SHABBATON/ SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMS
Rabbi Yonason Goldson
The programs below represent only a sample of possible topics, any of which can be rearranged or tailored to specific subjects and themes. Selected titles are linked to published articles on the same topics.
Programming can include Thursday evening or Friday afternoon sessions, Friday night seudos and/or onegs, Shabbos afternoon seudos and/or classes, melaveh malkas, Sunday presentations, lectures, workshops, discussions, yom iyuns, or question-and-answer sessions.
Recognizing the hand of Providence in current events
TOPICS:
The Manhattan traffic proposal and automotive pathology
Tsunamis, earthquakes, and the Great Flood
The Illogic of Western Civilization and the struggle against Eisav
Is Denmark really the happiest nation?
Jewish history: the greatest of all teachers
Is G-d a liberal or a conservative: the politics of Torah
Understanding the approach of Moshiach and preparing for the End of Days
TOPICS:
Hallel and Shira: Salvation vs. Redemption
Og, King of Bashan: Battle for the soul of mankind
Yetzias Mitzrayim as re-creation of the world: reincarnation and the rectification of Adam’s sin
Megillas Ruth: the symphony of creation and the origins of monarchy
Personal development through the interpretation of contemporary issues
TOPICS:
The most influential man in America: only a figment of our collective imagination?
When you aren’t who you think you are: how would you react if you discovered you were living a lie?
Five people you won’t meet in heaven: when greatness overreaches
The long way home: a hitchhiker’s guide to teshuva
Educating our children in the ways of emunah
TOPICS:
If you could be Superman: which superpower would you choose?
The Betrayal of Experience: how programmed behavior is both a blessing and a curse
The Gift of Boredom: what our need for mental stimulation tells us about ourselves
Sarcasm vs. Irony: why “Jewish humor” isn’t particularly Jewish
Reflections of a year teaching in Budapest, Hungary
Torah Ideals 