Collected Talks of David Solomon

In this lecture, David Solomon explores which period of Jewish history most resembles the present age. He emphasises that making meaningful comparisons requires qualifying terms and examining key considerations that shaped each era’s dynamics. David outlines relevant factors regarding geopolitics, governance, land control, exile status, spiritual leadership, and ethical behaviour. By analysing periods against these …

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David Solomon explores the lives, contributions, and circumstances of 14 women from the biblical period of Jewish History. He examines: Rachav Devorah Yael Bat Yiphtach Pilegesh Bagiv’ah Ruth Channah Michal Abigail Bat Sheva Jezebel Ataliah Yehosheva Chuldah Among their numbers were: queens prophets judges politicians as well as women who were distinguished for their faith, …

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In this final installment of his lecture series on Jewish Philosophy, David Solomon explores the philosophical contributions of six remarkable Jewish figures from the twentieth century: Rav Kook The Nazir Emmanuel Levinas Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik Yeshayah Leibovitz Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Watch the Zoom lecture here https://youtu.be/FQwN1_NKPOY In addition to outlining the philosophical ideas of …

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In this Jewish Philosophy lecture, David Solomon explores the ideas and contributions of four philosophers: Nachman Krochmal Hermann Cohen Franz Rosenzweig, and Martin Buber    who lived from the late 18th to early 20th centuries. This post-Enlightenment period saw a movement from reason to existentialism, influenced by Kierkegaard, Kant, and Hegel. David’s examination of these …

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The sixth instalment of David’s Jewish Philosophy lecture series considers two renowned, sometimes controversial, philosophers living during the Enlightenment: Baruch Spinoza, and Moses Mendelssohn. Watch the lecture here: https://youtu.be/IC_bZTM55yA In the first part of this Zoom lecture, David examines the ideas and impact of Baruch Spinoza, including the ultimate cause of his excommunication from the …

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In this fifth instalment of his Jewish Philosophy lecture series, David Solomon explores two significant Jewish thinkers living in Spain in the 14th and 15th centuries: Hasdai Crescas Yosef Albo. Watch the lecture here: https://youtu.be/uZ0C8w28boc He examines the philosophical contributions of Hasdai Crescas, including his ideas on: Divine knowledge replaced by Divine love Divine omniscience, …

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The fourth part of David Solomon’s Jewish Philosophy lecture series considers three giants of Jewish thought from the Medieval Period: Maimonides, the Rambam Avraham ibn Daud Rabbi Levu ben Gershon, also known as the Ralbag. David explores the centrality of Aristotelianism for these thinkers as well as the influence of Islamic culture on Western theology …

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This Jewish Philosophy lecture explores the emergence of Neoplatonism in Jewish philosophical thinking. David examines the ideas and works of three Jewish philosophers living during the later years of the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry: Shlomo Ibn Gabirol Baḥya ibn Paquda Yehudah haLevi. Going in-depth into the contributions of Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, David discusses: Keter …

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This talk is the second instalment of David Solomon’s Jewish Philosophy series. In this episode, David examines the philosophical ideas and innovations of a towering figure of the early Middle Ages, Sa’adya ibn Yusuf al-Fayumi, commonly known as Sa’adya Gaon. Watch the lecture here. Read the transcript below.          TRANSCRIPT Last week we …

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This podcast episode launches David Solomon’s eight-part series on Jewish Philosophy. In this first lecture, David explores the earliest Jewish responses to the ancient Greek philosophers. Beginning by providing a summary of the early Greek philosophers, David defines Jewish Philosophy and how it fits within the overriding framework of Judaism.  Watch the lecture here. …

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