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Binyamin of Tudela was the Jewish Marco Polo, a world traveler whose writings became a beloved classic. His travelogue showed his contemporaries things they would never otherwise see it, and for us, he left a picture of 12th century life. Rabbi Wein takes us on his fascinating journey: from Spain to the Holy Land with plenty of spots in between. In the age of Google Earth, seeing the world may seem relatively easy. But after you hear this lecture, you’ll know that there’s nothing quite like a human perspective on how people lived in another place and time.

• the vibrant Jewish community of Provence
• the Rambam’s accomplishments with the Jews of Egypt
• Rome, the Pope, and Jewish relations
• a medieval Jew’s insights into modern physics