Jewish Narratives in Pop Culture: Winter Spring Edition

Course Title: Jewish Narratives in Pop Culture: Winter Spring Edition ( 6 sessions-2 hybrid and 4 online only)
Program: Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning
Instructor: Elisha Gechter
Day and Time: Mondays, 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET; *hybrid sessions, 7:30-9:00 p.m ET.
Dates:  2/12, *2/26; 3/4, 3/18, 3/25, *4/1 2024  (6 sessions)
Location: Online via Zoom;  hybrid in-person at Lehrhaus, Somerville, MA
Fee: $150 Financial scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Join this course to unpack specific episodes from television series featuring Jewish characters and/or themes, and discuss the ways that Jews show up in pop culture today. We will examine the narratives being raised and interrogate in which ways they are stereotypical or perhaps inclusive and expansive. Between sessions participants will watch  30–50-minute episodes of shows including Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Weeds, Shtisel and more. Come ready to discuss and reflect on examples of overtly Jewish shows and characters, as well as ones that are more subtle, or creative. You’ll be with an eclectic group to consider how the stories and people portrayed land with you, and why representation matters. While this is a continuation of a fall 2023 course, all are welcome – no prior participation required.

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.

Advanced Mussar Study/Practice Group Spring 2024

 

Course Title: Advanced Mussar Study/Practice Group Spring 2024
Program:
Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning: Mindfulness
Instructor: 
 Rabbi Marcia Plumb (Read bio)
Dates: March 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17;  May 1, 2024 (May 8-makeup session if needed)
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 5:00-6:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Partner: Temple Shir Tikvah Winchester
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $320  * Temple Shir Tikvah members, $284 (TST register here)
Partial scholarships available

Join Rabbi Marcia Plumb to delve into texts from Jewish tradition and contemporary sources, with particular focus on the study of Mussar. Explore the middot (“soul traits”) of Mussar through ongoing textual study, reflection, journaling, and kabbalot (small mindfulness exercises). The class engages with these texts in full group session, and in small breakout groups. Some of the essential questions we will delve into are: how do we understand the selected middot? How do we engage with the middot and each other to enhance our personal spiritual growth, our daily behavior, and the alignment between the two? How can each of us contribute to the growth of others in the group, and bring our learning to repair the world?

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

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

“Honor Your Father and Mother:” Fulfilling the Mitzvah With Our Aging Parents

Course Title: Honor Your Father and Mother: Fulfilling the Mitzvah with Our Aging Parents
Program: Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning: Parenting and Grandparenting
Instructor: Deborah Anstandig
Dates:  February 11, 25; March 3, 17, 2024 (4 sessions)
Day and Time: Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $100 Financial Scholarships are available

Many of us have experienced the challenges and opportunities of supporting aging and ailing family members. The opportunity to care for our elders, especially our parents, can be a unique privilege, but also creates considerable challenges for both parent and child. In this course, we’ll encounter a variety of sources that explore the limitations and qualifications of the mitzvah to honor one’s parents. This poignant topic is open to people of all ages–regardless of whether you are currently supporting an aging parent.

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.

Year One Bible and Rabbinics:
Tuesday Evenings In Person at Hebrew College

Year One Bible and Rabbinics: Tuesday Evenings In Person at Hebrew College

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Classic
Instructor: Rabbi Neal Gold (Bible) and Rabbi Benjamin Samuels (Rabbinics)  (Read Bios)
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.
Cost: $425, financial aid is available
Location: In Person at Hebrew College: 1860 Washington Street| Newton, MA 02466
Hosted by: Hebrew College

The Me’ah Classic Year 1 Program begins with Bible in the Fall and continues with Rabbinics in the Spring.  Your tuition covers the Spring semester.  

Fall: Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, is the central text of ancient Israel and the foundational text for Judaism through the ages. You’ll examine the various biblical genres, structures, concepts, theological and historical settings of the biblical world, and then explore selected topics, often integrated with rabbinic perspectives.

This sequence balances an overview of the Hebrew Bible with focused discussion of core texts, such as the Creation stories, the binding of Isaac, the Exodus story, the revelation at Sinai and the prophetic books. You’ll analyze the primary biblical texts and secondary scholarly materials through various lenses: literary, historical-comparative, and rabbinic commentary.

While you may be familiar with the Bible from childhood, this in-depth exposure to other texts and different modes of reading will challenge you — and may well lead you to reassess some long-held views.

Winter/Spring: Rabbinics

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.

Please contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu for more information.

Year One Bible and Rabbinics:
Thursday Evenings Online via Zoom

Year One Bible and Rabbinics: Thursday Evenings Online via Zoom

Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Classic
Instructor: Rav Rachel Adelman (Fall) and Rabbi Shayna Rhodes (Spring)  (Read Bios)
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.
Cost: $425, financial aid is available
Location: Online via Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College

The Me’ah Classic Year 1 Program begins with Bible in the Fall and continues with Rabbinics in the Spring.  Your tuition covers the Spring semester.

Fall: Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, is the central text of ancient Israel and the foundational text for Judaism through the ages. You’ll examine the various biblical genres, structures, concepts, theological and historical settings of the biblical world, and then explore selected topics, often integrated with rabbinic perspectives.

This sequence balances an overview of the Hebrew Bible with focused discussion of core texts, such as the Creation stories, the binding of Isaac, the Exodus story, the revelation at Sinai and the prophetic books. You’ll analyze the primary biblical texts and secondary scholarly materials through various lenses: literary, historical-comparative, and rabbinic commentary.

While you may be familiar with the Bible from childhood, this in-depth exposure to other texts and different modes of reading will challenge you — and may well lead you to reassess some long-held views.

Winter/Spring: Rabbinics

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.

Please contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu for more information.