Salon Tiferet is holding a new four-week lecture series on the Books of Samuel beginning September 14. Each lecture will look at the text from a different perspective–political, literary, and psychological.

“The idea is to create an interdisciplinary, intensive experience that is accessible to people of different backgrounds,” said Evan Hochberg, a founder of the series. “People who are new to Jewish textual learning and experts will all be comfortable. Many of us have young children, or are very busy, but we have a thirst for Jewish learning and when we do have time, we want it to be high quality.”

Samuel was chosen for its drama and importance, making it ideal for analysis using different methodologies.

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom and Chair of the Department of Talmud and Rabinics at SAR High School will be leading the lectures in Salon Tiferet. Each week he will discuss the text with a different scholar.

“I reached out to various scholars who have different areas of expertise and asked if they would give a session,” Rabbi Helfgot said. “The talks will be interactive–I will be pushing them on points. They are all Jewish religious experts who are also experts in their disciplines so they can bring the material together in a way that meshes beautifully.”

Salon Tiferet is a project of Minyan Tiferet of Englewood and Tenafly. The group meets every five or six weeks and calls itself a partnership minyan. Hochberg described the group as “devoted to Torah within a halachic perspective with men and women as active participants.”

Rabbi Helfgot said the lectures will be given in private homes to increase the sense of shared community. Readings will be distributed in advance to participants before each lecture. There is a charge of $10 per session or $30 for the full series. For more information, or to sign up, visit www.MinyanTiferet.com/salon-tiferet or email [email protected].

By Bracha Schwartz