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Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, is dean of the Graduate School of Jewish Studies and professor of Jewish philosophy. He founded Lander College for Men and served as its dean for 25 years before taking over the leadership of the Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Thyssen Foundation Research Fellow, and received semicha from the Israel Torah Research Institute (ITRI) in Jerusalem after seven years of post-high school studies in yeshivos in Philadelphia, New York and Israel. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Touro University graduate and undergraduate schools.
He has served Touro University in various administrative capacities, including founding and directing the Graduate School of Jewish Studies and a collaborative medical program with the Technion in Israel. He has also served as senior program officer at the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, where he traveled around the world organizing seminars and educational programs. Rabbi Dr. Sokol has published dozens of essays in Israeli, British and American journals and six books in the fields of Jewish philosophy and morality, and is a sought-after expert on the integration of Jewish law and professional ethics. Dean Sokol’s continued examination of ethical and halachic issues marks him as a new pioneer in Jewish philosophy.
Areas of Expertise
Ethics and Jewish studies
Publications
- M Sokol. "A Mysterious Guest for Dinner: Exploring Talmudic Narratives."
- M Sokol. "Some Tensions in the Jewish Attitude Toward the Taking of Human Life: A Philosophical Analysis of Justified Homicide in Jewish Legal and Aggadic Literature." Jewish Law Annual (Vol 7), 97-113, 2021
- M Sokol. "The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave: Exploring Talmudic Narratives."
- M Sokol. "Portrait of a Rabbinic Dissident: Akavya Ben Mehalalel Confronts the Judicial Establishment." Touro L. Rev. 36, 251, 2020
- M Sokol. "Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics." Academic Studies Press, 2019
- M Sokol. "Transcending Time: Elements of Romanticism in the Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchk." Modern Judaism 30 (3), 233-246, 2010
- M Sokol. "Maimonides on Joy."
In The News
The sages put their faith in creative argument, The Jewish Chronicle
Bringing the Talmud to life, The Jerusalem Post
St. Louis family to be honored by Touro's Lander College, St. Louis Jewish Light
'It's fun winning!,' The Jewish Standard
‘Halacha is not only about Kashrut and Shabbat,’ The Jewish Week
