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*Coronavirus Special* The Mystery of the Book of Life

Introduction

The Mystery of the Book of Life

In 1817 a slender – almost forgotten – volume was published in the famous Hasidic town of Mezhibuz. The sixteenth-century work was entitled Sefer Ha-Hayim (The Book of Life) and had been penned by Rabbi Hayim ben Betzalel of Friedberg while he was in quarantine during the plague of 1578.

Join the Maggid of Melbourne as he ponders what triggered the 1817 edition.

Could it be related to the First Cholera Pandemic?

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Credits
Rabbi Levi Cooper – Pardes Faculty and A Shot of Torah Podcast Host
Adam Titcher – Executive Producer

Levi Cooper

Dr. Levi Cooper is Senior Faculty at Pardes, teaching Jewish Law and Hasidut. He holds an LL.B., LL.M. and Ph.D from Bar-Ilan University, where he currently teaches in their Faculty of Law. Levi has been awarded multiple post-doctoral research grants, held academic visitor and educational advisory roles in Europe and Asia, and written extensively for academic publications.

Known as the Maggid of Melbourne, Levi hails from Australia. He currently lives in Zur Hadassa, where he has served as rabbi since 2005, co-founded the Lavi Primary School, and spearheaded other communal initiatives.

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