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HEBREW LANGUAGE/
TANACH
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Introduction
to Biblical Hebrew through study of the Book of Ruth
Participants in this course will begin to acquire the necessary skills to learn Torah texts in its original
language. We will focus on
Hebrew reading, as well as beginning grammar skills and building vocabulary.
As we strive to accomplish these goals, we will study the Book of Ruth, a
dramatic and compelling narrative of loving-kindness, as our source text.
texts The First Hebrew Primer : The Adult Beginners
Path to Biblical Hebrew, 3rd ed., by Simon, Reznikoff and Motzkin, EKS
Pub.Co.
instructor Cookie Rosenbaum
time Sunday mornings, 9:30-10:45 am
calendar Twelve sessions. October 14 - January 27. No class on November 25, Dec. 23, 30.
place Maimonides School,
Philbrick Road, Brookline.
tuition $135.00 level 1
This course is suitable for women with minimal Hebrew literacy (basic
phonetic reading).
Intermediate
Biblical Hebrew through study of Tanach
Designed for the student who has completed a beginners level Biblical Hebrew
course, we will continue Torah text study focusing on language skills and
vocabulary. Our goal will be to maintain and build on your previously
acquired language skills.
texts The First Hebrew Reader: Guided Selections from the Hebrew
Bible, EKS Pub. Co.
instructor Cookie Rosenbaum
time Sunday mornings, 11 am – 12:15 pm
calendar Six sessions. October 21, Nov 4, 18, Dec 2, 16, Jan 6.
place Maimonides School,
Philbrick Road, Brookline.
tuition $70.00 level 2
Meets every other week through the term
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AGGADAH
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Ein Ya'acov: Theology and
Values of Talmudic Aggada
This course will offer a close and continuous reading of the Ein Ya'acov, the
major 16th century compendium of aggadah from both the Jerusalem and
Babylonian Talmuds. Join
our continuing study of Tractate
Berachot which presents rabbinic views on prayer. Our goals will include: analysis of language, theology
and biblical exegesis, careful attention to the classical commentaries,
discussion of the reception and use of aggadah in different medieval schools,
especially philosophical and kabbalistic.
text Ein Ya'acov, vol. I, standard Romm edition.
(also available in English translation)
instructor Rabbi Nehemia Polen
time Sunday mornings, 9-10:15 am
calendar Seven sessions, Oct 14 -Dec 9.
No class Nov 18
& 25.
place Maimonides School,
Philbrick Road, Brookline.
tuition $80.00 level2 & 3. New
students are welcome
Inside/Outside:
The Art of the Rabbinic Narrative
The stories of the Rabbis found in the Talmud and Midrash are among the
most beloved aspects of rabbinic
literature. These stories are rarely subjected to the sort of rigorous analysis which is
regularly applied to the legal
and interpretive aspects of the Rabbi's oeuvre.
We will study select stories, including some of the most well known
narratives, including those of Honi the circle drawer, Nakdimon ben Gurion
and the wells, and Rabban
Gamliel's expulsion from the beit midrash. Particular attention will
be paid to the theme of the rabbi as “outsider.” By subjecting these stories to close literary analysis we will
explore how the rabbis used narrative to convey their ideas about theology,
ethics and the human condition.
text Tanach.
Additional sources will be provided.
instructor Moshe Simon
time Wednesday mornings, 9:15 -10:30 am
calendar Ten sessions, October
17 - December 19.
place Cong. Kadimah Toras Moshe, 113 Washington St, Brighton
tuition $115
level2 & 3
This course will also be offered in Sharon
time Wednesday evenings, 8:30 –9:45 pm
calendar Five sessions,
October 24 – November 28 No classes November 21.
place Young Israel of Sharon, 100 Ames St, Sharon, Ma.
tuition $55
level2 & 3
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TALMUD
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Your Money
or Your Life: The Third Chapter of Tractate Ketubot
In discussing the penalty for rape, the third chapter of Masekhet
Ketubot considers in
detail the principle of kam lei biderabba minei -the notion that one who commits a crime entailing two punishments (i.e. capital and monetary) receives only
the more severe of them. The Talmud's deliberations on this principle quickly involve comparisons
to other legal infractions: theft, desecration of the Sabbath, and
consumption of forbidden
foods. After closely reading the text together, we will analyze the logic
underlying these comparisons.
Designed for students with a reading knowledge of Hebrew but little
(beginner's class) or no exposure to
Talmud study, the course will emphasize structure,
vocabulary-building, legal concepts, and the effective use of Rashi's
commentary.
texts Masekhet Ketubot
(Punctuated sources will be provided.)
instructorMiriam Udel Lambert
time Tuesday Evenings, 8-9:15
pm
calendarTwelve sessions: October 16-Jan
15.
No class Dec 25, Jan 1
place Young Israel of Brookline, 62 Green St, Brookline.
tuition $135.00 level 2 & 3
Masekhet
Beitzah
This course is designed for the experienced student of Talmud. We will delve
into the first perek of Masekhet Beitzah, examining sugyot dealing with Yom
Tov, Melachah and Mukzah.
texts Masekhet Beitzah
instructor Rabbi David Flatto
time Tuesday Evenings, 8-9:15
pm
calendarTwelve sessions: October 16-Jan
15.
No class Dec 25, Jan 1
place Young Israel of Brookline, 62 Green St, Brookline.
tuition $135.00 level 3
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TANACH
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Seeing is
Believing
What does it mean “to see” in the Bible? Do we believe because we see God's
wondrous deeds, or do we see beyond the immediate reality because we believe
in God? How are seeing (re'iyah) and awe (yir'ah) interconnected? How does
the ability to see become a litmus test for successful
parenting and dynamic leadership? These questions will form the lens
through which we will focus on
examples of patriarchal, matriarchal, and prophetic vision in the
Bible. We will compare and contrast characters who possess laser sharp vision
enabling them to discern the course of human and national destiny, with
others who develop acuity of sight through experience and Divine
intervention.
texts Tanach and Sefer Devarim
(Torat Chayyim ed. preferred)
instructor Dr. Lynne Heller
time Thursday morning, 9:00 -10:15 am
calendar Seven sessions. October 25-December 13. No class Nov. 21.
place Leventhal Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton
Street, Newton.
tuition $80.00 level 1
This course is offered in conjunction with the Women's
Division of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Meaning
and Evil in Sefer Iyov
If God is all good and all powerful, why is there so much evil in the world?
Through imaginative narrative, poetic
expression, and theological discussion, Sefer Iyov engages
this oldest of questions. In our studies together, we will study the
biblical text, appreciating its art and ardor, as well as join in its quest for
meaning.
texts Tanach, Mikra'ot Gedolot Sefer
Iyov
instructor Rabbi Benjamin Samuels
time Tuesday mornings, 9:15-10:30 am
calendar . Eight sessions. October 23 - December 11
place Talner Congregation Beth David, 64 Corey Road,
Brookline.
tuition $90.00 level 2&3
Telling
and Retelling:
Studies in
Devarim
In Sefer Devarim, Moshe retells many of the incidents
concerning the Israelites in the desert, often differing strikingly in both
style and substance from their original telling. We will analyze select
narratives in Devarim and their parallels earlier in Chumash. Attention will
be paid to how classical midrash and medieval commentators dealt with the
discrepancies between the accounts.
Through this study we will come to a better understanding of how
traditional Jewish interpreters view Devarim as a whole, and how they dealt
with conflicting Biblical texts.
texts Tanach, Mikra'ot Gedolot Sefer Iyov
instructor Bracha Epstein
time Wednesday evenings, 8-9:15 pm
calendar Nine
sessions, Oct 17 -Dec 19. No class Nov 21
place Maimonides School, Philbrick Road, Brookline
tuition $115.00 level 3
With directed chevrutah study & class discussion
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TANNACH/
LITURGY
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Sefer
Tehillim:
A Gateway
to Prayer
This course endeavors to explore the depth and beauty of Sefer Tehillim
through an in-depth analysis of
the theme, structure, and significance of the Mizmorei Tehillim that
appear in the siddur. As such, it is geared both for the individual who
desires to
improve her understanding of Tanach as well as for the individual who
wishes to develop a deeper connection to tefilah.
texts Sefer Tehillim Mikra'ot Gedolot,
preferably with
Malbim.
instructor Melissa Perl
time Wednesday evenings, 8-9:15 pm
calendar Ten sessions.
Oct 17-Jan 2. No class
Nov 21, Dec 26.
place Maimonides School, Philbrick Road, Brookline
tuition $115.00 level 2
& 3
~ New Faculty
Member ~
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RABBINIC THOUGHT
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Sefer
Ha-Hinuch
In thirteenth century Barcelona, a Jewish father faced a problem: his son was spending too much time
hanging out with his friends, and too little time learning Torah. To motivate
his son, this father wrote Sefer Ha-Hinuch. He wrote an essay about each mitzvah, introducing the source verses, the
main idea of the mitzvah, a possible reason for the mitzvah, some of the
dinim, and a summary of to whom and under what circumstances the mitzvah
applies.
The work systematically prepares students for serious
study of halachic literature, introducing almost every area of halachic
discourse, its genres and types
of argument. Studying the author's attempt to formulate a
reason for each mitzvah, we see an ethical master at work. We will experience the personal
aspect of the author's pedagogy
in passages where the author speaks directly to his son.
For a student who completes Sefer HaHinuch, there is well
earned pride in knowing that "I may not know a great deal about any
given mitzvah,
but I know something about each and every one." No area of Jewish law remains totally
unfamiliar. As the author draws his son into the study of Torah, he draws us
in as well.
texts Chumash, and Sefer Ha-Hinuch.
Recommended English translation by Charles Wengrov, Feldheim Publishers.
instructor Marilyn Finkelman
time Monday evenings, 8:00-9:15 pm
calendar Twelve sessions.
October 15-January 14
place Maimonides School, Philbrick Road, Brookline.
tuition $135.00 level All
This class will begin a sustained study of Sefer HaHinuch which we hope to
continue in future semesters until we complete the work. Students will need to read the text,
either in Hebrew or in English, to prepare for class.
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COMMUNITY
LECTURES
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Community Lectures
Ma’ayan invites you to he annual
Diane Groner Levine Memorial Lecture
.
Creativity and
the Process of Interpretation:
Erica Brown, a visiting scholar from Israel and former Ma’ayan
faculty member, will discuss the role
of the creative arts in understanding biblical texts – do they detract,
distract, or enhance our interpretation?
Saturday evening, November 10, 2001
8:00 p.m.
Maimonides School Philbrick Road, Brookline
Men and women are welcome
Suggested donation: $10.00
Please bring a Tanakh
______________________________
The community is invited to
An Evening of
Learning
.
Symposium on
Talmudic Methodology:
How we approach
the text,
How it impacts on our understanding
Rabbi Moshe Lichtenstein
Faculty, Yeshivat Har Etzion
Moderated by
Rabbi Jacob J Schacter
Dean, The Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik Institute
Sunday evening, October 14, 2001
7:30 p.m.
Maimonides School Philbrick Road, Brookline
Men and women are welcome
Suggested donation: $10.00
Rabbi Bigman and Rabbi Lichtenstein will both be teaching
the first sugya from Tractate Kiddushin. One will present the text utilizing
Brisk methodology, the other through the lens of academic analysis. A
discussion will follow, moderated by Rabbi Schacter, on how our approach to
the text impacts on our understanding of its content.
This evening is sponsored by:
Chaya and Ze’ev London
In memory of their
daughter
Sarah bat Ze’ev v’Chaya
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