Bais Abraham welcomes Rabbi Dov Weiss for scholar-in-residence Shabbat

Rabbi Dr. Dov Weiss

Bais Abraham Congregation will welcome Rabbi Dr. Dov Weiss for a scholar-in-residence Shabbat on Feb. 12-13.

Friday night’s schedule starts with mincha at 5:20 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat at 5:30, followed by dinner at 6:30 and Weiss’ talk at 8, on “Pious Irreverence: Confronting God in Rabbinic Judaism.”  Judaism is often described as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates arguments with God. In this lecture, Rabbi Dr. Weiss explores the premodern roots of this distinctively Jewish theology of protest, examining its origins and development in the rabbinic age (70 CE–800 CE). 

The cost for dinner is $12 for adults and $6 for children (RSVP required for dinner). 

On Shabbat afternoon, Weiss leads a “Shabbat Lunch and Learn” following Shabbat services, at approximately noon. His talk focuses on “Sins of the Parents: Dealing with Challenging Torah Texts.” A number of late antique “heretics,” such as Marcion and Julian, were wont to cite the biblical doctrine that children are punished for the sins of the parents (Exodus 20:5) to posit the immorality of the “Old Testament” God. This lecture explores how ancient rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash responded to these challenging passages concerning God and God’s system of justice.

Weiss is currently an assistant professor of Jewish Studies in the department of religion at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago Divinity School as a Martin Meyer Fellow in 2011 and was the Alan M. Stock Fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Jewish Studies in 2012. After receiving rabbinic ordination from RIETS (Yeshiva University) in 1999 as a Wexner Graduate Fellow, Weiss helped found Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) Rabbinic School, where he served as director of operations and instructor of Talmud and Jewish law. 

 For more information, visit baisabe.com or call 314-721-3030.