Meet the Giants Winter Schedule

The History of Halacha

How do we get from a verse in Scripture to actual practice? How do we reconcile Halachic disputes amongst the Talmudic Sages and the belief that all the opinions are Divine? How is the final ruling determined? When and how did differing practices emerge between Sephardi and Ashkenazi? On what grounds do Rabbis make a Halachic ruling today? What does "Minhag" mean and why are there so many variants?

In this 5 part series, we will Meet the Giants who dedicated their lives to the study and development of Torah. Through them, we will gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic that lies at the core of how we observe Judaism today.

• Nov. 6 - Sinai to the Talmud
  The first principles of Torah learning and observance.
• Nov. 13 - the Geonim
  Centralizing Halachic authority in the Diaspora.
• Nov. 20 - the Reshonim
  The emergence of differing Halachic codifications.
• Nov. 27 - the Acharonim
  Applying Halacha to a changing world.
• Dec. 4 - Chabad practice within the larger Halachic context.

MONDAY EVENINGS 8:00 - 9:00, with Rabbi Levi Y. New