Professor Dershowitz discusses the nature of guilt in the Torah’s restitution laws and also the laws concerning Sotah.

Professor Idan Dershowitz completed his undergraduate and graduate training at the Hebrew University, following several years of study at Yeshivat Har Etzion. In 2017, he was elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows. Dershowitz is currently Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Its Exegesis at the University of Potsdam. He is the author of two books: The Dismembered Bible: Cutting and Pasting Scripture in Antiquity and The Valediction of Moses: A Proto-Biblical Book. Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and ancient Judaism in Monash University.

Rabbi Andy Shugerman is a multifaceted Jewish educator and development professional currently serving as the inaugural Development Director at Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this role, he focuses on enhancing the synagogue’s fundraising initiatives and community engagement.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Rabbi Shugerman earned a Bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, where he was a Schiff Undergraduate Fellow. He furthered his studies at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and worked for the Masorti/Conservative Movement in Israel. Rabbi Shugerman received rabbinic ordination and a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 2009 .

Before joining Beth Shalom, Rabbi Shugerman held several significant positions within the Jewish community. He served as the Executive Director of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC) and as the lead professional for Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ). Additionally, he worked as a development consultant and teacher at The Jewish Theological Seminary.

Professor James Diamond discusses the treatment of non-Israelite slaves from Moses to Moses.

Prof. James A. Diamond is the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo and former director of the university’s Friedberg Genizah Project. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Medieval Jewish Thought from the University of Toronto, and an LL.M. from New York University’s Law School. He is the author of Maimonides and the Hermeneutics of Concealment, Converts, Heretics and Lepers: Maimonides and the Outsider and, Maimonides and the Shaping of the Jewish Canon.