An intricately woven tapestry of case law, ethical debate, scriptural analysis and stories, the Talmud is the touchstone for Jewish legal thought. For French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, the Talmud was also a medium to bring Judaism in confrontation with controversial public issues in a search for truth.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Levinas's death and celebrate the talmudic lecture format he pioneered during the second half of the 20th century, Hebrew College is offering a three-part series, The Face of the Other: Talmudic Visions, on January 29 and February 5 and 11.

Leading talmudic scholars will use rabbinic texts to analyze several contemporary controversies: the nature of masculinity, the place of homosexual Jews within the Jewish community, the obligation of forgiveness and reconciliation between the Jewish community and parties that have done it great harm, and capital punishment, viewed through the lens of the Talmud.

The series will feature talmudic lectures with Daniel Boyarin of UC Berkeley; Moshe Halbertal of NYU School of Law and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and Suzanne Last Stone of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

The lectures, held on two consecutive Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. and one Saturday at 7:30 p.m., cost $15 each in advance and $20 the night of the event. For more information, email cajl@hebrewcollege.edu.

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