Dr. Greenspan is a co-founder of the Ptil Tekhelet Association. He is a US trained dentist, with a practice in Jerusalem. He is a practicing mohel, shochet and sofer, and has worked for more than 30 years on collecting Jewish traditions and mesorot from far flung Jewish communities around the globe. He pioneered the exotic kosher dinner as a means of passing along disappearing kosher food traditions. He is a frequent contributor to Mishpacha magazine, had a column on Jewish tradition in Otiyot, a children’s hebrew magazine and writes extensively for other journals. Dr. Greenspan has been producing commercial Judaic art for 25 years enjoying wood metal and glass as his media.
Scholar in Residence
He has lectured around the world for Dental groups and for many Synagogues and Jewish Schools. Some places include, San Antonio Texas, LA, NY, NJ, Chicago, St Louis, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Toronto, London, Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, Croatia, Sarajevo, Addis Ababa, South Africa, India and Israel.
Multimedia and hands on Presentations include:
Tekhelet, Halachic Archeology, Halachic Adventuring, Mesorah of Exotic Kosher Animals, Search for the Perfect Etrog, History of Matzah, Anussim and Halacha and many others
Field / Profession: Educator, Business & Management
Educator at: Other
Speaking Topics: Torah, Eretz Yisrael, Jewish Education, Halacha & the Modern World
Sample Topics - General:
Exotic Kosher Animals –
From peacocks to locusts, guinea hens to yak. Realize how mesorah and our ancient traditions of kashrut are being lost. Understand how those ancient traditions have been recorded from places like Yemen,Tunisia and Djerba.This is a talk about halachic detective work and halachic forensics and an attempt to save it.
The Great Matzah Wars–
The confluence of one of our most ancient and simple customs and the industrial revolution made the need for machine matzot to be a reality. The halachic literature of the time is a fascinating example of modernity meeting tradition. The debates that ensued were among the most acrimonious halachic discussions in the last 2 centuries.
The Search For The Holy Snail–
Nobody has worn tekhelet for close to 1300 years. 18 years ago together with 2 friends we went scuba diving to try and rediscover the snail and process for dying tzitzit for tekhelet. Join me on that journey. It will be a multimedia presentation on the history,halacha,archeology , biology and the chemistry of color and tekhelet. I will do a demonstration on ancient dyeing techniques.
Exotic Jewish Communities-
Take a halachic tour of Jewish communities from Asmara, Eritrea to Djerba, Tunisa, from Djibouti to Bahrain. Spend shabbat on the island of Byeukeda in Turkey where the only mode of transportation is still horse and buggy or trek to the Atlas mountains in Morocco to see the ancient etrog orchards. Yom Kippur in Adis Abbaba or Pesach baking matzot in the mountains of Portugal. That is only a small part of the halachic mosaic and world minhangim of the exotic Jewish communities.
The Halachic History of coffee,tea,sugar and chocolate - A historical journey through the halachic history of the discovery and Jewish usage of these essential items
The Matzah wars - a history of bread and the Jewish People
How to tie tzitzit- A great parent child hands on workshop and best of all, you get to go home with your own pair of tzitzit.
Crypto Jews: The marranos of day past and the anussim of today
The shofar
Why Coca Cola is forbidden during the year and permitted on shabbat ?
Halachic Astronomy
The search for the perfect etrog
Sample Topics - Israel Related:
Jerusalem- a halachic history tour of the center of the world
An intensive look at the ancient and modern Jerusalem with an emphasis on the Temple Mount. Its importance in Jewish history, thought and writing and its centrality to The Temple Mount - modern Israel and world politics. Unusual and unpublished pictures from underneath the mount in its’ secret tunnels and gates.
Personal website: www.halachicadventures.com
www.greenspandental.com
Languages: English, Hebrew
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