Last week, Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Upper School students had the opportunity to hear from Rabbi Menachem Liebtag, a renowned teacher and scholar of the Hebrew Bible.

Honors-level students from BCHA Upper School studied the theoretical framework for the story of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37). Rabbi Liebtag introduced the students to a novel understanding of the text, which relied on close reads of the language, cultural knowledge of the Ancient Near East and insights about human development. The lesson was received very positively by the enthusiastic students who participated and were appropriately impressed by his erudition and creativity.

“Rabbi Liebtag’s visit was a special experience for all of us,” said Naftali Wolfe, Judaic studies faculty at BCHA. “His passion for teaching, respect for each individual and unparalleled mastery of Tanach wowed and inspired our students. It was truly an honor to welcome him to our school.”

Rabbi Liebtag is most recognized for his work in combining traditional and modern methods and as a pioneer of online Torah study. He currently lives in Israel where he teaches at a myriad of institutions of higher learning.