If the wise and the foolish meet the same end, what is wisdom worth? Why do good people suffer while the wicked prosper? And should we spend our lives working—or enjoying ourselves? In this five-week course, we’ll read Kohelet closely, exploring its historical and literary background, its philosophies and contradictions, and the interpretations of Jewish commentators. We’ll see why this book troubled the rabbis of the Talmud and what it suggests about the place of doubt in Jewish life.
Please note this is a 5-week series starting Nov 10
Upcoming classes
Dates: 10 Nov 2026 – 8 Dec 2026
Total of 5 sessions
Tuesday 10 November
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz
Tuesday 17 November
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz
Tuesday 24 November
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz
Tuesday 1 December
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz
Tuesday 8 December
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz
About the facilitator
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz
Facilitator
Idan Dorshav Dershowitz joined the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University in 2024. He was previously Director of the School of Jewish Theology and Chair of Hebrew Bible at the University of Potsdam. His research interests include the evolution of biblical religion and the methods of ancient biblical editors, as well as the development of AI tools to trace the origins of ancient texts. He is the author of The Dismembered Bible: Cutting and Pasting Scripture in Antiquity and The Valediction of Moses: A Proto-Biblical Book. He is currently working on a children’s book on the origins of the alphabet.