Psalms are our people’s songs, an ancient playlist that still strikes a chord in our hearts. From lamentation to celebration, the Psalms speak to us from generation to generation. Rabbis Elie Spitz and Jack Riemer take us into a deeper exploration of the Psalms, going beyond the surface meaning of the words with new, thoughtful interpretations, taking a fresh look at these ancient texts and the relevance they can hold for us today. It is a testament to their lasting power that the Psalms continue to provide readers with solace, challenge, inspiration, and more. Duets on Psalms will inspire you to revisit these ancient texts and see them with fresh eyes because, in the end, it’s not what the psalmist intended that matters but the meaning you gain from each psalm as you make its words your own.

Rabbi Jack Riemer, a well-known author and speaker, has conducted many workshops and seminars to help people learn about the inspiring tradition of ethical wills and to prepare their own. As head of the National Rabbinic Network, a support system for rabbis across all denominational lines, he gives sermon seminars to rabbis throughout the United States. He is editor of The World of the High Holy Days (Bernie Books) and Wrestling with the Angel (Schocken), coeditor of So That Your Values Live On: Ethical Wills and How to Prepare Them, and contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism—Yizkor (both Jewish Lights).

Rabbi Elie Spitz served as the Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Israel in Tustin, CA from 1988 to 2021. He has served as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly Committee of Law and Standards (1994-2004; 2008-2016) and as a Global Justice Fellow for the American Jewish World Service (2016-2017). A graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and Boston University School of Law, Rabbi Spitz is the author of four books and many articles dealing with spirituality and Jewish law.  He has taught the philosophy of Jewish law at the American Jewish University and taught at the Wilkinson College, Religious Studies Department at Chapman University.

Please note: program takes place on Zoom; link provided upon registration below.