Our guest this week is Rabbi Dr. Norbert Weinberg, leader of Hollywood Temple Beth El in Los Angeles. Rabbi Weinberg served as Rabbi to Hollywood Temple Beth El from 1990 to 1996 and returned to that position in 2013. He has also served as Rabbi in Whittier, California, Newport-News, Virginia, and Houston, Texas. He directed the Central Institute for Jewish Studies at Bet Berl College, Kfar Sava, Israel. Together with his wife, Ofra, he directed the Huntington Learning Center in Encino, providing educational support to hundreds of students on a private and federally funded basis from 1996 through 2013. He recently published Courage of the Spirit, a book which tells the story of the Jews of 20th Century Europe through original family documents and accounts (www.courageofspirit.com). Rabbi Weinberg was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinities, honoris causa, as well as his rabbinical ordination and MA, from the Jewish Theological Seminary and his BA from New York University.
This week’s talk focuses on two traditional poems read on the second holiday of Passover, the Song of the Sea (Shirat Hayam) and the Song of Songs. We will discuss the connection between the two texts and their relation to Passover.
