Curriculum

For your reference:
2015-2015 Class Descriptions

Core Curriculum:

Year 1

Rhythms of Jewish Living

An exploration of the traditional patterns of observance connected with life cycle and the Jewish calendar, and their origins in Biblical and Rabbinic texts.

Table of Contents for Rhythms of Jewish Living: 

Introductory Lesson A Time for Every Purpose under the Heaven: What is "Jewish Time?" The Jewish Year Begins Introducing the Jewish Calendar Rosh HaShannah Yom Kippur Sukkot Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah Day-to-Day Jewish Living Jewish Reminders and Symbols Beith HaKnesset (Synagogue) Berakhot (Blessings) Teffilah (Prayer) and Tzedakah (Charity) Shabbat and Its Messages Shabbat and Its Observance Laws and Customs of Kosher Observance Rabbinic Innovations Chanukah Purim Tu BiShvat Rites of PassageBirth and Berit Bar and Bar Mitzvah Marriage Divorce Mikveh Rituals of Death and Burial Rituals of Mourning Conversion and Adoption Formative National MomentsPesach (Passover) The Pesach Seder Yom HaShoah and Tishah B'Av Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzma'ut Shavuot Concluding Lesson Reflecting on the Rhythms of Jewish Life  

Purposes of Jewish Living

A study of essential Jewish beliefs and ideas as they unfold in the Bible and other sacred texts.

  Table of Contents for Purposes of Jewish Living:1) What is Jewish Learning? 2)Yetziat Mitzrayim(The exodus from Egypt)3)Creation4)Humankind: Male and Female 5) God 6) Not in Heaven: What are Jewish Texts? 7)Mitzvot: What are they?    Appendix: 613 Mitzvot 8) Mishkan I Mikdash(The Sanctuary) 9) From Service of the Heart to Synagogue Services10) Is the Torah the Revealed Word of God? Part I11) Is the Torah the Revealed Word of God? Part II12) Theology in Practice: Driving on Shabbat13) Purposes of Kosher Observances  14) Miracles 15) Prophecy 16) Eretz Yisrael (The Land of Israel) 17) What does it mean to be the "Chosen People?"18) Gender in Judaism 19) Intermarriage 20) Hashgachah(Divine Providence) 21) Free Will and Sin 22) Why Do People Suffer? 23) What Happens After We Die? 24) Mitzvot:Meaning and Purpose 25) Churban(Destruction) and Galut(Exile) 26) Yemot Hamashiach (The Messianic Era) 27) Seeking Understanding after the Holocaust28) The Israel-Diaspora Relationshio 29) The Purposes of Judaism 30) What Have We Learned?  

Year 2

Dramas of Jewish Living Throughout the Ages

An exploration of moments, experiences, and issues in Jewish history as a tool to strengthen our connection to Jewish memory.

Ethics of Jewish Living 

A look at issues in interpersonal relations and ethical questions, and how they are discussed in Talmudic literature.

Foundations of Jewish Family Living
This class provides a thought-provoking encounter with the core values of Judaism. This rich learning experience will provide an opportunity for the adult students to bring the conversation home to share with their children and families.

Modern Living: Maintaining Balance
This 4 part Melton curriculum offers ways to find balance in our lives by discovering answers in timeless Jewish texts. This course focuses on family, work, community and self.

 The Rachel Wasserman Scholars Curriculum
This class takes students on a journey of deep examination of Jewish texts. The Scholars curriculum presents classic and modern texts that have shaped Jewish perspective for thousands of years, and invites students to lend their voices to the ageless pursuit of Jewish wisdom. Descriptions of each Scholar class are listed under the "Melton Scholar Series" page under the Melton tab.

BERESHITt I: FROM ADAM TO ABRAHAM: THE FIRST 20 GENERATIONS

The stories take us from the universal tales of the creation of the world, the flood, and the Tower of Babel to the foundational tales of Abraham and Sarah, and the beginnings of the Jewish people. The themes of family and faith, honor and dishonor, passion and power provide a rich exploration of our people and ourselves.

  BEYOND BORDERS: THE HISTORY OF THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT This Scholars course gives students the framework to understand the development of Jewish mysticism utilizing the texts that have been central to that tradition. While grounded in scholarship, each class will include components that address the mysteries of human existence and many of life's eternal and universal questions.

ISRAELI LITERATURE AS A WINDOW TO ISRAELI SOCIETY This course of study offers a fresh and fascinating examination of Israeli society since the birth of the State in 1948. Through the pens of its leading writers, participants encounter an Israeli society that is original, contemporary, honest and proud. Reflections of the mythic Israel are matched by poetry and prose that is challenging and self-critical, and both offer profound insight into the Israeli national psyche.

JEWISH MYSTICISM AND KABBALAH: SECRET KNOWLEDGE IN JUDAISM Thanks to Madonna and other contemporary celebrities, Kabbalah today is one of the best known facets of Judaism, yet also one of the least well understood.  As a result, despite the public chatter about Kabbalah, for many, this important aspect of the Jewish tradition remains a "closed book." This new Melton Scholars course enables participants to gain familiarity with the rich history of Jewish mysticism, and understanding of many of the texts that have been so central to that tradition. Presented chronologically, the course provides an opportunity for discussing the progression of Jewish mystical tradition over hundreds of years.  Discussions surrounding the texts will relate to enduring Jewish challenges, issues of pressing relevance for Jewish life both past and present. The course will expose participants to some of the ways that the particular lens of the mystical and esoteric has been employed throughout Jewish history to discover the relevant, deeper meanings of Judaism, as students consider the extent to which Jewish mystical teachings speak to the deepest mysteries of human existence, offering rich, meaningful explanations for so many of life's eternal universal questions.
 

  JEWS IN AMERICA: INSIDERS AND OUTSIDERSThis Scholars course provides students with the opportunity to consider the challenges of Jewish acculturation to American life, and the sacrifices as well as the contributions that have been made over the past 200 years. Lessons will explore such topics as the role of education, The Three Generation Hypothesis, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, the changing place of Zionism and the State of Israel, The Civil Rights Movement as a case study of distinctiveness and involvement, and other issues that address American and Jewish culture and identity. This 10-lesson course asks the question, “Is the cup half-empty or half full?” as optimists  and pessimists debate the future of Jewish identity in America.