Community Courses

Community Adult Learning Courses

Community Adult Learning courses are offered at a discounted rate and are available to the general public.

After the Kabbalah

JTHT 583

Hebrew College

Art Green

Mondays, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Cost: $500

Kabbalah, the classical Jewish symbolic language for talking about mystical experience and religious quest, collapsed as a system of truth in the late 18th century, due to pressures from within and without. But what happened to the Jewish seeker? What alternatives to Kabbalah have appeared on the scene? How have they all mined but re-defined the old mystical language? The course begins with early Hasidism, then the Bratslav, Kotsk/Ger, and Izbica versions of Hasidic teaching. From there, on to such twentieth-century seekers as Hillel Zeitlin, Rav Kook, A. J. Heschel, and Zalman Schachter/Shalomi, concluding with discussion of our contemporary situation. Register here.

Reconciliation in the Joseph Narrative

Bible 545

Hebrew College

Reuven Cohn

Wednesdays, 9:00 - 11:00 am

Cost: $500

In this course, we will study Genesis 44-50 with careful attention to the nuances of the biblical text. We will use Rashi's commentary both as a window into classic Jewish commentary and as a foil for modern critical and literary approaches to the text. All texts will be provided with side-by-side translations in order to accommodate a wide range of levels. Register here.

Maimonides’ Code of Jewish Law

JTHT 529

Hebrew College

Daniel Lehmann

Thursdays 8:00 - 9:00 am

Cost: $500

Syllabus

This course will explore selections from all 14 books that comprise Maimonides' magnum opus: The Mishneh Torah, his code of Jewish law. We will use Isadore Twersky's A Maimonides Reader as the primary text and all readings will be in English. Register here.

Foundations of Jewish Genealogical Research

JGS 2012

Hebrew College

Jewish Genealogical Society

Mondays, 7:00- 9:00 pm

Special tuition: $250.

This course teaches students how to research their Jewish family histories. It provides a comprehensive introduction to Jewish genealogy including methodology, relevant world history, geography and world-wide resources. The course is taught by experienced researchers from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston. There will be individual help time for all students and a hands-on introduction to Internet research for beginners. Lectures will be recorded and available on the course website for those who miss a class and as a resource for all students. No tuition discounts can be applied to this course. Register here.

Bible Text and Context

Bible 600

Offered Online

Peretz Rodman

Cost: $500

A critical introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) studying its place in the history of ancient Israel and Jewish tradition, as well as its relationship to ancient Near Eastern cultures of the biblical period. Through broad coverage and close reading, students will focus on the fundamental scholarly methods of literary, historical and theological analysis, in order to explore the Bible's compositional development and overarching messages. Register here.

Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature

Liter 553

Offered Online

Abigail Gillman

Cost: $500

Why did Jewish writers living in Russia and Poland begin writing in the Hebrew language in the late nineteenth century? To what similar themes, ideas and values do subsequent generations of Israeli writers return, and what innovations do they introduce? How did the historical experiences of rejection, alienation and self-determination impact upon the "Hebrew Language Revolution" (Harshav) and the ongoing development of Israeli literature? Finally, what can contemporary Hebrew literature teach us about Israeli culture and society in the twenty-first century? Short stories and novels by Peretz, Berdichevsky, Baron, Agnon, Oz, Yehoshua, Appelfeld, Castel-Bloom, Keret, Liebrecht, Grossman and others, that address the struggle for modern identity in the domains of family, nation and religion. Topics include the crisis of religious identity; Zionism and the New Hebrew; the lasting impact of the Holocaust; the Arab-Israeli encounter; the challenges facing women in a patriarchal society; the tension between individual and collective interests; and the 'Americanization' of Israeli culture. Short writing assignments and interpretive essays will enable students to develop skills of literary analysis and improve prose style. Note: all materials will be made available in English translation. Register here.

Mekhina (Preparation) for Hebrew Language

Hebrw 010

Offered Online

Michal Levy

Cost: $500

This course is designed to serve as an introduction to Hebrew language study and to ensure that students with some prior Hebrew study experience begin Hebrew I at comparable levels. The Mekhina introduces the Hebrew alphabet and vowels, as well as verbs and syntax sufficient for conducting simple daily conversation. Students progress at their own pace, submit oral and written homework, and take online quizzes. Weekly real-time class discussions are conducted by the instructor with small groups of students at comparable levels. The Mekhina is based on the seven introductory units of Ivrit Min Hahatchala (Hebrew From Scratch), the textbook used by Hebrew College's campus-based and online Hebrew language programs. Register here.