To bring Dr. Hoffman to your synagogue,
contact him directly. He is currently
booking both in-person appearances and on-line events for fall 2024 and for 2025.
A master teacher.
Rabbi Danny Zemel
Dr. Hoffman's most popular topics for synagogues include:
- Four Exiles and Four Spiritual Revolutions:
- A whirlwind tour of 3,000 years of Judaism, focusing on
three spiritual revolutions and the exiles that led to each. Then the
most recent revolution: modern Judaism. How are we, today, like the
prophets and like the authors of the Talmud? How is the 21st-century
like the Golden Age of Spain? And what will we build for future
generations? (in person)
- The Inside Scoop on Israel:
- The Inside Scoop on Israel: Why what you see isn't always what you
get. Though a series of vignettes from his personal experience as a
frequent visitor to Israel and as a writer for the Jerusalem Post,
Dr. Hoffman brings us an insider's look that moves beyond the
headlines to explore what's really going on in the Holy Land.
Non-political and non-controversial, this is an uplifting way of
exploring and celebrating Israel, while at the same time learning more
about how the country really works and who its inhabitants are. (in
person)
- Ancient Answers to Good and Evil:
- The second half of the Adam and Eve story, missing from the
Bible. Abraham's formative childhood. The mysterious Enoch. And the
way all three ancient scriptural texts explore the nature of our lives
as they explain good and evil. (in person)
- The Bible Doesn't Say That:
- What does the Bible really say about violence? About marriage? About
men and women? The Bible has been reinterpreted and misinterpreted
almost from the day it was written, so most people reading the Bible
now have very little sense of the original text. We'll peel back
2,000 years of revisionism and take a look at the Bible as it
originally was. (in person)
- Three Thousand Years of Jewish Continuity as Seen Through
Three Thousand Years of Hebrew:
- The saga of Hebrew mirrors the continuity of the Jewish people. Three
thousand years ago, an early experiment in writing changed the
world. Then different dialects graced the Bible and our liturgy. After
centuries of disuse, a fourth dialect arose in modern Israel. Learn
how Hebrew began and how it has changed — and stayed the same —
over the millennia. (in person)
- The Mystery and Majesty of the Dead Sea Scrolls:
- Since
their discovery a half-century ago, the Dead Sea Scrolls have captured
the popular imagination, and created more controversy and intrigue,
than any other ancient find. This engaging presentation offers an
introduction to the fascinating story behind the discovery of the Dead
Sea Scrolls. It can range in length from 15~minutes to several hours,
depending on how many of the Dead Sea Scrolls we study in detail. (in person or on-line)
- Recovering the Bible:
- Some of the Bible's most well known texts don't mean
what most people think. This in-depth look at what the Bible
originally meant sheds new light on familiar passages and brings the
Bible to life in surprising ways. (on-line)
- Hidden Jewels of the Prayerbook:
- Lurking in familiar and unfamiliar prayers are hidden
jewels with surprising relevance to our modern lives. We explore a
new passage each week as we rediscover the glory of the
prayerbook. (on-line)