Scholar In Residence: Bex Stern Rosenblatt
Friday-Sunday, February 3-5
"The Pursuit of Meaning in the Megillot: Seeking and Finding in Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes"

Weekend Schedule

Shabbat Dinner & Lecture, Friday, February 3

Kabbalat Shabbat & Dinner at 5:45pm
Lecture approximately 8:15pm: "Love is as Strong as Death: Love after Loss in the Song of Songs"

Shabbat Morning D'var Torah & Afternoon Discussion, Saturday, February 4

Shabbat Service at 9:30am: "Song of the Sea as Call and Response"
Afternoon Discussion approximately 1:30pm: "Searching for Love but Finding my Keys: God's Presence in the Song of Songs"

Brunch & Presentation, Sunday, February 5 at 9:45am: "The Pursuit of Meaning: from Song of Songs to Ecclesiastes"

About the Topic

Tradition holds that King Solomon wrote three great books of wisdom: the Song of Songs as a youth, Proverbs in the prime of his life, and Ecclesiastes as an elder. The books seek to answer the question of how to live well, with each book presenting a radically different exploration of what a well-lived life might look like. Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes, the books of Solomon’s youth and old age respectively, are characterized by never quite achieving the object of pursuit. Love is sought but not secured in Song of Songs. Purpose is pursued but not obtained in Ecclesiastes. Over the course of Shabbat, we will join Solomon in his pursuit of meaning and see if we can find the key to a life well-lived. 

Bex Stern Rosenblatt is the North American Faculty-in-Residence for The Conservative Yeshiva at the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center. She holds a B.A. in History and German from Williams College and is a graduate student at Bar Ilan University. She is the recipient of numerous academic awards, including a Fulbright Grant to Austria.