This series explores how Jewish literature has imagined and debated interpersonal ethical practice and the responsibilities people bear toward one another. Through close reading of selections from Tanakh, Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, and modern Jewish writing, participants will encounter narratives, legal discussions, and ethical reflections that...
Curious about entering the world of Kabbalah? This course offers a guided and welcoming entry into the Zohar, the foundational text of Jewish mysticism, while also creating space for deeper textual challenge.The course is divided into two complementary sections, both connected to the weekly parshah...
The Babylonian Talmud is known for its ability to reach increasingly impossible depths in its exploration of the most seemingly simple propositions. In this introduction to the Talmud's style and content, we will commence with the opening page of Tractate Beitza and try to answer...
Are our lives shaped by destiny, by our own choices, or by some mixture of the two? What does Tanakh say about human and animal agency, divine and astrological influence, and moral responsibility? Beginning with biblical texts and then turning to later Jewish thinkers, we...
The Mishnah is one of the oldest rabbinic texts. It is beautiful and dense, technical and poetic, and it forms the bedrock upon which the Talmud is built. No knowledge of Hebrew or prior experience studying Mishnah is required. We are currently focusing on Tractate...
