Talmud, Levels I and II: Who’s In and Who’s Out: Tractate Hagiga, Chapter 1
To whom are the Torah’s commandments directed? What personal characteristics are relevant in determining whether someone is included in a given obligation? Is gender a factor? Age? Physical abilities? Ritual purity? Some other characteristic? Chapter one of Tractate Hagiga asks these questions regarding the mitzvah of appearing at the Temple three times a year. We will see how the rabbis divide people into categories and figure out each individual’s relationship to this mitzvah. We will also see how and what other unrelated topics, questions, and stories find their way into this fascinating chapter of Talmud.
Level I: Jenny Labendz
Level II: Joshua Schreier
Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Halakha I and II: Sanctity of Life
May a sick person eat on Yom Kippur? Is a healthy person allowed to donate organs? Does Jewish law require one to perform CPR on accident victims? Although the Torah insists upon unequivocal observance of mitzvot, it also teaches us “Ve-hai bahem” – “And you should live by them.” In this course, we will examine halakha’s attitude toward saving lives and preserving lives, focusing on the development and application of sanctity of life principles throughout halakhic literature.
Level I: Daniel Reifman
Level II: Rachel Furst
Monday, Wednesday, 1:00 – 2:45 p.m.

Rabbinics Elective: Binding of Isaac in Midrash and Modern Hebrew Literature
What exactly was Abraham’s test? Did he succeed or fail? What messages is the biblical story meant to convey? We will examine the ways in which the sages of the midrash grappled with these questions. We will go on to see how their answers were understood in modern Hebrew prose and poetry, and what role this paradigmatic story came to play in the representation of modern Jewish history.
Ayelet Libson
Tuesday, Thursday, 1:00 – 2:45 p.m.

Rabbinics Elective: Witches, Magic, Dreams and Demons
Is there such a thing as Jewish Magic? Can our dreams tell us about our future? Do demons exist?  In the culture in which the Babylonian Talmud was composed, these were critical questions. We will study rabbinic texts that explore these questions and we will attempt to understand this aspect of rabbinic culture.
Ben Skydell
Tuesday, Thursday, 1:00 – 2:45 p.m.

Bible: From Egypt to Sinai: Exodus Chapters 13-20
How does a nation of slaves prepare itself for Divine Revelation? What happens along the journey form Egypt to Mount Sinai and how do those events impact the Israelites’ ability to receive God’s laws? Through a close reading of Exodus Chapters 13-20 we will chart the Israelites’ path through sea and wilderness and examine both their rebellious murmurings and their joyous songs as they struggle to grow into God’s People.
David Silber
Tuesday, 3:15 – 5:00 p.m., Friday, 1:00 – 2:45 p.m.

Parshat HaShavua
We will study key themes in each week's Torah portion and use midrash and other forms of biblical commentary to deepen our analysis.
Wendy Amsellem
Thursday, 3:15 – 5:00 p.m.

Night Seder: Rebel Rainmakers: Rabbis in a Time of Drought
Tractate Ta’anit describes the precise rituals that a community should perform in the absence of rain. Yet it also contains many stories of Rabbis who specifically flout these rituals and nevertheless are successful rainmakers. We will study the third chapter of Babylonian Talmud Tractate Ta’anit which contains legal discussions, midrashic analysis, and an extended set of stories about these Sages.
David Goshen
Tuesday, Thursday, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.