Basic Judaism Catalog of Classes (Page 2)
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Courses in Basic Judaism
All sessions are 75 minutes
The following is a list of available Jewish Education courses.
click on any Jewish Education course to view it’s full description:
(Click here for Custom and Semi-Custom Classes)
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Overview of Jewish Philosophy & Philosophers (4 sessions):
Since the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70CE, Judaism has slowly transformed from a religion of laws and texts to a religion of philosophy. In this 4-session series we will take a look at pairs of key philosophers from each of 4 key periods in the development of Jewish theology:
(1) Moses Maimonides & Yitzhak Luria—Rationalism & Mysticism
(2) Hermann Cohen & The Baal Shem Tov—Modernism & Chassidism
(3) Kaufman Kohler & Samson Raphael Hirsch—Reform & Orthodox
(4) Abraham Joshua Heschel & Mordechai Kaplan—Awe and Culture
Modern Jewish Movements (4 sessions)
The post-enlightenment era has seen Judaism divided into movements based on differences of philosophy and theology. In this series, we will explore Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodox—the 4 major streams of modern Judaism. We will look at them from the views of their founding philosophers in the order in which they developed:
(1) Kaufmann Kohler—Founding Philosopher of Reform Judaism
(2) Samson Raphael Hirsch—Orthodox Judaism-Response to Reform
(3) Zacharias Frankel—Conserving Judaism-Reform has Gone Too Far
(4) Mordechai Kaplan—Reconstructionism-Judaism as a Civilization
Basics of Jewish Prayer (4 sessions):
This series gives participants a basic overview of Jewish prayer, its traditions, its rituals, and its customs. Sessions are:
(1) What is in a synagogue and why it’s there
(2) Synagogue Service Part 1: Overview of the Prayer Service
(3) Synagogue Service Part 2: Morning/Evening, Shabbat/Weekdays
(4) Meditation, Home Prayers, and Hitbod’dut—Non-Synagogue Prayer
Basics of Jewish History (3 sets of 4 sessions):
Basics of Jewish History is a 12-session class providing an overview of the historical record of the Jewish people. The course is divided into three parts, which may be offered sequentially or separately.
The first part of the series is an overview of the Biblical “History” of the Jews (ca 2000BCE-70CE). A combination of Biblical and archaeological sources will be used. Sessions cover:
(1) Genesis—the Ancestors and the Fertile Crescent
(2) The Wilderness—Did the Exodus Really Happen?
(3) The “Rest” of the Bible—Joshua, David, Solomon, and Beyond
(4) Exile & Return—Babylonians & Romans, Monotheism & Maccabees
The second part of the series is an overview of the “Rabbinic” period of Jewish history from the Roman destruction of the 2nd Temple through the Spanish Inquisition (ca 70CE-1500CE):
(5) The Talmudic period—Aftermath of destruction
(6) After Constantine—Jewish life in Christian lands
(7) After the Arab Conquests—Jewish life in Muslim lands
(8) From Golden Age to Cataclysm—The Inquisition and its Effects
The third part of the series explores the “Modern” period of Judaism from Baruch Spinoza (the Martin Luther of Judaism) until the present:
(9) West and East—Spinoza, Haskalah, Kabbalah, and Chassidism
(10) Moving West—America and the Development of Jewish Movements
(11) Still in the Shtetl—The Holocaust and its Effects
(12) Moving East—Zionism and the State of Israel
The State of Modern Israel—An Introduction (4 sessions):
This series provides the student with key facts, history, and contemporary issues. The series is intended to give participants a foundation for their own analysis of the current State of Modern Israel:
(1) The History of the State of Israel—An Overview
(2) The Government of Israel—How it Works and How it Doesn’t
(3) Security and the Peace Process—Some Key Issues and Questions
(4) Religion, Economics, and other Key Internal Israeli Issues
Preparing Heart, Mind & Soul for the High Holy Days (4 sessions):
Typically taught during the month of Elul (the Hebrew month preceding Rosh Hashana), this series gives participants an overview of High Holy Day concepts and an opportunity to substantially deepen their High Holy Day experience. Sessions are:
(1) Sin, Repentance, and Forgiveness: Do These Concepts Really Mean What We Think They Mean?
(2) Key High Holy Day Prayers—Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual Dimensions
(3) Torah Portions of the High Holy Days—What Can they Mean to Us?
(4) Cheshbon HaNefesh—Techniques for the “Accounting of the Soul”
Click here to return to page 1 of the Basic Judaism Course Catalog
(Click here for Lifelong Learning Classes)
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click here to view the fee schedule
