The Mishnah is the foundation upon which the entire edifice of rabbinic Jewish thought and literature is built. In each of these three sessions, we will cover a whole chapter of the Mishnah that illuminates a different aspect of its world (and potentially ours). In the first session, we will read Tractate Berakhot, Chapter 9, discussing how the individual should respond to life’s blessings and difficulties. In the second session, we will learn the first chapter of Bava Metsi‘a, dealing with property disputes and found items; and in the third session, we will catch a glimpse of the vibrant festive rituals of the Second Temple, as we traverse Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 5.

Please note this course is a 3-week series and start Nov 23rd

About the facilitator

Raphael Dascalu

Founder and facilitator

Raphael Dascalu is a Melbourne-based researcher and translator. Born and raised in Sydney, he completed his MA at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, his PhD at the University of Chicago, and studied in a number of institutions of Jewish learning, including Yeshivat ha-Kibbutz ha-Dati (Ein Tzurim), the Pardes Institute, and the Shalom Hartman Institute. He is a Senior Research Fellow at Notre Dame University Australia, an Adjunct Research Associate at Monash University, and a student of the mysteries of the cosmos.