חָכְ מֹות בָנְתָ ה בֵיתָ ּה חָצְבָה עַּמּודֶיהָָ שִׁבְ עָהָ 1 Course Descriptions Amudim and Yesodot – Problems and Methods in Judaic Studies Dr. Julie Goldstein OneָofָtheָcornerstonesָofָAmudim’sָeducationalָphilosophyָisָthatָstudentsָshouldָbecomeָ independent learners and that the year in Israel should introduce them to the tools that they will need to engage in a lifetime of Torah study, long after they have leftָtheָwallsָofָAmudim’sָBeitָ Midrash. This class is designed to venture into the realm of sophisticated Talmud Torah by directly presenting the variegated methods and approaches available to the modern lamdanit. Looking at case studies in Gemara, Tanakh and Jewish philosophical and historical texts, this class models and analyzes theָapproachesָofָacademia,ָ“lumdus”ָ(specificallyָBrisk),ָNechamaָ Leibowitz,ָ“TheָGush,”ָtheָphenomenonָoftenָcalledָ“ToratָEretzָYisrael,”ָRashi’s innovations and more, each of which students encounter and are taught to apply in their other classes at Amudim. Theories of God - Epistemology of Religion Dr. Julie Goldstein Does God exist? Is it epistemologically justified to believe that God exists? These two questions are addressed in this class through analyses of teleological, cosmological and ontological approaches to the existence of God. Examining Jewish and non-Jewish philosophical approaches to the topic, students are introduced to arguments based on evidence, the absence of evidence, practicality, rationality and faith. Jewish-Christian Polemics Dr. Julie Goldstein This class focuses on the historical split between Judaism and Christianity, early Christian approaches to Jews and Judaism, and arguments harnessed by Jews, mostly in the Middle Ages, against fundamental Christian doctrines and Christological readings of Tanakh. All the Rav’s Men Dr. Julie Goldstein This philosophy and fine arts course was inspired by the phenomenon (mostly in the Haredi community)ָofָhangingָ“gedolimָpictures”ָinָtheָhome,ָaָbehaviorָthatָemphasizesָtheָphysicalָ presence of revered thinkers and leaders of the Torah world. With an eye on orienting the focus ontoָtheָgadol’sָthoughtָandָphilosophyָ(rather than physique), this course examines the typologies of mankind as they are presented in the writings of R. J.B. Soloveitchik. After each study session, students are asked to pictorially represent the philosophies discussed, either on ָ”.canvas or paper, withָtheָgoalָofָcreatingָanָartָexhibitָentitledָ“AllָtheָRav’sָMen 2 Theories and Theorists Dr. Julie Goldstein This course introduces students to the thought and philosophies of major Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century, including Franz Rosensweig, Martin Buber, Walter Benjamin, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Emmanual Levinas, Jacques Derrida, Abraham Joshua Heschel, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and more, and examines the intersection between their theories and religion, specifically Judaism. The goal of this course is to see Jewish philosophy as a guide to life. The Contemporary Jewish Short Story Dr. Julie Goldstein In this class, students read, analyze and reflect upon Jewish short stories, from Kafka to Nathan Englander. Stories are chosen based on the following criteria: Variety, substance, intellectual level, Jewish content, relatability, readability and manageability. Holocaust in Film Dr. Julie Goldstein The overwhelming tragedy of the Shoah is almost unspeakable and perhaps un-representable in its magnitude, having impacted not only the very fabric of Jewish life, existence and consciousness but also the way in which the broader western world thinks about such concepts as civilization,”ָ“ethics,”ָ“technology”ָandָ“progress.ָDueָtoָitsָmagnitudeָandָ“ incomprehensibility, some have chosen to approach knowledge of the Holocaust, to convey something about it through visual media. With an eye towards the responsibilities involved in Holocaust film-making and the limits of representation when it comes to the Holocaust, this course examines the representation of the Holocaust in 1) primary source film: original images, created before or during the period of the Shoah, providing documentary evidence for life during this period and insight into the mentality of those who produced them, 2) educational film: secondary material produced in the aftermath of the Shoah and meant to objectively report, instruct or enlighten students about the Shoah, and 3) “representational”ָfilm: Historical fiction meant to convey a specific image, relay a message, evoke emotion, and/or entertain. Along the way, students gain facility in critical film analysis and film theory. Jewish Ethics Dr. Julie Goldstein This course traces the development of a Jewish ethical attitude from the bible onward. It also examines the concepts of repentance, virtue and free choice in Jewish thought and asks two major questions with regard to religion and morality in Jewish Thought: a) Does Jewish tradition recognize an ethic independent of Halakhah and b) Is ethical reasoning operative in the determination of halakha? Finally. It examines principles of Jewish Ethics, including the concepts of imitatio dei and love of neighbor. 3 Great Schisms Dr. Julie Goldstein Through an examination of the foundational writings of great Jewish movements, this course aims to understand the philosophies behind the debates between Pharisees and Sadducees, Karaites and Rabbinites, Maimonideans and Anti-Maimonideans, Hassidim and Mitnagedim, Reform and Orthodoxy and Zionists and Anti-Zionists, and the underpinnings of messianic movements such as Sabbateanism and Frankism. Talmud 101 and 102- Tractate Baba Batra Channa Lockshin Bob, R”am and R. Darrell Ginsberg, R”am This class involves in-depth study of the first chapter of Tractate Baba Batra from the Babylonian Talmud. All texts are studied in the original and we will complete the chapter by the end of the semester. Every class includes a seminar and an independent study session with a partner. Concepts addressed in the class include: the development of Jewish law from Bible to Talmud and onwards, the fundamentals of Talmudic logic, and basic Aramaic vocabulary and terminology. Logic R. Darrell Ginsberg This course is an introduction to the study of Logic. Drawing on various texts dedicated to Socratic Logic, students begin to learn the basics in constructing and dissecting arguments and issues. Students cover terms, propositions, syllogisms, fallacies, along with application to both Jewish texts and general information. Museum Mondays: Texts in Context Rab. Leah Herzog This particularly exciting and innovative Tanakh class will be held each Monday, off-campus, at the Bible Lands Museum, where the latest archaeological discoveries will bring Tanakh to life as we stand in front of the actual objects described in the text, giving us new perspective and fodder for analyzing it. From the Tower of Babel to Megillat Esther, items on display will spark deep discussion about some of our most intriguing texts and concepts, for example, the origins of written language, the development of the Hebrew script, the evolving nature of idol worship in the Near East and Egypt, notions of the afterlife, the nature of warfare in ancient Israel and its environs, royal life in Persia, and much more. By looking at the Torah within its cultural context, we will come to understand the depth of the stories we know and love (and some we are less familiar with) and that we frequently take for granted. 4 Safrut Seminar R. Dov Laimon In what is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, our students study the halakhot, art of, and midrashim associated with safrut (Jewish calligraphy) with a professional sofer stam. This is a hands-on course, for which the midrasha provides basic materials, including quills, ink, and practice parchment. Contemporary Halakhah R. Jonathan Ziring This class aims to understand the basic factors of any halakhic decision, classify the ways in which modernity has challenged the halakhic system to respond, and explore specific topics that illustrate the process of halakha and the ways in which it can adapt in changing circumstances. Topics discussed include: Lab grown meat, self-driving cars, genetic engineering, cloning, artificial intelligence, minhag hamakom in a borderless world, space travel, time travel and chip implants. To reach our goals, we focus on: a) Texts that present methodological statements about halacha, such as the introduction to the Beit Yosef, b) Halachic texts, from the classic sources through the modern ones, that speak to the issues, and c) Analysis of the changing realities we face to determine which areas of halacha are most likely to need to adapt to modernity. Intellectual Jewish History R. Jonathan Duker This class looks at essential Jewish thinkers and texts from the Second Temple until the Modern period, with an emphasis on their religious and pedagogical goals, impact on subsequent Jewish thought, and the influence of surrounding cultures on their formation. Units include Tanakh and its canonization, Tanaim and the Oral Law, Amoraim of Bavel and Eretz Yisrael, North African philosophers and poets, Medieval Ashkenaz and the Tosafists, and Zoharic and Lurianic Kabbalah. Classes consist of guided independent study (seder) of primary texts followed by discussions of the material and larger ideas and concepts. The Book of Shemot: Birth of a Nation Rab. Yafit Clymer The Book of Shemot takes us on a transformative journey from slavery in Egypt to an encounter with God at Har Sinai to the building of a House for God. Along the way, we witness the