Jewish Texts & Contexts Archives | Page 2 of 6

Zionism Today: Crucial Debates, New Ideas – In Person at Temple Isaiah, Lexington

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Dr. Jacob Meskin (Read Bio)
Dates: 6 Tuesdays, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9 & 4/16
Time: 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Course fee: $270, financial aid is available
Location: In Person at Temple Isaiah, Lexington
Hosted by: The Lexington Collaborative, Temples Emunah and Isaiah

Like any living, vital tradition of thought, Zionism has continued to change over time. In this six-week course we will study recent developments within the tradition of Zionist thought, and also some contemporary critiques of Zionism from outside that tradition. We will be focusing on arguments about the state of Israel, the Jewish people, the Palestinians, and the Middle East more broadly. In addition, we will explore certain currents of thought that inform these arguments, e.g., post-colonialism.

After an overview of the early history of Zionism, and of the continuum of Zionist perspectives, we will move on to examine essential issues and debates that have surfaced in recent Zionist thought. These include: arguments over the status of Zionism as a species of nationalism; different ways of evaluating the particularism of Zionism in an era of “globalism and cosmopolitanism”; important new approaches to understanding the challenges of the state of Israel’s being at once Jewish and democratic; different assessments of the role of Zionism for Jews living in the diaspora; new, and distinct, views of religion in Zionism and in Israeli life; radically divergent Zionist and Palestinian narratives of the history of Israel, and Palestinian critiques of Zionism, and Zionist responses.

In addition to short excerpts from the writings of a number of famous thinkers, every effort will be made to select essays and articles that are accessible. Moreover, wherever possible, film clips, audio of live interviews (with written transcripts), and other alternative media will be included.

For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu

What Can The New Testament Teach Us About First-Century Judaism?

What Can The New Testament Teach Us
About First-Century Judaism?

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Alan Avery-Peck (Read Bio)
Dates: 5 Wednesdays, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 5/1 & 5/8
Time: 7-9 p.m. Eastern
Course fee: $225, financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College

Jesus, the Christian messiah and son of God, was also a first-century Galilean Jew who stood firmly within the Judaism of his day. Jesus’ message responded to and resonated within his people’s—the Jews’—distinctive theological, cultural, and political circumstances. As much as the New Testament tells the story of Christian origins, it thus reflects deeply on first century Judaism. Christians who ignore Jesus’ Jewish context cannot fully understand what was at stake in, or the urgency of, Jesus’ message. And Jews who ignore the New Testament miss the opportunity to fully grasp Jewish belief in the period that yielded the Judaism we still practice today. Thus, our focus today: What can the New Testament teach us about first-century Judaism?

For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu

Calling Out from the Depths: Reading the Book of Psalms Today

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Or Rose (Read Bio)
Dates: 6 Thursdays, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 2/29, 3/7 & 3/14
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Course fee: $270, financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

The Book of Psalms has served as a source of inspiration and guidance to countless numbers of Jews, Christians, and other seekers throughout the ages. Our forebears turned to these sources in times of joy and thanksgiving and in times of sadness and lament. What might these ancient poetic texts have to say to us today? How have past generations engaged these sources liturgically and otherwise. In this course, we will examine several the original psalms (each focusing on a different theme) and the writings, music, poetry, and visual artistry of interpreters—Jewish and non-Jewish alike—of these biblical sources.

For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu

My Neighbor’s Faith: Exploring Narratives of Encounter, Challenge, and Growth Across Differences

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Or Rose (Read Bio)
Dates: 6 Thursdays, 4/11, 4/18, 5/2, 5/16, 5/23 & 5/30
Time: 7-9 p.m. Eastern
Course fee: $270, financial aid is available
Location: Hybrid – In Person at Hebrew College with Online option via Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College
This course is generously underwritten by The Rita J. And Stanley H. Kaplan Foundation in memory of Paul Alan Kaplan z”l.

Based on the 2012 award-winning collection by the same name (and including materials from the 2023 follow-up volume, With the Best of Intentions), this course offers students the opportunity to explore narratives of transformative encounter across lines of difference. With wisdom, wit, courage, and humility, the writers—Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.—share their experience of border-crossing and the lessons learned from their interreligious and cross-cultural adventures. We live in one of the most religiously diverse society in the history of humankind. Every day, people of different beliefs, ideals, and practices encounter one another in a myriad of settings. How has this new situation of widespread diversity impacted the way we understand the religious other, ourselves, and God (or ultimacy)? Can we learn to live together with mutual respect, working together for the creation of a more compassionate, just, and sustainable world?

For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu

Parenting Through a Jewish Lens, Concord MA

Parenting Through a Jewish Lens, Concord MA (6 sessions)
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning Parenting and Grandparenting
Instructor: Rabbi Darby Leigh
Dates: April 7, 28; May 5, 12; June 2, 9, 2024
Day and Time: Sundays, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Location: In-person, Congregation Kerem Shalom, Concord, MA
Fee: $150

Join a group of fellow parents of young children to discuss topics that matter to you as a parent; reflect on the joys and challenges of raising kids today; and find support, encouragement, and connection. Our curriculum helps parents discover the many ways in which Jewish sources of wisdom can inform their choices. Babysitting is available. Please note: This class is open to parents who took PTJL last year and to parents who are brand new to the program.

The Language of Wisdom: Learning Pirkei Avot in Hebrew

Course Title: The Language of Wisdom: Learning Pirkei Avot in Hebrew
Instructor: Rabbi Natan Margalit, PhD (see bio)
Program: Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning, Text and Tradition
Day and Time: Monday evenings 7:15-8:45pm Eastern
Dates: February 12, 26; March 11, 25; April 8; May 6, 20, 2024
Location: Online via Zoom
Partner Organization: Sinai Brookline, Brookline, MA
Fee: $280
Inquire about partial need-based scholarships here.

In this class we will study together one of the most accessible and beloved texts of the ancient Sages: “The Sayings of the Fathers,” or Pirkei Avot. By opening ourselves to the original texts rather than relying on translations we will be able to access its timeless wisdom, wrestle with its puzzles and also improve our Hebrew reading skills. We will read and translate together in class in a relaxed, non-judgmental and unpressured atmosphere. Students can choose to read aloud and to translate, or not as they feel comfortable. The more students prepare the texts between classes the more skills they will gain, but there are no expectations– come as you are and we’ll learn at our own pace. We will also read portions of the book, Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World, by Jeremy Benstein. Excerpts will be distributed by the instructor.

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

Canadian and other registrants from outside the US: please email Cindy Bernstein to complete your registration. We apologize for the inconvenience.