Jonah: Can people really change?
ONLINE
THURSDAYS, 12-1:30pm (ET), Oct. 15, 22, 29; Nov. 5
Jonah called out to God, and He answered; “Out of the belly of the nether-world I cried, and God heard my voice.”
--Jonah 2:3
Course Description:
One of the most cryptic stories in the Torah, the Book of Jonah has invited radically different interpretations, yet a conclusive reading always seems to elude us. What is this story actually about? A myth? A morality tale? An argument for free will? A meditation on truth versus mercy? A critique of nationalism? A story about a prophet trying to outwit God in order to prevent an outcome he cannot accept?
Join Dr. Marina Zilbergerts for an exploration of four different interpretations of Jonah, tracing the book’s enduring mysteries through Jewish thought, symbolism, and artistic depictions.
THURSDAYS, 12-1:30pm (ET)
Dr. Marina Zilbergerts is an author and scholar of Jewish literature and thought. From 2016 to 2022, she served as Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of The Yeshiva and the Rise of Modern Hebrew Literature (Indiana University Press, 2022) and the poetry collection You Were Adam (Wipf and Stock, 2022). Dr. Zilbergerts lectures widely on Torah and Jewish thought and regularly contributes to both scholarly and public intellectual platforms. With an undergraduate background in the sciences and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Stanford University, her work bridges the sciences, humanities, and philosophy. Her current book project, Consciousness and the Bible in the Age of AI, reflects her interdisciplinary approach to Jewish texts.