Realistic Utopias: What's the Best Future We Can Hope For?

Are we fated to live in a dysfunctional, unstable, and violent world, or is a better future possible? In “Realistic Utopias: What's the Best Future We Can Hope For?” we’ll focus on a Talmudic debate in which the rabbis discuss how different – or not different – the world of the Messiah will be from our own. At stake in the debate is the question of how “realistic” it is to hope for a better world. We’ll trace the Talmudic debate from its origins in the Torah, through its reinterpretation in the Middle Ages, and all the way to contemporary discussions. Along the way, we’ll meet hardheaded realists, hopeful dreamers, practical Messianists, Religious Zionists, Kabbalistic Communists, and other colorful characters. Each of them will be asking: what’s the best future we can hope for? And what’s our role in bringing that future about?  

This is a 6-part online class led by Aron Wander and offered in partnership with Open Circle Jewish Learning at Hebrew College.

Meets Sundays, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

October 23 - December 4, 2022 

Register to join. Please note registration is hosted by Hebrew College. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Brigid Goggin at bgoggin@tisrael.org.

About the teacher: Aron Wander is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College, writer, and organizer. He has served as the rabbinic intern at Temple Emunah in Lexington and Ohel Ayalah in New York, and as an educator at Temple Israel in Boston. Last year, he taught an Open Circle course titled “Is Diaspora Good for the Jews?” which explored Purim, diaspora, and Zionism. Before beginning rabbinical school, he worked in Boston as the Northeast Campus Organizer for J Street U. When he’s not working or studying, Aron likes to practice yoga, read sci-fi, and scavenge for used books.