The Moral Path - Night Course 2015

The Moral Path - Moral Philosophy 101
“It was after these things that G-d tested Avraham and called to him, “Avraham!” He answered, ‘Here I am!’
G-d said to Avraham, ‘Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzchak; go to the land of Moriah and bring him up there as an offering...’ ”
B’reishit

Since G-d’s first call to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” as they hid in the garden, Judaism has explored the concept, relevance and parameters of morality.

But the dry perambulations of Greek scholars is not how the Torah discusses things. Rather, we are flung into a crucible of moral conflicts – the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac), the eviction of Hagar, the destruction of Amalek, Moses’ killing of the Egyptian – from which we emerge enlightened, emboldened, struggling yet committed.

Join the Academy and Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Glicksberg as we dive into Judaism’s profound presentation of moral theory. We will examine the standing of universal and natural morality in the eyes of Torah as well as the conflicts between such values and Torah, if any; additionally exploring the views of the traditional commentators on Tanach in this regard. Finally, we will see how our moral values form the backbone of Halachic decision processes.

Rabbi Shlomo Glicksberg received semicha from Yeshivat Merkaz Harav and holds an MA in Jewish history and a PhD in Talmud from Bar Ilan University. Prior to his arrival in South Africa, Rabbi Glicksberg was a senior lecturer at the Efrata Teacher’s Training College in Jerusalem and was the Rabbi of the Nitsanim Shul in Baka, Jerusalem. He is currently the Rabbi of Mizrachi Shul and the Co-Rosh Kollel of the Bet Mordechai Campus Kollel in Johannesburg.