Jewish Life and Thought in Medieval Spain (Al Andalus)

Jewish Life and Thought in Medieval Spain (Al Andalus)

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Gordon  (Read Bio)
Dates: 10 Wednesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 2/7, 2/14, 2/28, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10 & 4/17
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Course fee: $450, financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Temple Beth Zion, Brookline

During the Middle Ages in Spain — Jews, Christians and Muslims shared a common home and interacted in the realms of medicine, government, philosophy and mysticism. For us, Al Andalus (Spain) offers a model for a pluralistic society where diverse religious communities co-existed, shared space, built institutions, and learned from one another. In this way, the Jewish men and women of medieval Spain were, in some centrally important ways, the first “modern” Jews. They were a religious minority, constantly renegotiating their religious and cultural identities in the face of two vast, overwhelmingly powerful religious empires. We will explore diverse strategies of leading figures who produced lasting achievements in the arts, in religious life, and in Jewish thought including Maimonides (Code of Jewish Law, Guide for the Perplexed), Nahmonides (Commentary to Genesis and the Barcelona disputation), Bahya (Duties of the Heart), Rabbenu Yonah (Gates of Repentance) and Yehuda Halevi (Kuzari). Their legacy continues to have impact today as we re-imagine Jewish life and identity in America. No prior background is assumed.

Suggested Background Readings:

The Jews of Spain, Jane Gerber

The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, Maria Menocal

NOTE: This course is designed for people interested in learning more about the Jewish experience in Spain and/or interested in joining our Hebrew College Jewish Discovery Tour of Spain in May 2024. This May, in conjunction with Keshet Educational Tours, ME’AH will offer a trip to explore Jewish Spain. Check out the tour details at:  https://www.keshetisrael.co.il/meah

 For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu

Survey Course on the Modern Period of Jewish History: Tuesday Mornings In Person at Hebrew College

Survey Course on the Modern Period of Jewish History: Tuesday Mornings In Person at Hebrew College

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Classic
Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Gordon (Modern)  (Read Bio)
Dates: 11 Tuesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 & 4/2
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $360, financial aid is available
Location: In person at Hebrew College:  1860 Washington Street| Newton, MA 02466
Hosted by: Hebrew College

Beginning with the 17th century Age of Enlightenment, modernity posed a significant challenge to traditional Jewish culture, community, and identity, creating new social and economic opportunities but also threatening traditional Jewish values and society. As in each of the previous eras, modern Jews remained preoccupied with sacred texts, suggesting that however great the impact of rupture and discontinuity, their passion for reading and re-reading classical Jewish texts became the creative wellspring for modern Jewish thought.

You’ll delve into some of these modern primary texts representing differing ideological viewpoints — works of Jewish philosophers such as Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, and Zionist thinkers such as Ahad Ha’am and Micha Josef Berdyczewski — that mirror the issues faced by Jews of that era.

And you’ll wrestle with the subtle points of comparison and contrast between Jewish modernity and the civilization we’ve inherited. Texts will examine the emancipation of European Jewry; the rise of Hasidism; the Jewish cultural revolution of Eastern Europe; and the birth of Modern Zionism.

NOTE: This course is part of our Me’ah Classic program that we are opening to all who wish to learn about Modern Jewry. We hope you will enjoy taking this course and then register for the other sections of Me’ah Classic.

For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu

Survey Course on the Rabbinic Period of Jewish History: Thursday Evenings Online via Zoom

Survey Course on the Rabbinic Period of Jewish History: Thursday Evenings Online via Zoom

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Classic
Instructor: Rabbi Shayna Rhodes (Spring)  (Read Bio)
Dates: 11 Thursdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28, 4/4 & 4/11
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Course fee: $425, financial aid is available
Location: Online via Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

The Rabbinic Period — the millennium from the Second Temple to the completion of the Babylonian Talmud (500 BCE to 600 CE) — refers to a time when new Jewish leaders, sages and rabbis emerged and developed rich texts of their own. Some of those texts took the form of extensive commentary about the earlier world of biblical Israel. During this seminal period, rabbinic scholars created a legal system which led to a Jewish belief system that has informed and ordered Jewish community, culture, and behavior for the past millennia.

What is the relationship between God and human beings?
How do we understand Jewish history and Jewish ethics?
What is the role of ritual, holy days and life-cycle events?

Readings illustrate the development of the rabbinic mindset and talmudic beliefs. As with the Hebrew Bible sequence, you’ll first cover selected historical, textual, and conceptual areas, then examine core concepts in conjunction with Bible study to illustrate how beliefs and practices evolved over time.

NOTE: This course is part of our Me’ah Classic program that we are opening to all who wish to learn about the Hebrew Bible. We hope you will enjoy taking this course and then register for the other sections of Me’ah Classic.

Please contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu for more information.

Survey Course on the Rabbinic Period of Jewish History: Tuesday Evenings In Person at Hebrew College

Survey Course on the Rabbinic Period of Jewish History: Tuesday Evenings In Person at Hebrew College

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Classic
Instructor: Rabbi Benjamin Samuels (Rabbinics)  (Read Bio)
Dates: 11 Tuesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2 & 4/9
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Course fee: $425, financial aid is available
Location: In Person at Hebrew College: 1860 Washington Street| Newton, MA 02466
Hosted by: Hebrew College

The Rabbinic Period — the millennium from the Second Temple to the completion of the Babylonian Talmud (500 BCE to 600 CE) — refers to a time when new Jewish leaders, sages and rabbis emerged and developed rich texts of their own. Some of those texts took the form of extensive commentary about the earlier world of biblical Israel. During this seminal period, rabbinic scholars created a legal system which led to a Jewish belief system that has informed and ordered Jewish community, culture, and behavior for the past millennia.

Your instructor will guide you through enduring questions:

What is the relationship between God and human beings?
How do we understand Jewish history and Jewish ethics?
What is the role of ritual, holy days and life-cycle events?

Readings illustrate the development of the rabbinic mindset and talmudic beliefs. As with the Hebrew Bible sequence, you’ll first cover selected historical, textual, and conceptual areas, then examine core concepts in conjunction with Bible study to illustrate how beliefs and practices evolved over time.

NOTE: This course is part of our Me’ah Classic program that we are opening to all who wish to learn about the Hebrew Bible. We hope you will enjoy taking this course and then register for the other sections of Me’ah Classic.

Please contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu for more information.

Survey Course on the Modern Period of Jewish History- Wednesday evenings online via Zoom

Survey Course on the Modern Period of Jewish History- Wednesday evenings online via Zoom

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Classic
Instructor: Dr. Jacob Meskin (Modern)  (Read Bio)
Dates: 11 Wednesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/28, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27 & 4/3
Time: 7:15 -9:15 p.m.
Cost: $360, financial aid is available
Location: Online via Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

Beginning with the 17th century Age of Enlightenment, modernity posed a significant challenge to traditional Jewish culture, community, and identity, creating new social and economic opportunities but also threatening traditional Jewish values and society. As in each of the previous eras, modern Jews remained preoccupied with sacred texts, suggesting that however great the impact of rupture and discontinuity, their passion for reading and re-reading classical Jewish texts became the creative wellspring for modern Jewish thought.

You’ll delve into some of these modern primary texts representing differing ideological viewpoints — works of Jewish philosophers such as Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, and Zionist thinkers such as Ahad Ha’am and Micha Josef Berdyczewski — that mirror the issues faced by Jews of that era.

And you’ll wrestle with the subtle points of comparison and contrast between Jewish modernity and the civilization we’ve inherited. Texts will examine the emancipation of European Jewry; the rise of Hasidism; the Jewish cultural revolution of Eastern Europe; and the birth of Modern Zionism.

NOTE: This course is part of our Me’ah Classic program that we are opening to all who wish to learn about Modern Jewry. We hope you will enjoy taking this course and then register for the other sections of Me’ah Classic.

For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu