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Topics in Rabbinic Judaism Introduction to Early Rabbinic Hermeneutics Religious Studies 744

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Fall 2016 Topics in Rabbinic Judaism Introduction to Early Rabbinic Hermeneutics Religious Studies 744 Instructor: Daniel Machiela Work Phone: 905.525.9140 ext. 23390 Office: University Hall 119 E-mail: [email protected] Time: Thursdays 1:30-3:30 Place: UH 122 Office Hours: By appointment, but please feel free to drop by anytime I am in (I keep regular hours) COURSE INFORMATION Purpose and Approach of the Course: The goals of this course are to familiarize students with: 1.) the basic contours of the corpus of early rabbinic writings (e.g., the Mishna, Tosefta, early halakhic midrashim, etc., up to the Babylonian Talmud) – this will necessitate wide reading in these texts to gain a feel for their character, and; 2.) the styles and types of early rabbinic interpretation utilized by these texts (i.e., how they work); and 3.) some of the current issues raised by scholars for properly assessing these texts in their historical context and in modern study (e.g., their historical value, or their usefulness for studying the Dead Sea Scrolls and/or New Testament) – this will be achieved through reading secondary articles and book chapters by scholars working in the field of rabbinic literature. Ultimately, this seminar is intended to be an induction into the fascinating world of ancient rabbinic literature, thought, and life. Course Conditions: There will be three main components to the course: 1. Class preparation and interaction. This is comprised primarily of reading and coming prepared to discuss and interact with the assigned primary and secondary material for each seminar session. Consequently, a significant portion of your grade will come from your preparation for, and attentiveness in, our seminar. This will include frequent presentations. (approximately 50%) 2. A seminar project, on which we will work together as a group. Your grade for this portion of the seminar will derive from what you bring to the project in terms of hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm. You will at times work in small groups on designated tasks. (approximately 35%) 3. Original language reading (or book review). All students are encouraged to participate in a weekly reading group, in which we will together read a selected passage in its original language (Rabbinic/Mishnaic Hebrew). Beginning proficiency with this dialect is not expected, and we will spend the semester familiarizing ourselves with the ways in which this type of Hebrew is similar to, and different from, Biblical Hebrew and other dialects (e.g., the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls). You will be evaluated primarily on your level of preparation and progress over the term, not simply on your proficiency with the language, and this component of the course may 1 contribute toward your Hebrew language requirements for the department. Alternatively, if you do not have any prior familiarity with other forms of Hebrew or Aramaic, you may complete a detailed (approximately 10 page) book review of a book to be determined on an ad hoc basis per student. (approximately 15%) Required Texts: E. Ben-Eliyahu, Y. Cohn, and F. Millar, Handbook of Jewish Literature from Late Antiquity 135-700 CE (Oxford: The British Academy, 2012). H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger, Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash (trans. and ed. by M. Bockmuehl; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996). H. Danby, The Mishnah (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933 [Reprinted in paperback by Hendrickson, 2012]). Suggested Texts: M. H. Segal, A Grammar of Mishnaic Hebrew (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2001; reprinted from Oxford: Clarendon, 1927). M. Jastrow, Dictionary of the Tagumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (now reprinted by Hendrickson and also available at Eisenbrauns; also online at http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/jastrow/). M. Goodman and P. Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts and the History of Late-Roman Palestine (Oxford: The British Academy, 2010). Statement on Academic Dishonesty (University Statement): Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means and can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various kinds of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, specifically Appendix 3, located at: http://www.mcmaster.ca/univec/policy/AcademicIntegrity.pdf. The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty: (1) Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one’s own or for which other credit has been obtained. (2) Improper collaboration in group work. (3) Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Date Assignment for Following Week 15 September Seminar introduction Thursday Reading List: Strack-Stemberger, Introduction, 1-14 I. Gafni, “The Historical Background,” in Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages: First Part (Assen: Van Gorcum/Minneapolis: Fortress, 1987), 1-34 Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 1-22 F. Millar, “The Palestinian Context of Rabbinic Judaism” in Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 25- 49 S. Schwartz, “The Political Geography of Rabbinic Texts,” in Fonrobert and Jaffee, eds, The Talmud and Rabbinic Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), 75-96 S. Fine, “From Meeting House to Sacred Realm: Holiness and the Ancient Synagogue,” in Sacred Realm: The 2 Emergence of the Synagogue in the Ancient World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 21-47 Z. Safrai, “The Communal Functions of the Synagogue in the Land of Israel in the Rabbinic Period,” in Urman and Flesher, eds, Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discoveries (Leiden: Brill, 1998), 181-204 22 Sep. The Rabbinic period: Historical and social background Reading List: Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 7-24, 51-88 Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages, 35-88 S. D. Fraade, “Shifting from Priestly to Non-Priestly Legal Authority: A Comparison of the Damascus Document and Sifra,” Dead Sea Discoveries 6.2 (1992): 109-125 Lee I. Levine, “Synagogue Art and the Rabbis in Late Antiquity,” JAJ 2.1 (2011): 74-114. Fonrobert and Jaffee, eds, The Talmud, 17-74 Begin reading your seder (order) of the Mishna (to be assigned in class) 29 Sep. Rabbinic texts: Getting a feel for relevant issues Reading List: Strack-Stemberger, 108-148 Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 23-26 Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 91-115 Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages, 211-227, 235-244 Fonrobert and Jaffee, eds, The Talmud, 121-143 “Symposium: What is (the) Mishnah?” AJS Review 32.2 (2008): 221-97 Finish reading your seder of the Mishna 6 October The Mishna Reading List: Strack-Stemberger, 149-163 Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 27-28 Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 117-127 Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages, 283-298 J. Hauptman, Rereading the Mishnah (TSAJ 109; Tuebingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005), 1-49 Read your seder of the Tosefta 13 Oct. The Tosefta Reading List: Strack-Stemberger, 233-256, 266-268 Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 61-78 Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 129-142 A. J. Heschel, “Two Approaches to Torah Exegesis,” in Heavenly Torah, 46-64 A. Yadin, Scripture as Logos: Rabbi Ishmael and the Origins of Midrash (Philadelphia: U. Penn., 2004), ix-xii, 1-10, 142-175 Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, masekhta de-Piskha (Tractate 1), 1-5, 17-18 20 Oct. Midrash Halakha I: The school of Rabbi Ishmael and its works (focus on Mekhilta) Reading List: Strack-Stemberger, 257-265, 270-275 Fonrobert and Jaffee, eds, The Talmud, 99-120 A. Yadin, Scripture and Tradition: Rabbi Akiva and the Triumph of Midrash (Philadelphia: U. Penn, 2015), T. Novick, “Scripture as Rhetor: A Study in Early Rabbinic Midrash,” HUCA 82-83 (2014): 37-59. M. Hirshman, “Rabbinic Universalism in the Second and Third Centuries,” HTR 93 (2000): 101-115. Reading from Sifra (TBD) 27 Oct. Mid-Term Recess: Project work 3 November Midrash Halakha II: The school of Rabbi Akiva and its works (focus on Sifra) Reading List: Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 78-95 3 Strack-Stemberger, 276-287 M. Hirshman, “Aggadic Midrash,” in The Literature of the Sages: Second Part (Assen: Van Gorcum/Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006), 107-132 A. J. Heschel, God in Search of Man (New York: Ferrar, Strauss & Giroux, 1976), 336-340 J. Heinemann, “The Proem in the Aggadic Midrashim: A Form Critical Study,” Scripta Hierosolymitana 22 (1971): 100-122 Reading from Genesis Rabbah and Lamentations Rabbah (TBD) 10 Nov. Midrash Aggadah Reading List: Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 113-125 Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 235-252 Z. Safrai, “The Origins of Reading the Aramaic Targum in Synagogue,” Immanuel 24/25 (1990): 187-193 Z. Safrai, “The Targums as Part of Rabbinic Literature,” in The Literature of the Sages: Second Part (Assen: Van Gorcum/Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006), 243-278 Readings from Targums Onqelos, Neofiti, and Pseudo-Jonathan to Genesis 17 Nov. The Rabbinic Targums Reading List: Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 29-32 Strack-Stemberger, 164-189 Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages, 303-315 Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 143-164 Reading from the Yerushalmi (TBD) 24 Nov. The Jerusalem/Palestinian Talmud (Yerushalmi) Reading List: Ben-Eliayu et al., Handbook, 32-60 Strack-Stemberger, 190-224 Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages, 323-343 Goodman and Alexander, eds, Rabbinic Texts, 165-183 J. Goldin, The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan (New Haven: Yale, 1955), xvii-xxiii L. Schiffman, Understanding Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism (Jersey City: Ktav, 2003), 378-381 Reading from the Bavli (TBD) 1 December The Babylonian Talmud (Bavli) Reading List: TBD 8 Dec.
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