Dov Linzer
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
Telephone: 212-666-0036
Email:
Rabbi Dov Linzer is the Rosh HaYeshiva and Dean of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, a groundbreaking Orthodox smicha program which integrates professional training and a rigorous study of halakha and promotes a vision of openness and inclusiveness.
In addition to shaping and overseeing YCT's curriculum, R. Linzer teaches advanced classes in Halakha and Jewish Thought.
R. Linzer is a recipient of the Javitz Fellowship and received his ordination from the Israeli Rabbinate.
Prayer from the Heart or Prayer from the Siddur?
Ritual & Prayer, Torah & Text
- Friday 9:10PM–10:25PM Empire 3 North, 3 South
Prayer is referred to by rabbis as “service of the heart,” that is, deeply felt, personal prayer. But how much of this realized in the context of fixed, statutory prayer? Does prayer from the siddur enable a true prayer from the heart, or is it an obstacle to its realization? Or, do these two modes serve different, equally valid, religious ends? In this session, we will see how rabbis have long grappled with these questions, and explore the different answers that they offer.
Kiddushin: Ownership or Partnership?
The Evolution of a Religious Instituion
Torah & Text
- Saturday 11:45AM–1:00PM Congressional Room 2
Today, we view marriage as a partnership entered into by two equal parties. However, the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony—with only the groom giving a ring and making a declaration of marriage—may reflect a very different understanding. In this class we will ask: Did Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism view marriage as partnership or as ownership? How is this reflected in law, language, and ritual? And, finally, in what ways did this institution evolve over time, and where are we today?
Science and Halakha
Sympathies and Strategies
Torah & Text
- Sunday 1:00PM–2:15PM Embassy Room 1
Did the rabbis of the Talmud make mistakes in science? If they did, would halakha (Jewish law) that is based on these errors have to change as a result? This class will explore these issues, and ask what is at stake in how these questions are answered. We will see that where one's sympathies lie—in the stability of the system or in its consistency with an external “truth”—will determine the answers to these questions and the strategies used to get there.
Is Veal Kosher?
The Rhetoric of Halakha and Ethics
Torah & Text
- Monday 9:45AM–11:00AM Empire Room 1
Is there a religious mandate to alleviate the suffering of animals? Are we allowed to cause such suffering to serve human needs and desires? Are there any limits? Should it be forbidden to farm veal?
Some of these questions, we will see, are answered with recourse to Jewish values, not law. We will then explore the weight that is given to Jewish values and principles that undergird the law, and discuss whether a values-based obligation does or should differ from a technical, legal one.
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