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Brothers Crying Out from the Ground: Biblical Origins of Our Divided Society

Presented by Judy Klitsner
Rabbi Joshua S. Bakst Chair in Tanakh, Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies

For its first human beings, the Bible presents a strife-ridden nuclear family; for its first murder, a fratricide. In our text-based explorations, we will examine a number of sibling-centered stories in the book of Genesis, noting the insistently recurring theme of sibling discord. We will draw a line from these narratives to the Jewish people today, noting the enduring theme of divisiveness among “siblings.” In our studies, we will seek signs of hope for healing and repair. 

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Barring technical issues, this program will be recorded and posted on our Program Recordings Archive.

Thank you to our Allen and Jiska Mansfield for graciously sponsoring this lecture.


Judy Klitsner is a senior lecturer at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where she holds the Rabbi Joshua S. Bakst Chair in Tanakh.

A disciple of the great Torah teacher Nechama Leibowitz, Judy is a popular international lecturer, addressing audiences that span the denominational spectrum. She has served as a regular visiting lecturer at the London School of Jewish Studies and has taught Bible to Christian and Muslim audiences.

Judy Klitsner is the author of Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other, which received a National Jewish book award. She is the founding board chair of Sacred Spaces, an organization that works to systemically address abuse in Jewish institutions. Judy has just completed a pilot for an ambitious joint Pardes-Sefaria project: an original, line-by-line commentary to Chumash.