New York—Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future will present a Community Beit Midrash for three Wednesdays in November and three in December. The program will take place on YU’s Israel Henry Beren Campus at 215 Lexington Avenue, New York City.

Rabbi Menachem Penner, the Max and Marion Grill Dean at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, will present a series of lectures titled “From Text to Transcendence: Finding Meaning in Tefillah,” exploring the philosophical and mystical underpinnings of prayer. “I want to present these lectures because so many people today are looking for spirituality in their lives,” said Rabbi Penner. “Our daily tefillot, if understood, can be a source of inspiration and connection to God.”

In “Less Than Perfect Leadership,” Nechama Price, director of the Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies and instructor in Jewish Studies and Bible at Stern College for Women, will analyze six leaders from Sefer Shoftim who embody six very distinct models of leadership. “The study of Sefer Shoftim,” said Price, “can provide tangible, realistic lessons in leadership and life for each of us to embrace and use in our own lives.”

On each Wednesday, Rabbi Penner will present from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and Price will present from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The dates are November 9, 16 and 30, and December 7, 14 and 21.

The event is open to men and women. Early-bird tuition is $250 before October 31; after that, tuition is $275. Registration is at www.yu.edu/sternlearn.

For more information, contact Rabbi Aryeh Czarka at [email protected] or 212-960-5400, ext. 6826.