Crash Course in Jewish History (5 Lectures)

All of Jewish history in 5 hours!

Become conversant with the fantastic story of the Jewish people over the ages. .

The Jewish story is almost 5,000 years old. It extends from Abraham leaving Mesopotamia until the return of the Jewish people in our time to the Land of Israel. Berel Wein's series of five lectures gives a sense of history to the Jewish story and to the events of all human civilization. The story of biblical Israel, the Babylonian Exile, The Second Temple, the long exile of the Jewish people, the Crusades, the Spanish expulsion, the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment and Modernism, Zionism, the emigration to North America and the Land of Israel, the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel - all are covered in this informative and educational five-hour series.

History is our rear view mirror of life. Know the story of your people!

Individual lectures:

From Abraham to Ezra
The Torah teaches that what happened to the Patriarchs are signs for what has and will happen to their children, the Jewish people. With examples from Biblical history, Berel Wein proves the principle true. Your heart will soar as you follow the triumphs and tribulations of the kings and prophets. You may even recognize the Biblical patterns affecting our lives today.

From Ezra to Ravina
The destruction of the First Temple marked a new era in Jewish history. With foreign empires dominating them, the Jews faced severe times, and without prophets, they turned to Torah scholars for leadership. From Greek rule to the Hasmonean revolution, from Hasmonean corruption to Roman rule, Berel Wein paints a clear picture of how the destruction of the First Temple set the stage for the destruction of the Second. And through it all shines the wisdom of the Rabbis, who, in codifying the Mishnah and Talmud, were able to insure Jewish survival.

From Ravina to Rambam
As Christianity and Islam gained political power, the Jews found themselves caught in the middle of violent conflict. Berel Wein traces the emigration patterns of the Jews from Babylonia to North Africa to Europe, describing how they adapted in their "host" countries. Religious, economic, and social forces shaped the two streams of the Jewish world: the Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities. Out of each emerged the two great pillars of Torah: Rashi and Rambam.

Rambam to the Vilna Gaon
Though every Jewish exile begins peacefully, eventually they all turn bitter and violent. Berel Wein takes us through some of the grimmest periods in our history: the Spanish Inquisition and the Chmielnicki massacres in Poland. Amidst such danger, longing for the Messiah grew, giving rise to the Kabbalah on one side and Shabsai Tzvi on the other. The massive disappointment after this false messiah, coupled with the secularizing ideals of the Enlightenment, created the forces that continue to challenge Jews today.

The Vilna Gaon to the Modern Era
The modern era brought about worldwide secularization and created a formidable divide in Jewish society. Reform Judaism, the Enlightenment movement, socialism, and political Zionism swept away masses of Jews. Yet amongst Traditionalists grew Chassidus, the yeshiva movement, and the mussar movement. Berel Wein leads us through the 18th and 19th centuries to the calamitous 20th - the century of World War I, World War II, and the Holocaust. Yet after the tragedies, modern miracles followed. Against the odds, Jews gained control of their own state of Israel. In a glorious end to this informative tape series, Berel Wein will leave you thanking God for this current moment in history.