Dr. Zohar Raviv

Zohar Raviv is an internationally
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 from
Bar-Ilan University, a Joint M.A in Judaic Studies and Jewish Education from
Brandeis University, as well as an M.A in Near Eastern Studies and a PhD
in Jewish Thought and Mysticism – both from the University of Michigan,
where he was awarded the Marshall Weinberg Prize for Outstanding
Graduate Work in Judaic Studies. Raviv is currently a Visiting Assistant
Professor of Jewish Thought at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in
Chicago and lso serves as the Hebrew University Florence Melton Adult
Mini-School Visiting Scholar to North America.
Starting September 2009 Raviv will assume the position of Assistant
Professor of Jewish Studies at Oberlin College. Prof. Raviv served as
faculty in the Institute for Informal Jewish Education at Brandeis University,
as well as Visiting Scholar in Residence at Monash University (Melbourne)
and the Shalom Institute at the University of New South Wales (Sydney).
His book on the eminent 16th century Safedian Kabbalist, Rabbi Moses
Cordovero was recently published by VDM Verlag (Germany), and he
is currently working on his second book, titled The Wondering Jew.
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Audio of Dr Raviv's Lectures - click titles to download
The Evolving ‘One’: Ideas of God in Jewish Discourse 13Mb
While the unity of God is celebrated as a definitive idea in Judaism, the meaning of this monotheistic sovereignty is not as uniform as one might assume. God’s existence and interaction with men and world have been viewed from a myriad of vantage points, creating
a tapestry of mythological, religious, spiritual and rational paths to describe the elusiveness of this “oneness”. Through the study of primary and secondary sources, this course follows the development of the God of Israel in Jewish discourse and charts five historical and conceptual milestones in its evolution:
On the Possibility of a Jewish Democracy in Israel 17Mb
Although Judaism and Democracy have been Israel’s creed from birth, their articulation and harmonious utility continue to haunt its political and social trajectories. This session explores certain conceptual and historical elements that are arguably endemic to the Jewish condition and hinder Israel’s vision in its current form; it then continues to suggest a revision which may articulate a more concrete trajectory for Israel and assist in realizing its democratic aspiration as a Jewish state.
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