Collected Talks of David Solomon

David Solomon examines Jewish discussions on the death of Titus, the Roman general who presided over the siege in Jerusalem which led to destruction of the Second Temple. Unsurprisingly, many Jewish commentators throughout history have painted Titus, who followed his father into the role of emperor, in a negative light. However, others claimed that Titus … Continue reading "#118 Why Titus Should Have Worn a Mask" The post #118 Why Titus Should Have Worn a Mask first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #107 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (2) #68 Great Battles of Jewish History (Part Three) Tisha B’Av – Why Titus should have worn a mask

David Solomon’s siyum on the Talmudic Tractate of Sotah was a (pre) Tikkun Leil presentation delivered online on the eve of Shavuot in 2020 due to COVID restrictions preventing traditional in-person learning on the first night of the festival. The talk includes an exploration of the: historical background to the development of the Tikkun Leil … Continue reading "#116 Torah & Text in an Age of Turmoil" The post #116 Torah & Text in an Age of Turmoil first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #115 Jewish History in Six Chapters (6) #100 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (3) #96 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (3)

David Solomon explores the past 500 years of Jewish History, from approximately 1500 to today. In this talk, David examines each century in detail, looking at: Sixteenth Century – Johannes Reuchlin The printing of the Talmud Shlomo Molcho and David HaReuveni Yosef Karo Moshe Isserles Azariah de Rossi Donna Gracia Suleiman the Magnificent and the land … Continue reading "#114 Jewish History in Six Chapter (5)" The post #114 Jewish History in Six Chapter (5) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #109 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (4) #76 Revelation & Revolution: Jewish History of the 18th Century (3) #60 Kabbalah Since the AR”Y (2)

This third instalment of David Solomon’s overview series of Jewish History explores the years between 500 and 1000 CE, known as the period of the Geonim. Lecture Summary In this six-part lecture series, David Solomon provides an overview of Jewish history spanning 4,000 years, from 2000 BCE to 2000 CE. He explains that to comprehend … Continue reading "#112 Jewish History in Six Chapters (3)" The post #112 Jewish History in Six Chapters (3) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #111 Jewish History in Six Chapters (2) #110 Jewish History in Six Chapters (1) #33 The Geonic Period: Jewish History of the 6th to 10th Centuries (part 3)

David Solomon’s Jewish History lecture examines the Second Temple Period (Bayit Sheini), which spans from approximately the year -500 (or 500 BCE) to the theoretical year 0 (3260 to 3760 in the traditional Hebraic calendar). Lecture Summary In this six-part lecture series, speaker David Solomon provides an overview of Jewish history spanning 4,000 years, from 2000 BCE … Continue reading "#110 Jewish History in Six Chapters (1)" The post #110 Jewish History in Six Chapters (1) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #115 Jewish History in Six Chapters (6) #93 The Twelve Minor Prophets (4) #73 Women in Jewish History: the Second Temple Period

In this lecture series, David Solomon comprehensively traces the evolution of the Jewish messianic idea as it developed through history. This lecture provides an in-depth examination of how the messianic concept transformed from the end of the Talmudic period up until the European Renaissance era, analyzing how changing circumstances and events impacted and propelled shifts … Continue reading "#108 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (3)" The post #108 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (3) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #113 Jewish History in Six Chapters (4) #109 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (4) #107 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (2)

In these lectures, David Solomon will examine how the Jewish idea of the messiah changed over history. He starts by explaining the messiah idea is the expectation that a special time or “end of days” will come when a leader or redeemer will make the world much better. David says this idea kept evolving based … Continue reading "#106 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (1)" The post #106 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (1) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #109 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (4) #108 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (3) #107 The Messianic Idea in Jewish History (2)

The third part of David Solomon’s lecture series, A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time, examines two towering kabbalistic figures of the 16th century. David explores the ideas of Rabbi Moshe (Moses) Cordovero (the RaMaQ) and Rabbi Yitzchak (Isaac) Luria (the AR”Y), whose contributions to Kabbalah – both emerging in late 1500s in the town of Tzfat … Continue reading "#104 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (3)" The post #104 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (3) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #103 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (2) #102 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (1) #59 Kabbalah Since the AR”Y (1)

David Solomon provides a remarkable historical overview of the origins of kabbalistic ideas through the emergence of its early fundamental texts. The series explores numerous questions regarding the development of Kabbalah: What are the key kabbalistic books to have shaped our understanding of Jewish mysticism? When did they appear? And what were the profound ideas … Continue reading "#102 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (1)" The post #102 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (1) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #105 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (4) #104 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (3) #103 A Kabbalistic Journey Through Time (2)

This third lecture in David Solomon’s Zoom series, The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva, different ways the Talmud discusses the concept of teshuva. David explores three illustrative episodes from Tanach and the Talmudic period identified by the sages as: Examples that teach the importance of teshuva Halachic guidance in the process of seeking … Continue reading "#100 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (3)" The post #100 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (3) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #101 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (4) #99 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (2) #98 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (1)

The first episode of David Solomon’s Elul Zoom lecture series, The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva, considers early biblical figures whose individual examples of teshuva illustrate a range of human responses to this powerful idea of self-investigation, repentance, and remorse. David examines four biblical stories, those of: Cain Avimelech King Saul King David … Continue reading "#98 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (1)" The post #98 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (1) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #101 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (4) #100 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (3) #99 The Power of Change, the Challenge of Teshuva (2)

The third part of David’s series, Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud, explores a fascinating series of interconnected stories involving: a high-level international diplomatic mission, undercover rabbinical espionage, a cast of remarkable Talmudic rabbinical figures, parental concern, a curious question of Jewish law, the mystical powers of the rabbis, a sighting of looted treasures from the … Continue reading "#96 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (3)" The post #96 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (3) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #95 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (2) #94 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (1) Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud

David Solomon explores several fascinating episodes described in the Talmud. This first lecture in the series discusses an unusual Talmudic incident involving disloyalty, self-righteousness, contempt, justice, death, restitution, escape, and consequences. As with many stories from the Talmud, this incident is set during a time known as the Amoraic period – between the 3rd and … Continue reading "#94 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (1)" The post #94 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (1) first appeared on David Solomon. Related posts: #97 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (4) #96 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (3) #95 Unorthodox Episodes from the Talmud (2)