Course Program: Me’ah Select

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.