Limmud Seattle 2019

For many, Torah and science may seem at odds. This outlook has been a part of our world for centuries, but is it actually a Jewish outlook? Is it indeed possible to reconcile Torah and science or are they intractable antagonists? In this session we will look at ancient, traditional, authentic Jewish sources in an effort to answer those questions and to demonstrate illuminating correlations with modern outlooks in anthropology, physics (quantum and astro) and linguistics. Whereas Torah may answer the "why", science tries to answer the “how”. Can both avenues of understanding creation dovetail with each other? Let’s see whether we can shatter any false paradigms!

The belief in our ability to choose of our own free will, that our actions are of consequence, is a central tenant of Judaism. While at the same time the belief in Divine Providence, that G-d is invested in creation and is guiding it, is a central tenant as well. How do we reconcile this paradox? In this presentation we will explore various opinions from Maimonides, the Kabbalists, the Bal Shemtov and others, defining the Jewish perspectives on Divine Providence and free will and attempt to reconcile this apparant paradox. We will conclude with a thought provoking and inspiring response that is especially relevant to our daily lives and its challenges.

I will go over basics of Object Oriented Design in the beginning. That will create a point of reference for a Kabbalistic concepts that will be the main part of the lecture.
During the lecture I will cover concept of Partzuf and discuss how it relates to usage of Interfaces in software development. I will describe concept of 10 Sefiros and their relationship to each other and how it is similar to concept of inheritance and virtual functions.
In the end I will talk about general concept of Creation as it viewed in Kabbalah and suggest that since Object Oriented Programming uses the principles that are in the core of creation, it reflects real world and makes coding real world problems easy.

As we now have more Jews living in Eretz Yisrael under self-sovereignty, than anywhere else in the world (recently passed US, rapidly approaching the balance point of the majority of the world’s Jews living there), the nature and goals of Halacha, Jewish Practice, inevitably must change from the circle-the-wagons, defensive/survival mode, to steps that will lead to the ultimate perfection of the world, fulfilling our purpose in Creation.

No one is ordinary. Every person has a unique story to tell. It is by finding and telling our own family stories that we figure out who we are and where we come from. Our personal stories take us inside history, values, identity, meaning--and Torah. In this genealogy workshop, we will explore methods, tools and resources that we can use to research, preserve, and share our stories. Easy access to DNA testing is the newest addition to the growing sources of genealogical information. This session will conclude with Jeff Schwartz discussing several DNA testing services used by those seeking to discover family and family stories.

Judaism Decoded sheds light on the mysteries surrounding biblical interpretation. How do we know our interpretation is true? If it is true, why is it subject to differences of opinion? And with so many interpretations to choose from, how do we know which one reflects its original intent? Discover the sheer elegance of the "source code" on which Torah law is built; enjoy the razor-sharp reasoning, intelligent debate, and compelling arguments of the Talmudic dialectic; and get a fascinating, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the most intellectually sophisticated religion in existence.