“Sinning for God”: When do the Ends Justify the Means?

Course Title: “Sinning for God”: When do the Ends Justify the Means?
Program:
Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning: Texts and Traditions
Instructor:
Aron Wander (Read bio)
Session: Summer 2023
Day and Time: Sundays, 10-11:30 a.m. Eastern
Dates: July 9, 16, 23, 30; August 6, 2023 (5 sessions)
Location: Online via Zoom
Synagogue Partner: Temple Israel Boston
Fee: $180 Generous financial scholarships available

How do we build a better world when we know our actions may have unintended or unavoidable economic, political, or ecological consequences? What is justified in the pursuit of justice?

In “Sinning for God,” we’ll explore two related rabbinic concepts: mitzvah ha’ba be’aveirah (a would-be mitzvah that is forbidden because it comes about by way of a sin) and aveirah lishmah (a would-be sin that is permitted because it serves a higher purpose).

We’ll begin by studying their Talmudic origins, and then we’ll consider how they’ve played out in different historical periods and across varying political, economic, and moral issues. Throughout, we’ll use our learning to shed light on the moral dilemmas and paradoxes we face today. At stake will be an underlying question: when do moral ends justify questionable means, and when do immoral means corrupt us, no matter how noble our goals are?

Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning is for learners of all backgrounds.

Sex and God: Hebrew Poems of Desire in Medieval Spain

Sex and God: Hebrew Poems of Desire in Medieval Spain

Program:  Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Dr. Shari Lowin  (Read Bio)
Dates: 5 Wednesdays, 6/14, 6/28, 7/5, 7/12 & 7/19
Time: 7:15 – 9:15 p.m.
Cost: $190, generous financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

From the 10th through 13th centuries, Islamic Spain experienced what is now called a “Golden Age.” Literature, music, philosophy, mathematics, science, medicine all flourished under the Muslim rulers and a spirit of religious coexistence and cooperation reigned. This period also saw the development of Hebrew religious poetry side by side with secular Hebrew poetry, often written by the same rabbinic hand. Surprisingly, not only did these religious poets utilize erotic themes in their secular poetry, they also used religious images in their erotic poetry.

Over 5 sessions, this course will familiarize students with the phenomenon – the patterns, tropes, topics and breadth — of medieval Andalusian poetry and investigate the particular phenomenon of the erotica of the scholar-poets. Among the questions we will address: In what ways did the Hebrew poets interact with the Muslim poets and vice versa? Why did such poetry arise? How did these religious scholar-poets justify the writing of such seemingly sacrilegious poetry — both the erotica itself and the religious use of erotic imagery? Were the poems reflections of reality?

Hebrew College Me’ah Select courses offer in-depth academically oriented adult learning experiences led by outstanding faculty.

Judaism as A Spiritual Discipline: The History, Ideas, and Practice of Musar

Judaism as A Spiritual Discipline: The History, Ideas, and Practice of Mussar

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Dr. Jacob Meskin  (Read Bio)
Dates: 5 Thursdays, 6/22, 6/29, 7/6, 7/13 & 7/20
Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Cost: $190, generous financial aid is available
Location: Hybrid – In Person at Hebrew College with Online option
Hosted by: Hebrew College

When modern Jews hear the term “Mussar” they think of ethical ideals, and analyses of character traits. While not wrong, this misses the most intriguing aspect of Mussar. Mussar is an encompassing spiritual quest, and it offers a unique approach to living a Jewish life.

In this five-week course we will begin with an overview of the long history of Mussar (from Biblical and rabbinic texts, all the way through the medieval and modern periods). We will then consider the great Mussar leaders of the last two centuries, and the fascinating religious ideas and practices they created.

We will then analyze the central Mussar idea: what may seem simply to be ethical work on oneself, when lived out in Jewish community, in fact opens up pathways for religious insight and spiritual growth. Judaism itself can become a spiritual discipline.

Here are some of the questions we will be asking along the way:
–What are modern Jews supposed to think about these large-scale Mussar insights today? Can we still accept (and/or adapt) them?
–Several otherwise excellent recent attempts to revive interest in Mussar among progressive Jews have minimized the larger spiritual questions that drive Mussar. Is this wise, or perhaps ultimately unsatisfying?
–How do the insights and teachings of modern women Mussar teachers differ from those of male Mussar teachers? Might women tend to approach Mussar thought and practice in a different way?
–How do the Mussar spiritual quest and Mussar practice compare with what one finds in other religions? Together we will be exploring a comparison between Mussar and the tradition of Hindu yoga.

Hebrew College Me’ah Select courses offer in-depth academically oriented adult learning experiences led by outstanding faculty.

Peshuto shel Mikra: the Relationship of the Oral and Written Torah from the Jewish Enlightenment to Today

Peshuto shel Mikra: the Relationship of the Oral and Written Torah from the Jewish Enlightenment to Today

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Benjamin Samuels, PhD  (Read Bio)
Dates: 5 Tuesdays, 6/20, 6/27, 7/11, 7/18 & 7/25
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Cost: $190, generous financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

Peshat exegesis refers to the contextual literary reading of the Torah. Derash refers to layers of meaning derived through the interpretive rules and methods of rabbinic commentators. Together, peshat and derash conjoin the written and oral Jewish traditions of Torah. However, there has long been a tension between the two. As the modern era ushered in new approaches that separated peshat from derash, there were counter efforts to produce commentaries showing that they were inseparable.

In this course, we will study modern representations of peshat interpretation, and peshat and derash unitive commentaries, from the Jewish Enlightenment of the 18th Century until today. We will also delve into the controversy presently swirling around the legitimacy of peshuto shel mikra in religious bible study today.

Hebrew College Me’ah Select courses offer in-depth academically oriented adult learning experiences led by outstanding faculty.

The New Jewish Canon

The New Jewish Canon

Program:  Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Gordon  (Read Bio)
Dates: 5 Wednesdays, 8/16, 8/23, 8/30, 9/6 & 9/13
Time: 7 – 9 p.m.
Cost: $190, generous financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

Our course will read and discuss select essays/responses from the new anthology, THE NEW JEWISH CANON*. Reflecting the best English language Jewish writing of the past decades, this collection organizes its essays under the headings: “Jewish politics and the public square,” “Religion and religiosity,” and “Identities and Communities.” Among other topics, we will discuss: American Jews and Israel, the future of denominations, the impact of changing gender roles, and the shifting political alignments within the American Jewish community.

* The New Jewish Canon (Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah) by Yehuda Kurtzer  (Editor), Claire E. Sufrin  (Editor) Paperback $39 – to be purchased by students for this course.

Hebrew College Me’ah Select courses offer in-depth academically oriented adult learning experiences led by outstanding faculty.

Ulpan Hebrew Language

Instructors: Various (see below)
Dates: May 31-August 1, 2023
Day and Time: See below for information on all levels
Location: Zoom
Fee: $650-$760
Register: Please register by May 30, 2023 using the registration links below.

Hebrew College’s Ulpan is an immersion language program that teaches grammar, reading comprehension, and conversation skills to students from all levels through the lens of Israeli culture. Ulpan brings Hebrew to life through discussions of contemporary political, social, and cultural topics, and readings drawn from current Israeli news and social commentary. We offer courses at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Class placement is based on written and/or oral evaluation.

Please contact Iris Schor, Director of Ulpan and Hebrew Language, to determine which level is right for you.

Summer 2023 Classes

Course name Instructor Location Dates Time Cost Registration Link
Ulpan Level 1A morning Osnat Hazan Zoom June 7 – 30 Wednesday & Friday, 9:30-11 a.m. $350 Register
Ulpan Level 1A evening Shulamit Ben David Zoom July 11-Aug. 3 Tuesday & Thursday, 6:30-8 p.m. $350 Register
Ulpan Level 1B Adva Alpert Zoom June 5-28 Monday & Wednesday, 7-8:30 p.m. $350 Register

 

Ulpan Level 2A Shlomi Zan Zoom June 1-22 Thursday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. $235 Register

 

Ulpan Level 2B Maya Dalzell Zoom June 6-Aug. 1 Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30-11 a.m. $450 Register
Ulpan Level 3B Maya Dalzell Zoom June 6-Aug. 1 Tuesday & Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. $450 Register
Ulpan Level 3B morning Maya Dalzell Zoom June 5-July 31 Monday & Wednesday, 9:30-11 a.m. $450 Register

 

Ulpan Level 4A Shlomi Zan Zoom May 31-June 26 Monday & Wednesday,7-8:30 p.m. $350 Register
Ulpan Level 4B Maya Dalzell Zoom June 5-July 31 Monday & Wednesday, 5-6:30 p.m. $450 Register

 

Ulpan Level 5A Osnat Hazan Zoom June 6-27 Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30-11 a.m. $350 Register
Ulpan Level 6 Maya Dalzell Zoom June 5-31 Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30-11 a.m. $450 Register

 

Ulpan Level 7 Maya Dalzell Zoom June 6-Aug. 1 Tuesday & Thursday, 4:30 -6 p.m. $450 Register
Ulpan Level 9A Aliza Brosh Zoom June 1-27 Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30-10 a.m. $350 Register

 

Ulpan Level 9B Aliza Brosh Zoom June 2-26 Monday & Friday, 8:30-10 a.m. $350 Register