A mystic might call it the "crowning literary achievement of Polish Hasidism." A historian might call it "a reaction of Hasidism to modernity." And a text scholar might call it a "transformative interpretation of the Bible."

The Sefat Emet (Language of Truth) is the posthumous collection of the Torah teachings of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter, also known as the Gerer Rebbe, during his celebrated 34-year reign as a foremost leader of Polish Hasidism (from 1871 until his death in 1905). Not only is his written legacy a spiritual treasure, but it is also a key link to the prewar heyday of the Hasidic movement and Jewish Poland—and it bears the title now synonymous with the Gerer Rebbe.

To shed new light on the Sefat Emet's captivating teachings, Hebrew College will present Language of Truth: Inside the World of the Sefat Emet. This three-part Sunday series at Hebrew College's Berenson Hall will provide historical and political context leading up to a half-day study of the text itself, featuring Arthur Green, dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College and a leading authority on Jewish mysticism, and Nehemia Polen, director of the Hasidic Text Institute and professor of Jewish thought at Hebrew College.

On March 13 at 7:00 p.m., Michael Steinlauf, a renowned historian of Eastern European culture, will unveil—via recordings of klezmer music and slides of political cartoons, novels and newspapers—the once-vibrant world that arose at the intersection of traditional Jewish folkways and the modern secular media.

The following week, Antony Polonsky, a world expert on the Jews of Poland, will discuss emerging threats to Polish Hasidism ranging from Zionism to the Enlightenment on March 20 at 7:00 p.m.

Culminating the series, participants will approach the text itself during "An Evening of Majesty" on March 27 from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. Green will place the work within Hasidic history, highlighting the theological trail it blazed. Following guided small group study, Polen will teach select passages, examining the Sefat Emet's unique approach to Torah interpretation.

This series is cosponsored by the Center for Adult Jewish Learning, the Hasidic Text Institute and the Summer Bet Midrash at Hebrew College. The March 27 evening is made possible with generous support from Veronica and Enrique Darer. For more information, visit hebrewcollege.edu/truth or call 617-559-8709.

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