Mind Games: How Our Minds Trick Us, and What We Can Do - Jun 12, 2018 - In what ways are we vulnerable to cognitive bias, and how is that demonstrated in the Torah? What methods are available, as seen in Torah, for avoiding these biases? Geared toward a group including people without strong background in Torah text study.

Nechemiah, Week 26: Chapter 11 - The New Residents of Jerusalem - Jun 12, 2018 - The census and structure of the community of leaders/volunteers who populated Jerusalem in the second Beit haMikdash. And why wouldn't everyone want to live in a city?

The Dybbuk - Jun 11, 2018 - A possible origin for the "dybbuk" concept in Judaism, based on the talmudic teaching regarding posthumous Limbo. Geared toward a group including people who lack strong background in Torah text study.

Shemuel #3 - 1:2-8: Elkanah; Chanah vs. Penina; The Pilgrimage - Jun 7, 2018 - How does Seder Olam deduce that Elkanah was a prophet? Why did Penina torment Chanah? Why did the family make an annual trip to the mishkan in Shiloh?

Nechemiah, Week 25: 10:32-11:2 - The Constitution, and Tithing the Population - Jun 5, 2018 - Were the commitments in the national pact in Perek 10 restatements of biblical law, or acceptance of rabbinic enactments? And what was the basis for selecting ten percent of the population, specifically, to live in Jerusalem?

The Evil Eye - Jun 4, 2018 - A brief survey of what is meant by "ayin hara" or "evil eye" in Judaism, and how one protects against it without veering into superstition or ideas taken from other cultures. Geared toward a group including people who lack strong background in Torah text study.

Medical Ethics: Cognitive Bias and Medical Decision-Making - Jun 4, 2018 - In what ways are medical professionals and their patients vulnerable to cognitive bias? How can we minimize those biases? And may a medical professional take advantage of a patient's bias to influence the patient's decision?

Muktzeh: Newspapers, Part 2 - Jun 1, 2018 - Might a newspaper be muktzeh as nolad, at least on Yom Tov if not Shabbat? Might it be muktzeh if it were brought from outside the techum? And what is the halachic status of ordering delivery of a newspaper for Shabbat?

Muktzeh: Muktzeh machmat mitzvah - Jun 1, 2018 - The concept, roots and application of muktzeh machmat mitzvah. Could one make a tenai (condition) to avoid dedicating an item for a particular mitzvah function? At what point does an item dedicated for mitzvah use gain muktzeh status?

Shemuel #2: Introduction, and Meeting Elkanah - May 31, 2018 - Concluding an introduction to Sefer Shemuel; asking why the book begins with a personal story; looking at perspectives on Elkanah