ב"ה
Chabad at Oxford
Lectures at the Oxford University Chabad Society
295 items in this section

The interplay of Halacha and Kabbalah in the thought of Rabbi Shimon
An exploration of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's halachik approach and how it mirrors his mystical outlook. Examples from the laws of Muktzah and intention in regards to work on Shabbos. Also exploring Aggadic passages of the Talmud about Rabbi Shimon.

A Talmudic reading on when life trumps religious duty and vice versa
"You shall live by the commandments," the Talmud tells us, "and not die by them." Yet there are three cardinal sins that one must give one's life for rather than transgress. How did the Rabbi's reach this conclusion? A reading of Sanhedrin 74a.

A philosophical exploration of a Talmudic dictum highlights the intrinsic value of law
"He who has been commanded and fulfills the command," the Talmud says, "is greater than he who fulfills though not commanded." This suggests that laws are valuable not only because they ensure proper behavior, but because the binding nature of these duties embodies something of intrinsic value, beyond utilitarianism

The historically evolving contours of an ongoing halachic problem
In the 19th century the problem of "agunot" was widely dealt with in rabbinic literature, and often surfaced in the popular press. In the 21st century the same problems exist but new technologies and ease of communication are changing things both for better and for worse.

Collective Jewish identity cultivated through prayer
May a Jewish convert of non-Jewish ancestry truthfully refer to G-d as “the G-d of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?” Maimonides unequivocally ruled affirmatively, arguing that Abraham is truly the spiritual father of all Jews, and allowing converts to feel themselves fully a part of the Jewish collective.

A Talmudic Discussion of the Parameters of Intent
An intellectually stimulating analysis of the Talmudic principal of exemption in cases of unintentional transgression (“davar she’eino mitkavein”). Rabbi Wallberg explores the parameters of this principle vis-à-vis the qualifying rule of inevitability (“p’sik reisha”).

Ben Helfgott's Story
Ben Helfgott, born in Lodz, Poland, 1929, is a Holocaust survivor and former champion weightlifter representing Great Britain in the Olympics. This is his personal story of survival and triumph. (Many viewers may find details described to be extremely disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)

Auschwitz Survivor Victor Greenberg
Victor Greenberg tells the story of how he grew up in the small village of Majdan, now in Slovakia. In 1941, when he was 12 years old, he and his family were among the very few to escape when the entire Jewish population of the town was massacred. He was a prisoner in Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Gunskirchen, where he was finally liberated by the Americans. (Many viewers may find details described to be extremely disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)

Auschwitz Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller
Auschwitz survivor Freddie Knoller shares his amazing story of survival, including how the Gestapo in Paris thought he was a German and hired him as a translator. (Many viewers may find details described to be extremely disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)

A Survivor’s Personal Story
In 1940, when Mark Goldfinger was 9, the SS set up an academy for training killers near his hometown of Rabka, Poland. This is the amazing account of what he saw and how he survived. (Many viewers may find details described to be extremely disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)

The Controversial Story of Kasztner’s Train
As a child, Professor Ladislaus Löb watched as anti-Semitism slowly tightened its grip on the Hungarian nation, culminating in the Natzi occupation, beginning in 1944. He later wrote a book describing how Rezső Kasztner negotiated with Eichmann, saving Löb and 1,700 other Jews. Kasztner was later accused of collaborating with the Natzis.

The Inaugural Sami Rohr Memorial Lecture
The Rohr and Feuchtwanger families both emerged from the neo-orthodox movement of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. Sami Rohr was both a prominent supporter of Chabad and a patron of Jewish literary endeavors. One of his favorite writers was the Jewish German novelist, Lion Feuchtwanger, who was a vocal critic of the Nazis. Lion's nephew, Edgar Feuchtwanger, grew up as a neighbor of Hitler.

The rise of anti-semitism in Latvia, and the personal story of George Schwab
George Schwab was ten years old when he witnessed the willing collaboration of his Latvian neighbors in the persecution and murder of Jews. Here he presents an overview of the development of antisemitism in Latvia and reads a chapter from his forthcoming memoir.

From Cuba and the United States a shipload of Jews forced back to Germany
In May 1939 the cruise ship S.S. St Louis sailed from Hamburg for Cuba with some 980 Jewish passengers fleeing from Nazi persecution. When Cuba refused them entry the ship went on to Florida, but the US government too refused them entry.

A harrowing first-hand account
Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was deported to Auschwitz in December 1943. Due to her being an accomplished cellist she was saved and was made to join the Women's Orchestra. She was forced to play marches as the slave laborers left the camp for each day's work and gave concerts for the SS. In October 1944, with the Red Army closing in, Anita was taken to Bergen-Belsen where she stayed until its liberation by the British.

An open culture of learning does not automatically lead to relativism
In the Jewish tradition study and knowledge has always been seen as open to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or lineage. But where is the line between intellectual openness and anarchy, between interpretive licence and relativism?

Two processes of personal worship that integrates G-d in the lowly world
G-d has an inner longing to be made at home in the lowest levels of existence. It is the mission of man to achieve this through two complementary processes of personal worship, first drawing inspiration from above, and secondly raising the world up from below.

An overview of the work Sefer Hachakirah
A detailed look at Sefer Ha'chakirah, a book of philosophy by the third Chabad rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek. Examining how the Tzemach Tzedek uses his own ideas as well as the works of other Jewish philosophers such as Maimonides and Joseph Albo to prove divine creation.

A classic example of the Tzemach Tzedek’s synthetic approach to Kabbalah and Jewish thought
In the classic discourse known as "Derush Shalosh Shitot" the Tzemach Tzedek synthesizes three different interpretations of the sefirot and their relationship to the divine essence, as quoted in the thought of Rabbi Shneur Zalman: The sefirot as tools, as divine essence, and as divine names.

A Jewish Filmmaker Tells His Story
Anti-Semitic comments of Helen Thomas, the so-called “dean” of the White House press corp, were exposed in a brief video encounter with Jewish filmmaker David Nesenoff. The video went viral and thrust Thomas’ bias into the spotlight, forcing her career to end. Here Nesenoff tells his fascinating story (with much humor), and makes a passionate plea for Jews to combat anti-semitism by “doing Jewish” in their own lives.

Contextualizing and appraising a new documentary book on the Rebbe's early years
The perceived conflict between legitimate Torah knowledge and secular knowledge and culture has often figured as a point of controversy around the publication of biographies of rabbinic figures. Following the work of historian Prof. Immanuel Etkes, Dr. Naftali Loewenthal argues that this black and white perception was not shared by rabbis in the pre-enlightenment era. Within this context he appraises recent biographical works on the Rebbe, culminating with "Early Years: The formative years of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as told by documents and archival data, 1902-1929" by Boruch Oberlander and Elkanah Shmotkin.

A history of the Yiddish literary scene of post war Soviet Russia
Tracing the postwar history of Yiddish publishing in the Soviet Union, describing the infamous purge of Yiddish writers in the early 50's and the subsequent revival in the late 50's. Looking particularly at the history of the Journal 'סאוועטיש היימלאנד' (Soviet Homeland) launched in 1961, and ran until 1991, reappearing in 1993 under the title 'די אידישע גאס' (The Jewish Street.)

Unraveling the 300 year old mystery of the 'Bodleian bowl'
Tracing the history and possible usage of the 'Bodleian bowl', discovered in a moat in Norfolk, east England in 1696. Examining the meaning of its Hebrew inscription and its connection to the famed Tosafist Rabbi Yechiel of Paris and his son Yosef.

The untold story of the secret Chabad underground in the former Soviet Union
Precious little is known of the tremendous devotion and self-sacrifice of Chabad activists in upholding Judaism against the oppressive Communists’ ruthless stamping out of religion. Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie shares fascinating insights and anecdotes to illustrate the clandestine and heroic activities of the Chabad underground that ultimately laid the foundation for the phenomenal rebirth of Jewish life in Russia today.

3500 years ago Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, instructing them to ‘Remember this day on which you went out of Egypt.’ Does the retelling of the Exodus and the Passover story have relevance to contemporary events in the UK and Europe in terms of forming national identities and developing different concepts of freedom?

Historical, poetic and political perspectives
Beginning with the Biblical account of Abraham's vision of the stars in the sky, the star has symbolized the enduring promise of a luminous future. But in the 20th century competing scholarly, cultural and political concerns lent this symbol new emphasis, and also caused some to discount its Jewishness entirely.

A look at science's unanswerable questions
Marcus du Sautoy examines the confines of science; using props, he takes us on a journey to the edges of knowledge. Examples from the laws of probability, chaos theory, and radiation emitting uranium. This lecture explores the limitations of science from a purely non-religious standpoint.

After successfully arguing that "The BDS Movement Against Israel is Wrong" at the Oxford Union debating society, Alan Dershowitz talks about how he integrated his yeshiva education into his career as a Harvard law professor, about the past and future of advocacy for Israel, and about why he loves Chabad.

How the great scientist engaged with the ultimate questions of reality and religion
There are many approaches to the relationship between science and religion. But Einstein didn't take one consistent approach. He grappled with scientific mystery and religious wonder in different ways throughout his life.

The Second Annual Sir Isaiah Berlin Lecture at Chabad of Oxford
In Isaiah Berlin's 1962 essay, The Purpose of Philosophy, he wrote that enlightenment philosophers were tormented by the same ancient questions as their ancestors "in Greece and Rome and Palestine." He clearly believed that the Jews of ancient Israel had as much to contribute to philosophy as anyone else. Yoram Hazony calls for a contemporary renaissance of a uniquely Jewish philosophical vision for all of society.

Religious sensitivity is key to wholesome healing
The early development of psychiatry led to medical reductionism, allowing no place for a positive interchange with religion and spirituality. But modern advances show that a sympathetic understanding of a patient's religious orientation greatly increases the practitioner's ability to effectively heal.

Towards a universal language in the domains of body, mind and soul
The effort to find common ground between psychiatry and religion, involves a search for corresponding language that is as meaningful to secular people as it is to those of religious persuasion. Historical precedent provides several intellectual and emotional avenues via which this can be achieved.

Demographic Studies Show that Religion is Key to Jewish Identity
While some have debated the primacy of religion, culture, ethnicity and other factors in forging a strong Jewish identity, Professor Chaim Waxman conclusively demonstrates that Jewish identity in America is stronger, more vibrant and more durable amongst those who practice traditional Judaism.

A detailed analysis of the Torah status of the Patriarchs and the 12 Tribes. Were they merely in the category of Noahides with extra personal commitments or did they actually convert to be Jewish? Examining many pre-Sinai narratives, as well as the commentary of Rashi, as recorded in the manuscripts, sheds light on this query.

The Torah portion begins with Jacob’s return to his father’s home, “And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojourning…These are the generations of Jacob… Following a brief overview of the different interpretations in the commentaries on this verse, we focus on Rashi’s commentary, which explains with a parable of a pearl lost in the sand. When examining nuances in the manuscript, we can attempt to better understand the precise details employed in the parable.