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Book Journey

Discover Where a Book Can Take You


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Join Our Newest Book Journey

Learn more About the Journey ahead

What is an 18Forty Book Journey?

If you are a curious, passionate learner looking to build community, foster thought-provoking conversation, and master a topic, 18Forty’s 3-Month Book Journeys will provide the immersive education you seek.

An initiative of I Read This Over Shabbos, Book Journeys are three months with three books, weekly discussion boards, and monthly live Zoom sessions led by your Book Journey leader. These leaders are hand-selected for their impeccable expertise and captivating engagement.

Each Book Journey chooses a central topic and learning objectives, creating a fun, interactive, and enriching experience for anyone seeking deeper knowledge and understanding.

Join us, and discover where a book can take you.

What can I expect to learn from Shlomo Brody’s Book Journey?

This 3-Month Book Journey will explore the dynamics of religious values, moral tensions within Jewish law, and Jewish law’s own confrontation with modernity. You will encounter the fundamental elements behind how Jewish law operates, develops, and manifests—both in theory and in practice.

Halacha, as Jewish law is traditionally termed, is more than a set of rules—it’s a pathway to living the idyllic good life, steeped in values and embedded with morality.  At times, however, this can conflict with contemporary norms of morality, breeding tension for the thinking Jew who is not interested in a world with slavery or committing acts of genocide, even as the Torah seemingly accepts such behavior with equanimity. In many ways, Jewish law even seems to conflict with other Jewish values. We are then left to ask: How do morality and values guide Jewish law?

Each month, you will read one book, engage in a weekly discussion board, and join Shlomo Brody for a live session. By the journey’s end, you will:

About the Book Journey Leader: Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and a columnist for The Jerusalem Post.  His writings have appeared in many popular and scholarly publications and were cited in Israeli Supreme Court decisions. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates (Maggid), received a National Jewish Book Award. His newest book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, was just published. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his PhD from Bar Ilan University Law School.

When will Zoom sessions and discussion boards take place?

There will be four Zoom sessions — one introductory and three centered around the three books. The schedule dates and times are:

  1. Opening: Beginning the Journey: Sunday, May 12 | 12 p.m. EST
  2. Values in Halakha: Sunday, June 9 | 12 p.m. EST
  3.  Ethics of Our Fighters: Sunday, July 14 | 12 p.m. EST
  4. Questioning Belief: Sunday, Aug. 11 | 12 p.m. EST

All Zoom sessions will be recorded and accessible in case you cannot attend live.

Discussion board questions will be posted on Sunday nights and will remain open for two weeks at a time.

What materials will I need?

For this Book Journey, you will need:

Receive a 25%-off code after signing up for all three books.

How much does it cost?

Book Journeys are three months long, and participants pay $18.40/month, which is $55.20/Book Journey.

Shortly after signing up, you will receive a 25%-off code to purchase the books from Koren’s website.

How many participants can join a Book Journey?

The current size cap for this Book Journey is 100 participants.

For any questions, please email info@18forty.org

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For any questions, please email info@18forty.org