Surviving Spirituality with Law

Jewish parables, refereed to as medrashim, are speckled throughout the Talmud. They’re nuanced, esoteric, and captivating. They also contain within them the spirit of Judaism. This course discusses the power of metaphors within parables, how to use them, the different ways rabbinical figures have related to these important texts, and that a more serious approach to these texts reveals a much bigger problem. With a deep understanding of moral law, these texts open up to us a deep well of wisdom. Without that background, the best case scenario is that these metaphors remain closed to us. The worst case scenario is they destroy any change of a truly spiritual life. Wisdom well used gives life. Wisdom misused ends it.