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Introduction to Judaism Syllabus

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Introduction to Judaism Syllabus 5773 (2012) Community Wide Introduction to Judaism Course Co-Sponsored by Sacramento Rabbis' Associaton and the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region Instructor: Dr. David Zuckerman Mondays 7-9pm Email: [email protected] About the Course and the Syllabus The course and syllabus have been designed with multiple audiences in mind. Some students might be Jews involved with a synagogue and would like to fill in gaps in their basic Jewish education. Some might be totally unfamiliar with Judaism, may or may not be Jewish, but have heard or read something about Judaism and want to learn more. Others might be committed to another faith and interested in learning about the Jewish roots of Christianity and Islam. Still others might be working on conversion to Judaism. All are welcome. Because of our limited time and the vastness of the material that I would like to cover, we need to begin promptly at 7:00 PM. The lectures are designed to be responsive to questions. Remember the Rabbinic admonition, “One who is embarrassed [to ask questions], does not learn.” Please read the material before you come to each Monday’s class. Write down words you don’t understand or can’t pronounce, make note of concepts you find challenging, appealing, or even appalling. Bring questions to class, or email them to me before we meet so that I can incorporate them into the night’s conversation. This class will teach you the basics about Judaism, and will give you the opportunity to meet the community’s rabbis and see several of the congregations. Four of our meetings will be held at congregations around Sacramento. Those locations will be noted on the syllabus. Occasionally, I may include “special assignments,” involving areas of Jewish practice and home rituals. These assignments are primarily for those students looking to deepen their own Jewish commitment or for those seeking conversion. All students, however, should feel free to engage in the special assignments. During the course all students are encouraged to attend a Brit Milah, Baby Naming, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Wedding, Funeral and Unveiling. These events are all part of the Jewish Life Cycle and experiencing these will give the student a greater appreciation for Jewish living. All students must attend a Shabbat service at an Orthodox, Reform and Conservative Synagogue. Note that some Reform congregations hold their main Shabbat service on Friday evening, while in Conservative and Orthodox synagogues main Shabbat prayer services are held on Saturday mornings. You will be welcome at every congregation in town. You may contact the rabbis in advance of attending if you would like. Please refrain from telephoning rabbis on Shabbat, and please respect the congregations’ conventions regarding dress and head covering, cell phones or writing instruments on Shabbat. 1 Here is a list of the synagogues in Sacramento. There are congregations further afield. Please visit the Jewish Federation of Sacramento’s website http://www.jewishsac.org/IR/CategoryListings.aspx?id=1799 for a list of more synagogues in the region. Reform Conservative Orthodox Congregation Beth Shalom Mosaic Law Congregation Chabad of Sacramento (Hasidic) 746 El Camino 2300 Sierra Blvd. 45 Eveyln Lane Carmichael, CA 95608 Sacramento, CA 95825 Sacramento, CA 95864 Phone: 916-485-4478 Phone: (916) 488-1122 Phone: (916) 455-1400 Fax: 916-485-0776 Website: www.mosaiclaw.org Email: Email: [email protected] Contact: Rabbi Reuven Taff [email protected] Website: www.cbshalom.org Website: Contact: Rabbis David & www.chabadofsacramento.com Nancy Wechsler-Azen Contact: Rabbi Mendy Cohen Congregation B'nai Israel Kenesset Israel Torah Center 3600 Riverside Blvd (Modern Orthodox) Sacramento, CA 95818 1165 Morse Avenue Phone: (916)-446-4861 Sacramento, CA 95864 Email: [email protected] Phone: (916) 481-1159 Website: www.bnais.com Website: Contact: Rabbi Mona Alfi http://www.kitcsacramento.org/ Contact: Rabbi Joel Zeff Temple Or Rishon 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale, CA 95662 Phone: (916) 988-4100 Email: [email protected] Website: www.orrishon.org Contact: Rabbi Alan Rabishaw Now, in the immortal words of the first century Rabbinic sage Hillel, Tzei u’lmad, “Go and learn!” Required Texts Living Judaism by Rabbi Wayne Dosick. This book is an engaging and definitive overview of Jewish philosophy and theology, rituals and customs. Combining quality scholarship and sacred spiritual instruction, Living Judaism is a thought-provoking reference and guide for those already steeped in Jewish life, and a comprehensive introduction for those exploring the richness and grandeur of Judaism. Celebrating the pluralism of the contemporary Jewish community, Living Judaism 2 acknowledges and honors the broad spectrum of Jewish thought and the wide variety of Jewish observance. Night by Elie Wiesel. This book on the Holocaust is short but very powerful. A recognized Jewish Tanach (bible). JPS is good, so is Artscroll, The Torah (URJ Press), or The Gutnick Edition. Non-Jewish printings differ in their translations, interpretations, and even in chapter and verse breaks. A recognized Jewish siddur (prayer book). Each Jewish movement favors a particular version of the siddur. You should obtain a copy for yourself. We will view samples of each movement’s siddur during the course. There will be additional readings handed out in class the week prior to their discussion. These will include excerpts from authors like Mrs. Blu Greenberg, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, Dr. Eugene Borowitz, Rabbi Daniel Gordis, and Rabbi Harold Kushner. Here is the tentative schedule of classes: Week Date Topic Guest Speaker & Topic 1 Mar 4 UNIT 1: Defining Judaism Jewish Beliefs –G-d LJ-----Ch 1 2 Mar 11 Who Is A Jew? LJ, Ch 2 LOCATION TBA 3 Mar 18 Tanach and Talmud LJ Ch 3, Sections LOCATION TBA 1-10 Mar 25 PASSOVER – NO MEETING April 1 PASSOVER – NO MEETING 4 Apr 8 Jewish Calendar and Holidays LJ Ch 4 5 Apr 15 UNIT 2: JEWISH MOVEMENTS Reform Judaism LJ pp. 61-62 6 Apr 22 Orthodox Judaism LJ p. 62 LOCATION TBA 7 Apr 29 Conservative Judaism; LJ pp. 62-63 8 May 6 Reconstructionist Judaism LJ Pp. 63- 64 9 May 13 Mysticism and Hassidism 10 May 20 UNIT 3: LIVING AS A JEW LOCATION TBA Worship: Kipa, Tallit, Tefillin LJ Ch 5 11 May 27 The Shabbat T’filla (prayer service) 12 Jun 3 Keeping a Jewish Home: Keeping Kosher, Family Purity, Ritual Objects LJ Ch. 6 3 13 Jun 10 Life Cycle: Birth through Bar/Bat Mitzvah LJ Ch. 7, Sections 1-5 14 Jun 17 Life Cycle: Marriage and Divorce LJ Ch. 7, Sections 6-12 15 Jun 24 Life Cycle: Death and Mourning LJ Ch. 7, Sections 13-25 16 Jul 1 UNIT 4: COMMUNITY LOCATION TBA Holocaust LJ pp. 181-194 and read Night by Elie Wiesel 17 Jul 8 Israel LJ Ch. 8 18 Jul 15 Your Place in the Jewish Community Reading list - For Further Enrichment Jewish Thought Sacred Fragments, Rabbi Neil Gillman The Death of Death, Rabbi Neil Gillman A Jewish Theology, Rabbi Louis Jacobs Healer of Shattered Hearts, Rabbi David Wolpe Judaism as a Civilization, Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan God and the Big Bang, by Rabbi Daniel Matt Jewish History Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Robert Seltzer Wanderings, Chaim Potok A History of the Jewish People, Solomon Grayzel History of the Jewish People, Max Margolis and Alexander Marx A History of the Jewish People, edited by H. H. Ben-Sasson Jews, God, and History, Max Dimont A History of the Jewish Experience, Leo Trepp A History of Zionism, Walter Laqueur Prayer/Liturgy To Pray as a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin Service of the Heart, Evelyn Garfiel Entering Jewish Prayer, Reuven Hammer 4 General Judaica, Jewish calendar, life cycle, mitzvot The Passover Seder, The Art of Jewish Living series, Dr. Ron Wolfson A Time to Mourn, A Time to Comfort, Dr. Ron Wolfson The Jewish Dietary Laws, James M. Lebeau The Sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel Jewish Wisdom, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin The First Jewish Book of Why, Alfred Kolatch The Second Jewish Book of Why, Alfred Kolatch The First Jewish Catalog, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld The Second Jewish Catalog, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld The Complete Book of Jewish Observance, Leo Trepp The Book of Jewish Practice, Rabbi Louis Jacobs; Behrman House, $13.50 The Book of Jewish Belief, Rabbi Louis Jacobs; Behrman House, $13.50 It’s a Mitzvah, Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson; Behrman House, $15.00 Conservative Judaism, Rabbi Neil Gillman; Behrman House, $15.00 The Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld; Harper and Row, $20.00 The Shabbat Seder, The Art of Jewish Living Series, Dr. Ron Wolfson; Jewish Lights, $18.00; or Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath, 2nd edition, Dr. Ron Wolfson; Jewish Lights, $21.00 Understanding Jewish History (two volumes), Sol Scharfstein, Ktav, $34.00/set “This is My Beloved, This is My Friend:” A Rabbinic Letter on Intimate Relations, Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, Rabbinical Assembly, $3.00 Tanakh, Jewish Publication Society, $18.00. Any other readable translation of the Hebrew Bible is also acceptable, but my preference is for a Jewish translation. Siddur Sim Shalom (or any other traditional Siddur) - available in the Synagogue gift shop. Any traditional Passover Haggadah - available in the Synagogue gift shop. Bible The Five Books of Moses, translated by Everett Fox, Schocken Artscroll Stone Chumash, Artscroll Publishing Co. Etz Hayim, Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism The JPS Bible Commentary series (includes all five books of Torah, Jonah, and Esther) The Book of Job, translated by Raymond P. Scheindlin The Book of J, Harold Bloom 5 .
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