Please note: Due to the technical difficulties from August 24, a new session has been added on September 14.

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho—and a Lot More!!”
By Dr. Leonard Greenspoon with contributions by Robby Erlich

Beth El Synagogue invites you to attend a new, free class via Zoom by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon:  From the Hebrew Bible, Joshua son of Nun is best known as the Israelite general who defeated the Canaanites during the Conquest of the Promised Land.  This is the main theme of the biblical Book of Joshua.  The Torah also narrates many earlier activities on his part.  And later Jewish tradition greatly expanded the scope of his importance. Altogether this adds up to a very long and eventful life indeed for this ancient hero.  And such embellishment is not entirely a thing of the past.

AUGUST 17:  Joshua in the Torah:  From his successful leadership of the Israelites against invading Amalekites to his formal designation as Moses’s successor, Joshua is a presence throughout the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.  In successive accounts, we learn more about who he is and what he has been chosen to accomplish.

AUGUST 24:  Joshua in the Book of Joshua:  From chapter 1 – chapter 24 of this book, that is, from beginning to end, Joshua is the towering presence who leads Israelite armies, oversees the division of conquered land among the tribes, and challenges his fellow Israelites to acknowledge and worship only the Lord as God.  Within this narrative, there are also passages from which we learn more about Joshua’s leadership traits and personal qualities

AUGUST 31: Shaping and Re-shaping the Figure of Joshua from Antiquity until Today: Within the rabbinic tradition, the scope of Joshua’s activities is substantially enhanced.  He marries Rahab, the Canaanite harlot who saved Israelite lives, and fathers children with her.  He becomes an observant rabbinic Jew through study and prayer.  He offers peace to every Canaanite city, each of which fatally refuses his overtures.  Joshua also plays a role in later Jewish literature and life.  Most vividly, this was true in Israel during the War of Independence and in the United States during the Civil Rights era.  Joshua is also no stranger in the rhetorical battles being waged in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This course is being taught by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, who holds the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University.  During his more than two decades in Omaha, Greenspoon has offered a number of adult education courses to the Jewish community.  He makes use of the Hebrew Bible as the starting point for discussion and analysis that is lively and wide-ranging.  Greenspoon calls this, “textual study at its best.  Everyone reads the same material and then approaches it from their own experience and background.”

The course will meet three times from 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm.  For further information about the format and content of the course, please feel free to contact Greenspoon at ljgrn@creighton.edu or 402-280-2304. To join, complete the registration form below.