Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
The above playlist is of Rabbi Steven Saks’s lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is a continuing series. Please come back here to look for new videos.
The Dead Sea Scrolls provide us with an invaluable window into the Judaism of the latter Second Temple Period. This is the Judaism from which modern Judaism and Christianity were born. This series is based on the lecture series of Professor Lawrence Schiffman: “The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Truth Behind the Mystique. “Professor Schiffman’s book “The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Truth Behind the Mystique” purchased here.
Lecture 1 – The Qumran Library Recorded January 14, 2021
Lecture 2 – Scandal and Publication Recorded 21, 2021
Lecture 3 – The Manual of Discipline Recorded 28, 2021
Lecture 4 – Historical Backdrop Recorded February 4, 2021
Lecture 5 – Sects of the Second Temple Recorded February 11, 2021
Lecture 6 – The Qumran Site Recorded February 18, 2021
Lecture 7 – The Rabbinic System Recorded March 4, 2021
Lecture 8 – The Cairo Scroll Recorded March 11, 2021
Lecture 9 – The Pesher Texts Recorded March 18, 2021
Lecture 10 – The War Scroll Recorded April 1, 2021
Lecture 11 – Qumran Manuscripts Recorded April 8, 2021
Lecture 12 – Vision for a New Temple Recorded April 15, 2021
Lecture 13 – Daily Life Recorded April 22, 2021
Lecture 14 – The Halachic Letter Recorded April 29, 2021
Lecture 15 – The Qumran Biblical Cannon Recorded May 6, 2021
Lecture 16 – The Qumran Calendar Recorded May 13, 2021
Lecture 17 – Qumran Ritual Recorded May 20, 2021
Lecture 18 – The Politics of Qumran Hebrew Recorded May 27, 2021
Lecture 19 – Qumran Hebrew : An Anti-Language Recorded June 3, 2021
Lecture 20 – The Copper Scroll Recorded June 10, 2021
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Rabbi Steven Saks is the full-time spiritual leader of Congregation Sons of Israel in Woodmere, New York. Previously, he served as the rabbi of Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth Congregation. In Wilmington, Delaware. Rabbi Saks received rabbinic ordination in August 2006 from Kollel Ayshel Avraham in Spring Valley, NY. He holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Oswego and an M.S. degree in Human Resource Development from Towson University, as well as a black belt in Jiu Jitsu.
Prior to coming to Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth in August 2008, Rabbi Saks was the spiritual leader of Adath Zion Congregation in Philadelphia. His past experiences include teaching classes in religious and secular studies, working as a hospital chaplain, serving as a Big Brother through the Jewish Big Brother/Sister League, teaching Jiu Jitsu and participating in the Volunteers for Israel Army Program. Since coming to Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth, Rabbi Saks has served as the head of the Delaware Association of Rabbis and Cantors, head of the Vaad HaKashrut of Delaware, rabbinical head of the Chevra kaddisha (burial society) and member of the UTJ Board of Directors. He has visited Israel six times; he and his wife Anne led a community-wide trip to Israel in June 2014 and look forward to leading another trip in the future.
Rabbi Saks is active in communal organizations such as the Siegel Jewish Community Center of Delaware and the Albert Einstein Academy (the local Jewish day school) in addition to national organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Israel Bonds. Rabbi Saks was awarded the Zionist Organization of America's 2016 "Guardian of Israel Award" and shared the " Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth 2016 Endowed Honor" with his wife Anne.
Rabbi Saks believes that there is a need to strengthen Judaism’s religious center, which has been referred to as “Traditional” and Open Orthodoxy. He sees our challenge as similar to that of the early Hasmoneans (Maccabees): to remain true to Jewish laws and practices while at the same time embracing the positive attributes of secular culture. Another important issue for Rabbi Saks is to build welcoming Jewish communities. Rabbi Saks believes that every Jewish person should endeavor to climb the ladder of mitzvot at his/her own pace and within his/her comfort level.
Rabbi Saks and Anne have four daughters: Talia, Gavriella, Elisheva and Margalit.
You can find Rabbi Saks’s sermons on the Torah parsha and holidays on his blog.