The Meaning of Mitzvot
Understanding Mitzvah: Connection, Commandedness, and Ritual in Jewish Practice
Thu / Begins Oct 19 / 10 Sessions / 9:30 am / 87th Street and Online
Rabbi Cosgrove
Explore the concept of mitzvot in Jewish practice, and dive deep into questions that have reverberated throughout Jewish history and impact our Jewish lives today: What is our system of mitzvot and what is it trying to accomplish? What is the purpose of ritual action, and what are our obligations to others, to God, and to humanity? How have Jewish thinkers grappled with the meaning of the commandments throughout history? Highlighting key concepts such as obligation and autonomy, holiness and sanctification, and caring for others and oneself, this course will put the mitzvot in new light and give new meaning to one of the fundamental elements of our Jewish lives.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove is Senior Rabbi at Park Avenue Synagogue, where he has served in this role since 2008. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999, Rabbi Cosgrove earned his PhD at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He sits on the Chancellor's Cabinet of JTS and on the Editorial Board of Conservative Judaism. A member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly, he is also an officer of the New York Board of Rabbis and a member of the Board of UJA-Federation of New York.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED