I know I do not bequeath you with wealth and assets; however, I am teaching you how to read, as when one’s world is darkened, a new one will appear by the mere reading of a book.

Enroll in this year’s Midrash Agnon course exploring the Jewish genius of S.Y Agnon. Join Jeffrey Saks for a Sunday morning “literary salon” and study the Nobel laureate’s stories—reading in English translation as our instructor helps build a bridge to the original Hebrew texts and the rich rabbinic sources from which Agnon crafted his modern writing.

In S.Y. Agnon’s writing we encounter the Jewish world in transition between the past and the present, tradition and modernity, and the Diaspora and Eretz Yisrael. What do his stories mean for today’s readers and contemporary Jewish life and society? Each session explores short stories from the anthology “A Book That Was Lost: 35 Stories” (Toby Press).

Bookmark and follow this page for course and schedule updates and details on the unfolding syllabus, and join the cousre WhatsApp group 🔗 here.

For Oct. 18: We will read the title story, “A Book That Was Lost” (pp. 137–143).

The course meets on Sundays at 11:00am–12:15pm from October 11 through April 18 (approximately 25 sessions) in person at Agnon House, 16 Klausner Street, Jerusalem (no Zoom broadcast). Each week focuses on a different story, so join us for the whole year or drop in on weeks that suit your schedule. Those who register for the entire course can access archived audio recoridngs for courses not attended live.

Note: The class will not meet on Nov. 1 or Nov. 15.

Rabbi Jeffrey Saks is director of research at Jerusalem’s Agnon House.

Cost: ₪35/session; ₪300/10-session package; ₪700/entire course — payment at this link or upon entrance to Agnon House.

Contact [email protected] with any questions.