In the Bible, we hear "the voice of God", and hear the Prophets' "visions" and "revelations". In our course, we will find and explore the Biblical voices of intellectual reasoning, human experience, and rational-scientific knowledge, as found in the Bible's Wisdom books.

 

We will explore some teachings about the Creation, the Human Soul, and Revelation. We will read the text in translation and it will be focused on discussion.

 

This course will examine art, music, prayer, humor, those who saved others (including Righteous Gentiles), and cases of physical resistance, individual and organized. In the latter part of the course, we will examine post-Holocaust responses in art and theology and end with a discussion of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism in groups such as QAnon and the Proud Boys.

 

Passover rituals urge us to control our chametz (leavened products, our puffed up ego), a symbol for our yetzer harah (fear triggered animal impulses). We will learn to understand and control and channel the energies generated by our yetzer harah in service of our yetzer tov (inclinations towards good). That will lead us to direct all of our actions to serve God, instead of Pharaohs.

 

 

We will look at various pairs of subjects including Judaism & Science; Angels & Demons; Heaven & Hell; Abilities & Disabilities. We will view each pair as we are often confronted with them--as though they are in opposition. Our goal, however, will be to reconcile the false dichotomy which has been created."

 

Remember the days before pearls of wisdom were shared in newspaper columns, radio/TV talk shows, or social media? Judaism does. Pirkei Avot, a section of Rabbinic teaching - many of them no more than a few lines – includes the ethical advice of our most celebrated minds from antiquity. This class will look at Chapters 3 & 4 of this six-chapter work, always pausing to see how the teachings of thousands of years ago help us understand the times we now live in. No prior knowledge of Chapters 1 & 2 or any other prerequisite necessary.

 

In this class, we will explore the ways in which the realm of the Comic permeates Talmudic literature. We will approach our ancient texts through the lenses of Comic Theory to discover how our ancestors’ sense of humor was just as spirited- even essential- as our own, particularly as they grappled with their own often tragic crises.

 

If we attribute goodness and blessings to God where do evil and curses originate? Why would a loving God create a world with the propensity for pandemics and violent enmity?

 

Religious practice is a practice of mindfulness, of paying attention in the present moment. This course will examine the intersection between mindfulness and Torah, Jewish Theology, and Jewish practice. We will also spend class time learning various practices students might incorporate into their daily lives.