Join Rabbi Jeffrey Saks for a five-part journey through the writing, ideas, and literary achievements of S.Y. Agnon, the great master of Hebrew literature
There is no other writer quite like Shmuel Yosef Agnon. Born in Polish Galicia, he moved to the Land of Israel in 1908 and emerged as the Hebrew writer par excellence. His novels and stories are renowned for their power, sophistication, and thematic richness. And unlike other writers of his time, Agnon seamlessly mixed rabbinic language and Jewish dilemmas with modern 20th-century concerns in a unique style, one that Saks calls a “modern midrash of literary art.” In this online course, leading Agnon scholar Rabbi Jeffrey Saks will take you through Agnon’s life and ideas, placing a special focus on four of his most important literary works, along with his 1966 Nobel Laureate address. When you sign up, you will:
Learn what makes Agnon’s literary style so impressive and how he developed it
Explore the stories and ideas of some of his most powerful works, including The Bridal Canopy, The Fable of the Goat, and A Guest for the Night
Uncover the major themes and tensions of Agnon’s literature, including the Jewish confrontation with modernity, Diaspora life and Zionist responsibility, Jewish power and victimhood, and more.
Rabbi Jeffrey Saks is the editor of the journal Tradition, series editor of The S.Y. Agnon Library at The Toby Press, and director of research at the Agnon House in Jerusalem. He is the founding director of ATID – The Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directions in Jewish Education, in Jerusalem, and its WebYeshiva.org program. A three-time graduate of Yeshiva University (B.A., M.A., Ordination), Saks has lived in Israel for over 25 years and has published widely on Jewish thought, education, and literature.
