Rabbinic Ordination
Ordination from Hebrew College within this transdenominational setting distinguishes graduates as rabbis who can serve in a wide range of congregations and noncongregational settings. In conjunction with ordination, all students earn a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies with a concentration in Rabbinics. Students who choose to train for service in a specific denomination (including possible Orthodox semikhah) will be supported in that effort.
 Focused Text Study
The curriculum demands a high level of textual skill and scholarship. At the same time, it is structured around cycles of Torah study and Jewish religious life, with a focus on texts that will be directly relevant to life in the rabbinate. The five-year program (plus a preparatory year, if needed) includes intensive study of each book of the Torah—both from a historical perspective and in the full range of Jewish interpretation—as well as ongoing study of Talmud and other classical sources. Text study is integrated with the exploration of major themes, including the Jewish year, the life cycle, Jewish communal structures and moral dilemmas, and various theologies of Judaism, both classical and modern.
A Blend of Academy and Yeshiva
Combining the best elements of the Western academic tradition and the traditional yeshiva, the curriculum enables students to examine the sources of Judaism—biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern—both in historic context and from a personal religious point of view. Complementing formal classroom study, students are paired in hevrutot for intensive study of Jewish texts during daily bet midrash hours within a supervised study-hall setting. Students also have the opportunity to take graduate-level courses in subjects such as the psychology and sociology of religion, religion in America, contemporary Jewish life and introductions to other religions. Hebrew College's location, adjacent to a leading Christian theological school, offers unique opportunities for interfaith dialogue among students.
Building a Community of Learners
The experience of rabbinic training involves living as well as learning. Students and teachers in the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College help build a community that celebrates the Jewish year together, joining in prayer, in acts of community service—and in building a participatory fellowship that will serve as a model for communities that graduates will serve and help create in the future. Special attention is given in the program to developing each student's personal spiritual path and his/her unique religious quest. To aid in this process of personal growth, a program in "Spiritual Direction" is offered as part of the curriculum.
Real-Life Career Preparation
To prepare for the day-to-day aspects of rabbinic practice, including both the synagogue pulpit and other forms of rabbinic service, students engage in a combination of didactic and experiential learning—classroom study of relevant background materials complemented by a series of supervised internships under the guidance of experienced professionals, sensitive to both personal and professional growth. Beginning in the second year of study, all students will be placed in supervised rabbinic internships.
Opportunities to Specialize
Within the context of a small, innovative program, students will be encouraged to choose areas of specialization, both academic and practical, in which to receive additional training. In some cases, this may be accomplished via course work at one of the many accredited academic institutions in Greater Boston.
2007–2008 Rabbinical School Courses
Fall 2007
Spring 2008
ELUL 5767 / FALL 2007
The month of Elul is traditionally devoted to personal preparation for the High Holy Day season. The Rabbinical School of Hebrew College follows this tradition in offering a special series of intensive courses during this month.
BIBLE
Torah Core 1: Bereshit
Kates
Level: Year 1
Monday and Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-BIBLE-100
This course concentrates on textual and exegetical issues in the Book of Genesis through selected readings in Bereshit Rabbah and other midrashic sources, as well as medieval commentaries, Hasidic homilies and modern/contemporary treatments of characters and themes that appear in the Genesis text. In the spring semester, attention will be given to the literary/historical background of Bereshit and critical theories regarding its origins.
Psalms
Janis
Level: Year 1
Friday, 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
RB-BIBLE 150
Note: 6-week course
A reading of key psalms used in Jewish liturgy, including critical method and exegetical insights from traditional commentators. A portion of the course will be devoted to rabbinic use of the Psalter, both for private devotion and in various public settings.
Torah Core 2: Shemot
Jacobson
Level: Year 2
Monday and Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-BIBLE-200
This course examines the Book of Exodus as the national saga of the Jewish people. Students will read selections from both Mekhilta and Shemot Rabbah, showing the uses of the biblical text in the halakhic and aggadic development of Judaism, as well as medieval commentaries and modern perspectives, including the importance of the Exodus and Sinai motifs in Jewish theology and the uses made of the Exodus paradigm beyond the bounds of Judaism.
Torah Core 3: VaYikra
Polen
Level: Year 3
Tuesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-BIBLE-300
This course examines the Book of Leviticus and includes discussion of the themes of priesthood, ritual purity and holiness in biblical, Rabbinic and later perspectives. Selected passages from Midrash Halakhah show the relationship between biblical/priestly and Rabbinic law.
Genres and Themes of Biblical Literature
Bock
Level: Mekorot
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-BIBLE-502
See HC listings for complete course description.
EDUCATION
Rabbi as Educator
Kaunfer
Level: Years 2 and 4
Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-EDUC-921
Note: Class begins Tuesday, October 2 (designated day for Thursday classes to meet).
This course deals with approaches to adult education in the synagogue and community contexts. It includes training in supervision of religious education in the small congregational context.
HEBREW
Hebrew V
Davis
Level: Mekorot
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-HEBRW-205
See HC listings for complete course description.
Hebrew VII
Bock
Level: Year 1
Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-HEBRW-207
Note: Class begins Tuesday, October 2 (designated day for Thursday classes to meet).
See HC listings for complete course description.
HISTORY
History of the Second Commonwealth and Rabbinic Periods
Kurtzer
Level: Year 1
Tuesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-HIST-151
Note: Class begins Tuesday, September 25.
This course provides a survey of the diversity and development of Judaism in the ancient world, covering some of the events and phenomena that shaped ancient Judaism: the impact of Hellenism, the Maccabean revolt and the Roman conquest. Some course time is devoted to the first century of the Common Era—the important period that saw both the birth of Christianity and the destruction of the ancient Jewish state, which in turn gave way to the beginnings of Rabbinic civilization.
Modern Jewish History 2
Starr
Level: Years 4 and 5
Monday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-HIST-401
Note: Class begins Monday, September 24.
This course introduces students to the historiography and key scholarly debates in modern Jewish history. The course covers western and eastern Europe, and America, focusing on the pivotal social, cultural and intellectual developments of Jewish modernity. Classic works in the field as well as current scholarship will be emphasized.
History of Zionism
Starr
Level: Year 4
Tuesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-HIST-510
This course will explore the history of Zionism and selected issues relating to the State of Israel. Topics to be studied include traditional Jewish conceptions of nationalism and the role of the land of Israel; the emergence of modern Jewish nationalism in the nineteenth century; the found of the Love of Zion movement; the varieties of Zionist thought including centrist, socialist, right-wing, religious and anti-religious; and the cultural politics of Zionism.
INTERDISCIPLINARY
Bet Midrash
Staff
Level: All
Days and times TBA
Mekorot: RB-INTD-050
Year 1: RB-INTD-100
Year 2: RB-INTD-200
Year 3: RB-INTD-300
Year 4: RB-INTD-400
Year 5: RB-INTD-500
Regular Bet Midrash participation is a required part of the Rabbinical School program. Complementing formal classroom study, students will be paired in hevrutot for intensive study of Jewish texts. This takes place during daily Bet Midrash hours within a supervised study hall setting, where tutors are available to help students work with the original sources and to discuss ideas and issues that emerge from the text study.
Jewish Life and Practice
Anisfeld
2 semesters
Level: Mekorot and some Year 1
Monday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-INTD-017
Note: Class begins Monday, September 24.
Students will be introduced to the patterns and essential terminology of Jewish religious life: the year cycle, the life cycle and other basic Jewish practices, including kashrut.
Israel Seminar
Dow
Level: Year 4
RB-INTD-510
Note: Taught in Israel.
A series of conversations, including guest speakers, around key themes in Israeli life, both historical and contemporary. Culture, political and religious issues will all be considered.
Liturgy of Synagogue Service
Sokol
Level: Mekorot
Friday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-LITGY-590
Prerequisite: Students must have Hebrew IV, its equivalent or permission of the instructor.
An introduction to the structure and content of Jewish prayer, this course examines the historic development of the synagogue and the siddur. The course begins with an exploration of the three daily services and proceeds to Shabbat and hagim (holidays). Conceptual, as well as literary, forms will be considered.
JEWISH THOUGHT
Theology of the Jewish Year
Rose
Level: Year 2
Monday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-JTHT-230
Understanding the Jewish sacred calendar both in its historical origins and in the fullest context of later interpretation, from early midrashic sources down to reflections in contemporary theology.
Jewish Theological Literature: Zohar
A. Green
Level: Year 5
Thursday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-JTHT-608
An introduction to the Jewish mystical tradition and the reading of its central text, the Zohar. Students will be taught the symbolic language of Kabbalah and will learn to read passages in the original Aramaic, but also using the new translation and commentary of the Pritzker edition.
Liturgy: Structure and History
Steinberg
Level: Year 1
Friday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-JTHT-105
Note: 6-week course
This course considers the structure of the classical Jewish prayer services and their historical origins. Students will gain an understanding of the underlying structures of the liturgy and familiarity with the essential rubrics of Jewish prayer. The course will also examine the evolution of various modern versions of Jewish prayer.
The Book of Job and the Problem of Evil: Jewish and Christian Perspectives
Rose and Mobeley
Level: All classes
Wednesday, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
RB-JTHT-575
Note: Class begins Wednesday, September 19.
Why do bad things happen to good people? Does God reward the righteous and punish the wicked? Is there redemptive value in suffering? In this course we will explore these and other related questions through an in-depth examination of the Book of Job, as well as Jewish and Christian commentators on this biblical text and various Western writers—religious and secular, ancient and modern—on questions of evil, suffering, and theodicy.
PRACTICAL RABBINICS
Rabbinical Internship/Group Supervision
Anisfeld and Lehmann
Level: Years 3 and 5
Year 3: RB-PRAC-350
2 semesters
Third-year students will be placed in internships at synagogues and other Jewish institutions in Greater Boston. Internships are designed to enable students to understand the relationship between their theoretical education and their practical learning.
Year 5: RB-PRAC-550
2 semesters
Fifth-year students will be placed in internships and student pulpits at synagogues and other Jewish institutions in Greater Boston.
Internship Seminar
Anisfeld and Lehmann
Level: Year 3
2 semesters
Monday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-PRAC-349
In connection with their internships, students will have on-site supervision and will also meet twice monthly for group supervision on campus.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Paasche-Orlow
Level: Year 4
Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
RB-PRAC-450
Note: Class takes place at Hebrew SeniorLife/Hebrew Rehabilitation Center.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) focuses on the integrative formation of the student as a pastoral caregiver, drawing on religious tradition, the behavioral sciences and personal history. The program components include clinical experience as a chaplain intern, didactic learning, and group and individual supervision. Hebrew SeniorLife/Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston is unique in its Jewish geriatric focus.
Rabbi as Counselor
Landy
Level: Year 3
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-PRAC-310
Note: Class begins Friday, October 12.
This course provides an overview of pastoral counseling, focusing on the counseling relationships that rabbis encounter. Students will gain an understanding of counseling, family systems, transference, self-care and other topics relevant to the role of rabbi as counselor.
Leadership Seminar
Shevitz
Level: Year 5
Tuesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-PRAC-510
This course provides training to serve in leadership roles in Jewish religious and institutional settings. It will cover how to be a leader who carries forth a vision and yet allows others to grow and participate in aspects of Jewish leadership, and how to work with institutions, including synagogues, to foster growth and creative change.
Reform Judaism
Gurvis
Level: Year 5 elective
Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-PRAC-520
This course will address the origins of Reform Judaism, beginning with the Enlightenment and Emancipation, and moving from Germany to the United States. It will examine American Reform growth over its first century—including the major Reform platforms, and the place of Halakhah, liturgical reforms and theology—as well as contemporary Reform ritual, practice, issues, institutions, relationship with Israel and social justice work.
MUSIC
Basic Nusah for Jewish Professionals
Buhr
Level: Year 2 (elective for Years 4 and 5)
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-CANTR-517
This is an introduction to the modes and motifs for synagogue prayer during weekday and Sabbath worship. Emphasis will be placed on acquiring the skills necessary to be able to teach basic davening. Discussions will also examine some theoretical and pedagogical issues in the teaching of prayer to children.
RABBINICS
Introduction to Rabbinic Texts I
Leader
Level: Mekorot
Tuesday and Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-010
Note: Required Bet Midrash, Tuesday and Thursday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
Through guided reading of primary sources, this preparatory course familiarizes students with the structure, idiom, vocabulary and thought of classical Rabbinic texts. Sources include midrash, Mishnah and Talmud. Secondary readings introduce traditional and critical approaches to the study of these sources. This course requires two hours of Bet Midrash preparation time before each class.
Jewish Living Core 1: Berakhot
Steinberg
Level: Year 1
Tuesday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.; Thursday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-100
Through intensive, guided study of one full chapter of the tractate Berakhot, this first semester inducts first-year rabbinical students into the discipline of traditional rabbinical learning. Coursework covers essential themes in the field of liturgy while building skills that are necessary for reading, understanding, appreciating, analyzing and participating in talmudic discourse and for accessing the full range of classical Rabbinic sources.
Jewish Living Core 2: Mo'ed
Kanarek
Level: Year 2
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-200
This course centers on intensive study of the third chapter of tractate, Mo'ed Katan, a perek that focuses on death and mourning, a central area of rabbinic practice and pastoral care. As we explore ancient conceptions of death and mourning, we will solidify textual skills built during the first year of study. Additionally, this course will introduce the use of Rashi as an aid in Talmud study, as well as a few select Rishonim.
Jewish Living Core 3: Nashim uGevarim
Kanarek
Level: Year 3
Wednesday, 10:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-300
A study of essential talmudic sources in Seder Nashim introduces classical rabbinic concepts, categories and practices concerning the roles and status of women and men. Students will read these classical rabbinic sources for their own understanding in light of the present day. They will consider issues that surround gender roles in contemporary Jewish practice through readings and discussions.
Talmud 4: Nezikin
Zohar (In Israel)
Level: Year 4
Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-401
The mishnaic order Nezikin is dedicated to the various issues related to the interactions and coexistence among individuals in social and political frameworks. It addresses civil and criminal law, as well as institutions of power and authority (primarily the courts and the hakhamim), and situates all these under the supreme sovereignty of God. Counting the three "gates" of tractate Nezikin individually, the order contains nine tractates; generally, one meeting will be devoted to each. Preparation will regularly include reading Chanoch Albeck's short introduction to the tractate at hand; in class, attention will be paid to one or two illustrative clauses from the Mishnah, following them through to later discussions. In these, the emphasis will alternate between the Talmud, the medieval commentators and codifiers, and modern applications—some of the latter particularly in the context of the State of Israel. The final assignment will consist of exploring a mishnaic clause and its ramifications in several phases of the halakhic tradition.
Talmud 4: Sanhedrin and Makkot
Schimmel
Level: Year 4
Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-402
This course will explore several talmudic sugyot from Masekhtot Sanhedrin and Makkot that deal with judicial procedure, capital and corporal punishment, murder and accidental homicide, and the use of force to prevent the commission of a sin or crime. In addition to the texts from the Talmud Bavli, students will examine the Tosefta, Midreshey Halakhah, and the codes, especially Rambam's Mishneh Torah, as well as modern scholarly literature. They will be given the opportunity to use, and build upon, knowledge and skills already acquired in the study of rabbinical literature.
Hilkhot Shabbat
Schimmel
Level: Year 2
Tuesday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-215
The elaborate structure of Hilkhot Shabbat is meant to reinforce core theological beliefs, and to be a means by which the Jewish people sanctify time and space, as well as their deeds, speech, and thoughts on Shabbat. In this class students will be introduced to the basic principles and concepts of Hilkhot Shabbat as they have been developed and formulated in rabbinic Judaism and codified in Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, Karo’s Shulhan Arukh, and in the Mishna Berura. In the course of studying Hilkhot Shabbat, students will acquire experience in navigating these three major works of Jewish Law.
Liturgy and Poetry: Yamim Nora'im
Lehmann
Level: Year 2
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-225
Note: Class begins Friday, October 12. Open to CEP students who have completed Hebrew VI or higher.
Students will study the classic liturgy for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, including the history of the mahzor and close reading of piyyutim (liturgical poetry).
Hilkhot Avelut
Perkins
Level: Year 3
Thursday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-315
This course reviews the laws and practices of mourning, surveying the essential concepts in halakhah for rabbis who perform funerals and guide the bereft through the stages of Jewish mourning.
Jewish Interpersonal Ethics: Nezikin
Zohar
Level: Year 4
Thursday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
(10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. when Israel goes off DST and U.S. is still on DST)
RB-RAB-415
Note: Offered via videoconference from Israel.
An investigation of talmudic and halakhic sources regarding various areas of Jewish interpersonal ethics including treatment of workers, property rights, proper speech and other selected topics.
Advanced Talmud
Leader
Level: Years 3 to 5
Monday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB 526
For our students who come to rabbinical school with advanced standing in the area of traditional textual study, we offer at least one advanced course each semester that concentrates on structural and thematic patterns in talmudic text, sophisticated commentary and interpretation, and the use of various methodologies in the study of rabbinical sources. A different topic and set of texts is chosen each semester.
Sifrei
Polen
Level: Year 5 elective
Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-539
Note: Class begins Tuesday, October 2 (designated day for Thursday classes to meet).
Sifrei is an early Rabbinic commentary to Deuteronomy, a gem of the genre called Midrash Halakhah. Its themes include revelation, the love between God and Israel and the afterlife. But the main theme is Torah study itself, the process of transmission and the bond between masters and disciples. We will read key passages of Sifrei in the original, paying attention to midrashic techniques of interpretation. We will also explore Sifrei's relationship to other early midrash collections, and the Rabbinic corpus as a whole.
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Spring 2008
BIBLE
Torah Core 1: Bereshit
Kates
Level: Year 1
Monday and Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-BIBLE-101
See fall listings for complete course description.
Torah Core 2: Shemot
D. Jacobson
Level: Year 2
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-BIBLE-201
See fall listings for complete course description.
Torah Core 4: Bemidbar
Polen
Level: Year 4
Monday and Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-BIBLE-400
This course examines the Book of Numbers from critical, classical Jewish and contemporary perspectives. Questions of leadership and the relationship of leaders to community, as reflected in both text and commentary, are a part of the class discussion.
Torah Core 5: Devarim
Kates
Level: Year 5
Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-BIBLE-500
This course examines the Book of Deuteronomy as a source of Jewish religious teachings and values, including readings from midrashic, medieval and modern interpretive sources. Also discussed will be the place of Devarim in the emergence of rabbinic Judaism, including both halakhic and devotional values.
Neviim
Brettler
Level: Year 4 required; Year 5 elective
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-BIBLE-404
This course investigates readings in one of the Books of Later Prophets in an attempt to understand biblical religion in its own terms and to demonstrate the importance of the prophetic legacy for contemporary Jewish ethics.
HEBREW
Hebrew VI
Davis
Level: Mekorot
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-HEBRW-206
See HC listings for complete course description.
Hebrew VIII
Bock
Level: Year 1
Thursday, 2:15 p.m.–4:15 p.m.
RB-HEBRW-208
See HC listings for complete course description.
Aramaic
Bock
Level: Year 2
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-HEBRW-211
In this course we will review the basic features of Aramaic, focusing on the dialect of Aramaic used in the Babylonian Talmud. We will learn to take advantage of systematic correspondences between Hebrew and Aramaic by applying prior knowledge of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary to the study of rabbinic Aramaic texts.
HISTORY
Medieval Jewish History and Culture
Decter
Level: Year 2
Tuesday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-HIST-201
This course, an exploration of Jewish history from the tenth to the eighteenth century, examines major social, political and cultural developments as seen through a reading of selected primary and secondary sources.
INTERDISCIPLINARY
Jewish Life and Practice
Anisfeld
Level: Mekorot and Year 1
Monday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-INTD-017
See fall listings for complete course description.
Lifecycle Officiating
Judson
Level: Year 2
Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-INTD-580
This course will explore the sources and development of the major Jewish lifecycle rituals—brit milah, bar/bat mitzvah, weddings and conversions. The course will also explore the various ways contemporary rabbis perform these lifecycle rituals, and will address important issues related to the lifecycle process such as premarital counseling, interfaith questions, innovative rituals and conversion counseling.
Bet Midrash
Staff
Level: All
Days and times TBA
Mekorot: RB-INTD-051
Year 1: RB-INTD-101
Year 2: RB-INTD-201
Year 3: RB-INTD-301
Year 4: RB-INTD-401
Year 5: RB-INTD-501
See fall listings for complete course description.
JEWISH THOUGHT
Theology of Jewish Prayer
Rose
Level: Year 1
Tuesday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-JTHT-100
This course examines Jewish prayer in its theological richness and historical diversity. A variety of Jewish reflections on prayer, both classical and modern, are examined, including teachings from the mystical tradition.
Classical Jewish Thought
Steinberg
Level: Year 3
Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-JTHT-318
Considering rabbinic, philosophical and kabbalistic sources, this course explores the concepts and articulations of the nature of God, Creation and Revelation as they developed from biblical through medieval times.
Contemporary Jewish Thought
Rose
Level: Year 5
Thursday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-JTHT-518
The vast changes wrought in Jewish life by modernization and secularization in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are the focus of this course. Responses to modernity by the leading Jewish thinkers of the era, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Joseph Baer Soloveitchik, Mordechai Kaplan and Abraham Joshua Heschel, will be examined.
PRACTICAL RABBINICS
Issues in Rabbinic Counseling
Landy
Level: Year 3
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-PRAC-312
This course will explore the major components of rabbinic counseling, including listening skills, journeying through life-cycle events and responding to the many challenges and opportunities in the rabbinate. The class will include guest lecturers and skill-building opportunities.
Senior Seminar: Issues in Contemporary Jewish Practice
Lehmann
Level: Year 5
Tuesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-PRAC-515
Students will examine Jewish religious life, as celebrated in various denominational contexts and in current innovative practice, as well as have an opportunity to discuss and consider their own views on some of the more controversial and cutting-edge issues in contemporary Jewish life.
RABBINICS
Introduction to the Study of Talmud
Schimmel
Level: Mekorot
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-520
See HC listings for complete course description.
Readings in Aggadic Literature
Polen
Level: Mekorot
Tuesday and Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-550
Prerequisite: Hebrew V and VI, or their equivalent.
See HC listings for complete course description.
Jewish Living Core 1: Berakhot
Steinberg
Level: Year 1
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-101
This semester concentrates on the traditional laws of Berakhot, beginning with classical sources that furnish basic categories and concepts. Then, guided by Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's influential Arbaah Turim and Rabbi Joseph Caro's Bet Yosef, the course explores the structure of the daily liturgy, with special attention paid to the ways in which rabbinic authorities in successive post-talmudic generations dealt with apparent anomalies and varying liturgical traditions. Important figures and texts in the history of the development of rabbinic law are introduced.
Jewish Living Core 2: Mo'ed
Margalit
Level: Year 2
Monday and Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-201
Study during the spring semester prepares students for the holidays of the coming fall (with a view to students' preparation for work in the field). Talmudic sources from tractates Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkah and Shabbat lay a conceptual groundwork for the holidays. Independent learning projects and presentations augment the course and build rabbinic skills.
Jewish Living Core 3: Nashim uGevarim
Steinberg
Level: Year 3
Monday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-301
This course is an intensive, text-based exploration of gender and sexuality as constructed in biblical, classical rabbinic, halakhic, mystical, folk and contemporary Jewish sources. The curriculum will be grounded in the study of talmudic and midrashic texts, the sources they draw upon, and the Jewish traditions that they influence, with a view to present-day concerns. Contemporary scholarship and Jewish thought will also be included.
Talmud 4: HaHovel
Kanarek
Level: Year 4
Thursday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-RAB-527
In this class, students will study selected sugyot from chapter 8 of tractate Bava Kamma. Rabbinic legislation of torts will be examined through the lens of the Gemara and its medieval commentators, and, looking at how the ancient rabbis constructed a system of compensation for injury, students will gain insight into rabbinic understandings of human dignity. Attention to contemporary legal understandings of human dignity will also shape the discussion and bring to light how ancient conceptions of this issue may inform more modern ones.
Hilkhot Yom Tov
Leader
Level: Year 2
Monday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-216
This course focuses on the festival laws and examines basic issues in the workings and historical development of halakhah.
Hilkhot Kiddushin uGittin
Kanarek
Level: Year 3
Tuesday, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-316
This course covers the laws of marriage and divorce. With a view to practical rabbinic applications, it surveys the essential rules and regulations that traditionally govern Jewish marriage ceremony and divorces. Having laid the groundwork for classical concepts and practices, the course considers present-day innovations, the challenges they pose and the opportunities that they provide.
Talmud Year 5: Bekiut
Kanarek
Level: Year 5
Thursday, 2:15–4:15 p.m.
RB-RAB-528
Over the course of the semester, students will study all of tractate Ta'anit. While the focus will be on breadth of knowledge, students will also have the opportunity to engage with a smaller unit of the masekhet. Coursework will reflect a range of methodologies for the study of Talmud and will help students to become strong independent learners and teachers of Talmud.
MUSIC
Basic Cantillation for Jewish Professionals
Buhr
Level: Year 1
Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
RB-CANTR-519
See HC listings for complete course description.
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