Adam's First Sunset: A Midrash on Darkness, Dawn, and the Secret to Jewish Survival

About this event

On his first night of life, Adam watched the sun set and came to the reasonable conclusion that the world was ending. We’ll study the midrash of that first sunset next to Simon Rawidowicz’s classic essay “Israel: The Ever-Dying People,” which observed that nearly every Jewish generation has felt the same way as Adam once did: We had a good run, but it's that run that is about to end. Drawing on recent research and personal experience, we'll explore why Jews continue to brace for the worst, and why the sun keeps coming up, generation after generation. Worriers and optimists alike will be welcomed and challenged, and no Hebrew or background knowledge is required.

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Rabbi Elan Babchuck serves as the Executive Vice President at Clal, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and the Founding Director of Glean Network. He was ordained and earned his MBA in 2012, and will complete a PhD in Jewish Studies in 2027.

A sought-after thought leader, he is the author of the forthcoming The Rest of Your Life (Penguin Random House, 2027), and previously co-authored Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership After Empire (2024, Fortress Press), and Meaning Making – 8 Values That Drive America’s Newest Generations (2020, St. Mary’s Press). He has delivered keynotes at stages ranging from TED to the Pentagon, he has been published in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Washington Post, Psychology Today, and Religion News Service, and he has a column for The Wisdom Daily.

He is a Faith & Media Initiative Fellow, a Founding Partner of Builders, a movement to counteract polarization, and a founding Board Member of Springtide Research Institute, which focuses on faith, mental health and Gen Z. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife and their three children, and in his spare time he enjoys rock climbing and gardening.

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