The messianic movement that developed around  Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism. The ability of rabbis to promote this messianism and how they dealt with his defeat has established an important model throughout Jewish history.

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The messianic movement that developed around Bar Kokhba in the second century CE reflects a critical moment in the early history of Jewish messianism. The ability of rabbis to promote this messianism and how they dealt with his defeat has established an important model throughout Jewish history.

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The tension between the desire to predict the date of the arrival of messiah and the risks involved with such predictions has confronted Judaism throughout the centuries. This lecture will explore the history of messianic speculation and the opposition to this movement and explain the rationale for each approach.

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The messianic movement that developed around the charismatic personality of Shaabbetai Zevi in the seventh century included Jews from throughout the world. This lecture will explore the reasons that Jews were attracted to Shabbetai Zevi and how the Jews dealt with his apostacy and his death.

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The messianism of Rabbi Nachman is one of the most fascinating stories in Jewish history. A great grandson of the founder of Hasidism who was born in 1772, he grew to become a major force within the Hasidic movement. His charisma and Torah knowledge attracted many followers. His messianism and the continued belief of his followers is one of the mysteries of Jewish history that has yet to be solved.

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The belief in a personal messiah created a difficulty for the Jewish community in Central Europe during the Enlightenment when this belief was being rejected by the European Humanists. This lecture will explore how the Jews responded to this crisis and how both the Reform and Orthodox movements redefined their views of the personal messiah.

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The belief that the State of Israel reflects the beginning of the fulfillment of the messianic dream has come to define a religious and political movement in Israel today. This lecture will examine the origins of this belief and how it developed since 1948 as well as the religious opposition to this idea.

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