Join Jonathan Bergwerk, Rabbi Paul Freedman & Cantor Sarah Grabiner exploring Jewish ideas about God.

Do Jews have to believe in God?   Is it possible to describe God?  Can the existence of God be proved?  How do modern thinkers think about God and how does this differ from medieval rabbis?  Why is there evil in the world?  What does having faith mean today? 

 Zoom  Meeting ID 845 6475 8349  Passcode ID 352965

Let's talk about God - exploring Jewish ideas about God and how these have changed over time.

7 April: God - from Creation to 600 BCE.

• Who was the God of Creation?
• The God of Abraham, Was this Adam & Eve’s God?
• God and the Exodus. Was this Abraham’s God?
• Does God change?
• What does God want from people?

21 April: God - from 600 BCE to 1200 CE

• Ideas of God from prophets, priests and rabbis
• How the destruction of the First Temple changed everything
• How the destruction of the Second Temple changed everything again
• Can God’s existence be proved?
• Can God be described?
• What do you have to believe about God to be a good Jew?

5 May: God - from 1200 to 2021 and beyond

• Mystical ideas of God
• Did God survive the enlightenment?
• Are fundamentalist views authentic Judaism?
• How do modern thinkers think of God?
• Why is there evil in the world?
• What does ‘having faith’ mean today?