March 2009 Course Offerings
Morning Courses (Sunday, 2 to 5 pm, Monday-Thursday, 9 am to 1 pm)
3146S The Prophets: Standing in the Shadow of God (3 qh)
Dr. Zohar Raviv
Contrary to popular view, the biblical prophets were not individuals with a lens on a foretold future. Neither fortune-tellers nor soothsayers, the prophets were men and women who traversed multiple worlds simultaneously; messengers mandated to shape the ethical skeleton of the Jewish nation, through the negotiation of its covenantal relationship with God. By examining biblical texts and aided by secondary materials this course charts the main ideas concerning prophecy in Judaism—exploring the trials, values and legacies of those "Who had stood in the shadow of God."
3161S Jewish Literatures of Late Antiquity (3 qh)
Dr. Gary Porton
The course will survey the major types of Jewish literatures of Late Antiquity: Mishnah, Tosefta, Palestinian Talmud, Babylonian Talmud, Mystical literatures. We will examine the major scholarly discussions of the texts concerning their histories, literary genres, and textual traditions. We will also examine how the texts work in their smaller units as well as their larger configurations.
3267S Women on the Edge: Jewish Women in European History (3 qh)
Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart
Against the backdrop of European history beginning with the late Middle Ages, this course will examine the position of Jewish women in both the domestic and public realm. Through the use of biographies and letters, the voices of women who ‘made history’ will be as much a part of this course as the history of Jewish women in general. The lives of Dona Gracia Nasi, Gluckel of Hameln, and Bertha Pappenheim are but a few of the amazing women considered in what is intended to be an overall assessment as to how Jewish women contributed to the development of Jewish history and that of Europe as well.
Afternoon Courses (Sunday, 6 to 9 pm, Monday-Thursday, 2 to 6 pm)
5503 Jewish Thinking (3 qh) [DSJS Core Course]
Dr. Byron Sherwin
This course will examine Jewish ways of thinking throughout history. These include: the development of Jewish thought patterns and Weltanschauung (world-views) in the biblical and rabbinic periods compared to ancient mythologies, philosophies, religions, and a Greco-Roman way of looking at the world; the medieval philosophical attempt to make a hybrid between classical Jewish and classical philosophical categories; symbolic, multivalent thinking in medieval Kabbalah; and methods of Jewish legal discourse compared to other forms of legal discourse such as the Anglo-American. Attitudes in classical Jewish thought to science, literary criticism of 'sacred texts,' and ethical decision-making will also be examined. We shall focus in this course on the focal question: Is there Jewish thinking; if so, what is it and what is it not; how does it differ from other forms of thinking?
4126S Hasidism (3 qh)
Dr. Yohanan Petrovsky
The Jewish spiritual revivalist movement known as Hasidism produced a whole plethora of texts, including commentaries, books of customs, sermons, and tales. Hasidic narratives might seem self-explanatory and straightforward, yet they contain the depth of Kabbalistic meanings and deep insights into the realms of the spiritual and esoteric. Explore how Hasidic masters used allegorical narratives and symbolic tales to convey their lucid messages and uplift their listeners.
3356S Elie Wiesel: Confronting the Holocaust (3 qh)
Dr. Elliot Lefkovitz
This course is offered in honor of Elie Wiesel’s 80th birthday year and his life’s message as summed up in his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Award, "Do not forget, do not sink into a new blind indifference, but involve yourselves in truth and justice, in human dignity and freedom and in atonement." The course will address a wide range of questions, including: For Elie Wiesel, who sees the Holocaust as "the ultimate event," what are the unique characteristics of the Holocaust which set it apart from other genocides? Why does Wiesel assert the essential mystery of the Holocaust? The Holocaust was the destruction of six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators. How did the experiences of the Wiesel family shed light on the collaboration of the Hungarian government in the destruction of its Jewish population? How does Wiesel address the question of theodicy? Why can he be understood as a "theologian of the void"? How did his childhood, familial, educational, and religious experiences help Wiesel overcome the trauma of the Holocaust?
Evenings: The Asher Library will open extended hours during the Seminar
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