When:
Thursday, May 7, 2015,
7:30 pm

Location:
East Midwood Jewish Center

Dr. Rabbi Barat Ellman

Adjunct professor of Old Testament, Fordham University
Adjunct professor of Bible, Jewish Theological Seminary

What does it mean to be a prophet? The prophetic experience in Israel as represented in the Tanakh was both sublime and terrible. Isaiah and Ezekiel had to perform uncomfortable and degrading symbolic actions in order to warn Israel of the consequences of its behavior. Hosea’s personal life – his marriage, his parenting—was wholly taken over and made to dramatize the relationship between God and God’s people. Jeremiah suffered physically and psychically in the service of the divine program. In this course, we will read passages from the books of Hosea, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah which shed light on the nature of the prophetic experience and the extraordinary effect it had on those chosen by God to be God’s mouthpiece. A few prophetic accounts from other ancient near cultures will be brought for comparison’s sake.

The Prophetic Experience, a three-part session running May 7, 14 and 21, is part of NightShul, EMJC’s Thursday-evening learning and social series. $15 per-evening admission; each three-course series is $30 for EMJC members and $36 for non-members.