The sun is bright, the leaves are green, the pavement is radiating heat, and the New York summer feels like it is here to stay. But the film crew at Jewish.tv has been up and down the Eastern seaboard, shooting for what promises to be a blockbuster fall season with four separate courses (of four classes each) on a variety of Jewish topics.

“When the vacationing is over and the hectic High Holiday season has passed, people will be ready to settle down and learn,” explains Yaakov Kaplan, who produced the courses together with Zalman Refson. “We listened very carefully to the requests of our audience and found just the right teachers to present an array of topics, clearly and engagingly.”

The first (and perhaps most famous) story of the Bible is of that of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and their subsequent banishment from Eden. Have you ever wondered what that strange tale really means and what relevance it has to daily life today? The team has already filmed a series of classes on that very topic by Rabbi Menachem Feldman, director of adult education at Chabad Lubavitch of Greenwich in Connecticut, who unravels the layers of significance that surround this tale of sin and sorrow.


Speaking of sorrow, it almost seems as if struggle, sadness and judgement are built into the human condition. So what are we to do with it? To address this aspect of our lives, the team tapped Rochel Holtzkenner, co-director of Chabad of Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to lead a deeply personal exploration of these pressing issues.


Perhaps there is no theological issue as compelling as that of free will. Are we masters of our own destinies? Where does G‑d fit into the picture? A course on this (and more) has been formulated by Rabbi Mendy Herson, director of Chabad of Greater Somerset County in Basking Ridge, N.J.


And last, but not least, comes a thorough course on the Jewish vision for the “End of Times,” the era of Moshiach. Rabbi Pinchas Taylor, director of adult education and outreach at Chabad of Plantation, Fla., has crafted a concise overview of what the texts tell us and what it all means.


Now that we’ve whetted your appetite, just sit tight. Soon enough, you’ll receive an email about how to register for these thought-provoking courses.