Carleton Invites Community to Special Shabbaton Celebration

Carleton invites the greater community to observe Shabbaton, the traditional expression for a full-day celebration of the Jewish Sabbath, with a special three-part lecture series from Jan. 23-24 presented by scholar-in-residence Dr. Mara Benjamin, assistant professor of religion at St. Olaf College. Sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain with support from the Jewish Life Fund, the event features complimentary meals and lively discussions about modern Jewish thought. All lectures and meals are free and open to the public; meal reservations are required.

Entitled “Shabbaton: The Bible in the Modern World,” the three-part lecture series will address the Bible as the foundation of Jewish culture and, especially, its textual tradition. Benjamin notes, “The last several centuries have challenged the Bible’s unique status and truth value. Can we still find the Bible authoritative—or at least meaningful? If so, how can we embrace the Bible’s relevance for us without intellectual compromise?” Benjamin’s lectures will examine how these questions have unfolded in the writings of the most prominent Jewish thinkers in the modern period and invite participants to consider their options for reinvigorating the role of scared text in Judaism.

The special series begins Friday, January 23 at 5 p.m. in the Evans Hall dining room, with Rabbi Shosh Dworsky leading Kabbalat Shabbat, a service welcoming the Sabbath. A dinner follows at 6 p.m. and the evening concludes with Benjamin’s first lecture, “Why We No Longer Believe in the Bible: Spinoza’s Revolution,” at 7:15 p.m. A dessert reception follows the lecture.

Shabbaton continues the following morning in the Alumni Guest House meeting room with services at 9:45 a.m., followed by lunch at noon. Dr. Benjamin’s first lecture of the day, “The Reinvention of the Bible: Buber and Rozenzweig,” will be delivered at 12:45 p.m., followed by afternoon services and a reception at 3:45 p.m. The final lecture, entitled “Bible or Torah? The Delicate Enterprise of the Contemporary Commentary,” will be given at 4:30 p.m. Havdallah, the brief and beautiful service marking the end of the Sabbath and the return to the week, will be held at 6 p.m.

Meal reservations are required by January 16; contact Rabbi Dworsky at sdworsky@carleton.edu or by calling (651) 485-1243. Evans Hall is located off First and Maple Streets on the Carleton campus and the Alumni Guest House is located along College Street, just south of First Street.

This event is sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain with support from the Jewish Life Fund.