will express the necessity of “One”.