Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 8:45-11:15 am Patriarchs and Matriarchs Bible (Introductory) Reuven Grodner From Egypt to Sinai Bible (Intermediate/Advanced) Michael Hattin How Much are You Worth? (Bava Kama) Talmud (Introductory) David Levin-Kruss "And Justice for All " Selections from Tractate Sanhedrin Talmud (Intermediate) Leah Rosenthal The Force of Authority of Minhag (Pesahim) Talmud (Advanced) Zvi Hirschfield 11:45 am - 1:15 pm Turning Points of Jewish History Mike Feuer Women & Judaism: Permitted but Prohibited Nechama Goldman-Barash Dialogue with God: Prayers and Prayer Reuven Grodner GUEST SPEAKERS Jewish History Women & Judaism Dialogue with God The Rise and Fall of Solomon Michael Hattin Modern Jewish Thought: God, Torah, Chosen People Zvi Hirschfield Solomon Critical Issues 1:15-1:30 pm Optional Mehitza Mincha / Egalitarian Mincha 1:15-2:30 pm L U N C H COMMUNITY LUNCH L U N C H Afternoon Classes Sunday/Wednesday Afternoon Classes Monday/Thursday 2:30 5:00 pm The "Rodeph Shalom": Sacred Conflict Engagement Amy Eilberg & Daniel Roth Special Sessions and Tours (until 8 pm) A Living Torah: The Philosophy of Eliezer Berkovits Rahel Berkovits War and Peace in Ancient Israel Alex Israel A Taste of Shabbat Mike Feuer Judaism and Life Transformation: Six Key Words in Personal Growth Elliott Malamet Hillel Class for Hillel cohort Beauty and the Beast: Power, Seduction and Challenges of Vanity Nechama Goldman-Barash The Fractious Family: Biblical Sibling Rivalry Gideon Sylvester Early Evening Extras Mon/Wed 5:15-6:45 Scribal Arts Thurs 5:15-6pm - Parashat Hashavua (Weekly Torah Reading)
Morning Text-Intensives 8:45-11:15 am Introductory Bible Patriarchs & Matriarchs: Seeds of The Jewish People Reuven Grodner The founding fathers and mothers of the Jewish people were charismatic personalities who sowed the seeds of a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation. Their total dedication and devotion to God and ethical living earned them a Covenant for all future generations. This class will focus on the episodes and events in their lives that culminated in a Covenantal Community with a unique historical destiny. Intermediate/Adv. Bible From Egypt to Sinai Michael Hattin "Exodus" is the story of Israel becoming a nation. It begins with an account of the enslavement in Egypt and concludes with the narrative of the Tabernacle's construction. Its primary themes of slavery and freedom, exile and redemption, transgression and teshuva continue to inspire us even today. Our studies will follow the travails of the Israelites in Egypt, the triumph of their exodus, and the trials of faith that await them as they journey forth to receive the Torah at Sinai. Talmud - Introductory How Much are you Worth? (Bava Kamma ch.8) David Levin-Kruss This beginners Talmud class looks at what happens when somebody is injured. What damages are paid to them? How do we assess a person's value? Isn't human life infinite? Texts will be in the original Hebrew and Aramaic with lots of words lists and help. Talmud. Intermediate "And Justice for All " Selections from Tractate Sanhedrin Leah Rosenthal Masechet Sanhedrin presents the foundational principles of the Jewish legal system. The Talmudic discussions in this tractate abound with questions regarding justice and mercy, truth and compassion. We will discuss and consider many of the conceptual issues involved in this masechet, as we continue to develop our Talmudic reading skills and appreciation of the complex and unique nature and history of this central text of Jewish tradition. This class is designed for those with good Hebrew skills and some background in the study of classic Rabbinic texts. Talmud. Advanced The Force and Authority of Minhag Zvi Hirschfield Together we will learn the 4th chapter of Tractate Pesahim with select commentaries to explore the social, religious, and legal power of customs in the Jewish tradition Mid-Morning Electives 11:45-1:15 pm Turning Points of Jewish History / Remember the Days of Old Mike Feuer Many nations tell their history as a list of kings and wars, others as a lineage of artistic and literary creativity. Though Am Yisrael can boast of these as well, our story is primarily one of consciousness - how an ancient people assimilated its historical experience into new ways of knowing the world. This class will explore some of the key moments in Jewish history, with an eye toward embedding Jewish consciousness in its historical context. Women and Judaism: Permitted but Prohibited Nechama Goldman-Barash We will explore the rabbinic and Jewish legal approach to women dating back 2000 years. This allows us to understand the exemptions and exclusions imposed on women within the system of Jewish law, affecting their role in society. While many things may be technically permitted, society and community play a tremendous role in deciding which laws are accepted and which are rejected. We will look at contemporary examples including women wearing tefillin, Women of the Wall and rabbinic ordination. Prayer. Dialogue with God Reuven Grodner
Prayer is a medium that offers the human being the opportunity to commune with his/her Creator. Prayer rises from the depths of the human personality in spontaneity and in formulated structure. This class will offer an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the prayer book and with philosophical and theological insights into prayer. Included prayers are: Daily Morning Service, Kabbalat Shabbat, Kaddish, Grace after Meals and Hallel. The Rise and Fall of Solomon Michael Hattin Over the course of human history, many civilizations have dreamt of building the ideal state. Our tradition also preserves the record of such an attempt, one that flourished for a brief moment of time at the dawn of the First Temple period. We will consider its rise and fall through the life and times of its main protagonist, Shelomo HaMelech or King Solomon. Textually, our study will focus upon the beginning of Sefer Melachim (Book of Kings 1, Chapters 1 12) but we will ponder much other material as we investigate the death of David, the ascent of Shelomo to the throne, the consolidation of his rule and reorganization of the realm, the great undertaking of the building of the First Temple, and his ignominious end. Although Shelomo finished his life in failure and the Temple was eventually destroyed, the memory of the ideal state continued to exist in the Messianic visions of the later prophets, whose dreams of an ideal state continue to inspire us today. Critical Issues in Modern Jewish Thought Zvi Hirschfield This course will explore how leading Jewish thinkers address the great challenges of modernity to Judaism and Jewish identity. Issues to be explored will include: Belief in, and the nature of Faith in God, the authorship of Torah, and the concept of the Chosen People Afternoon Electives Sunday / Wednesday (2:30-5 pm) The Rodef Shalom (Pursuer of Peace) In Judaism Instructors: Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth Throughout Jewish history rabbis and communal leaders have played the role of "rodfei shalom" (pursuers of peace) between members of their community. Similarly, today's rabbis and communal leaders regularly find themselves in the heart of interpersonal or communal conflicts-- within families, their congregations, in the Jewish community, and in interfaith relations. This class will explore the text, theory, and practice of sacred conflict engagement, in order to enable us to be true to the command to seek peace and pursue it. The course will include classical Jewish text study, conflict theory, and guided experiential sessions. War and Peace. Moral Dilemmas of the Biblical Battlefield (Bible) Alex Israel The Book of Deuteronomy describes Israel on the verge of the conquest of Canaan, as they are poised for war. What are the ethical values and concerns which the Torah presents to this nascent nation? We shall look at five episodes in Deut ch.20-21: 1. Mobilization and military exemption, 2. The Call for Peace, 3. Ecological concerns, 4. Homicide on the home front (Egla Arufa) and 5. The Beautiful Captive Woman, to examine the Torah's complicated attitude to the battlefield. Lastly, we shall look at the messianic images of Peace in order to understand at least one perspective on the ideal notion of a nation at peace. This is a course that will focus on Biblical texts and commentaries all texts in English and Hebrew and will require an open and sensitive mind to deal with some challenging moral perspectives. Judaism and Life Transformation: Six Key Words in Personal Growth Elliott Malamet More than a system of law or an historical narrative, Judaism also is an ongoing discussion about the ends of life. In these sessions we will explore some of the key issues in emotional and spiritual transformation and the difficulties involved in any form of change. We will focus on six key areas: freedom; forgiveness; autonomy vs. surrender; ethics and the other; self-transcendence; and love. A special class for Hillel professionals will be held on Sun/Wed in this time slot.
Monday/Thursday (2:30-5 pm) Torat Hayim A Living Torah: The Philosophy of Rabbi Professor Eliezer Berkovits z l Rahel Berkovits In this 6-part lecture series, Rabbi Rahel Berkovits looks at the thoughts of her grandfather, Rabbi Professor Eliezer Berkovits z l. What is the interplay between Torah and real life situations? How do ancient texts apply to modern times? The philosophy of R. Berkovits will be examined through the lens of his writings on women and Jewish law, conversion and the unity of the Jewish people, the problem of Agunot, a sexual ethic in modern time, and the challenges of Prayer. A Taste of Shabbat Mike Feuer Shabbat introduces the idea of holiness into the text of the Torah, and into our daily lives as well. In this class we will explore some of the legal aspects of the seventh day and touch the depths of meaning available in its experience. Our goal is to acquire knowledge and wisdom which can make the practice of Shabbat meaningful and enriching. Beauty and the Beast: Power, Seduction and Challenges of Beauty Nechama Goldman-Barash Can vanity be incorporated into spirituality in a positive and inspiring way? Is beauty necessary in creating a meaningful relationship with Godliness? We will look at Biblical texts and Midrashic (rabbinic) interpretations of the text around the power, seduction and challenges that beauty and vanity present to us in our everyday lives. The Fractious Family: Sibling Rivalry in the Bible Gideon Sylvester Jewish communities often boast about the strength and closeness of the Jewish family. But it wasn't always like that. In the Bible, we watch in horror as one brother kills another, sisters squabble, and husbands and wives struggle to achieve marital harmony. This course will look at some of those biblical conflicts through close reading of the text and its rabbinic commentaries with particular focus on Isaac and Ishmael, Rachel and Leah and Joseph and his brothers.
Faculty Biographies Rahel Berkovits teaches Mishnah, Talmud and Halakha at Pardes. She has spent many years studying Talmud and Jewish texts in both traditional and academic frameworks at Midreshet Lindenbaum, The Shalom Hartman Institute, and Hebrew University in both the Talmud and Jewish education departments. In 2015, Rahel completed her studies at Beit Midrash Har el and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Herzl Hefter and Rabbi Daniel Sperber. She lectures widely in both Israel and abroad on topics concerning women and Jewish law, and has published entries in the CD Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Rahel is the editor in chief and halakhic editor of Ta Shma JOFA s Halakhic Source Guide Series. She recently published the book A Daughter s Recitation of Mourner s Kaddish. She is a founding member of Congregation Shirah Hadasha, a progressive halakhic minyan, which is enriched by both male and female participation in synagogue ritual. Rahel hails from Boston and has lived in Jerusalem for the past eighteen years with her family. Amy Eilberg is the first woman ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She serves as the director of the Pardes Rodef Shalom (Pursuer of Peace) Communities Program, helping synagogues and Jewish organizations place the pursuit of peace in interpersonal relationships at the center of their communal mission. Rabbi Eilberg also serves as a spiritual director, leads interfaith dialogue programs in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, and teaches at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Her book, From Enemy to Friend: Jewish Wisdom and the Pursuit of Peace, was published by Orbis Books in March 2014. Mike Feuer is a Pardes faculty member. He has learned Torah in a number of Jerusalem area institutions, including Yeshivat HaMivtar, the Mir Yeshiva and Sulam Yaakov Bet Midrash. He received his semikhah from Sulam Yaakov, where he now spends all his time when not engaged with his wonderful wife and five children. His vision of Torah aspires to rigorous analysis and a passionate love of poetry and approaches learning as a process of mutual self-development. His particular loves in Torah are the Early Prophets, the Maharal and the Bet Yosef. Nechama Goldman-Barash is a graduate of Stern College and the Advanced Talmud Institute at Matan, a three-year intensive program for Talmud study. She holds a MA in Talmud from Bar-Ilan University, teaches at Pardes, Midreshet Lindenbaum and Matan. Nechama is a Yoetzet Halakha a certified expert on Jewish Law related to Nidda and sexuality. Reuven Grodner received his MA and was ordained at Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he studied under Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He served for over 18 years as a pulpit rabbi. Rabbi Grodner is the author of several books including Shabbat: A Day of Delight, The Spirit of Mishnaic Law: Tractate Brachot and Ahl Ha'tefillah, Lectures on Prayer by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (Hebrew). In addition to teaching at Pardes, he is the director of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Beit Midrash program. Michael Hattin teaches Bible and Halakha at Pardes. He holds a professional degree in Architecture from the University of Toronto and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. He teaches Chumash and Prophets as well as Halakha at the Pardes Institute. For many years Michael authored the weekly online publications Introduction to Parasha and Lessons on Prophets for the Virtual Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion, reaching a combined readership of several thousand. Prior to making aliyah, Michael served as Director of Adult Education/Outreach for Golf Manor Synagogue of Cincinnati, Ohio and he continues to lecture as scholar-in residence at various synagogues and Jewish organizations in North America. Michael has published Passages: Text and Transformation in the Parasha. (Urim) and The Challenge of the Promised Land (Maggid, 2014). Zvi Hirschfield teaches Talmud, Halakha and Jewish Thought at Pardes. In addition, Zvi is a faculty member of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators and has been training and mentoring Jewish Educators for over ten years in Tefilah in educational settings, critical issues in modern Jewish thought, and Israel education. Zvi holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University and did graduate work at Harvard University in Medieval and Modern Jewish Thought. He studied
at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel and has rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. He was the director of Judaica at the JCC of Cleveland and an instructor at the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies for many years. He also serves as a curriculum writer and is involved in staff training for the Nesiya Institute. His wife, Dina, is a faculty member of the Hebrew University School of Public Health, and they have four children. Alex Israel has taught at Pardes for the past six years and is Director of the Summer program, as well as Pardes's Community Education Program. Alex grew up in London. He holds degrees from LSE, the Institute of Education London, and Bar-Ilan University. Alex studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and was awarded semikhah from the Israeli Rabbinate. Alex volunteers for Tzohar a rabbinic group that works to bridge gaps between religious and secular communities in Israel. He lives with his wife and four children in Gush Etzion. His first book is: I Kings Torn in Two. (Maggid, 2013). Read his Torah at www.alexisrael.org David Levin-Kruss is Director of Special Programs and a faculty member of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. He holds a B.A. and Teachers Certification in English Literature and Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, attended Pardes, and has rabbinic ordination from the Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Rabbinical Seminary. Previously, he served as the director of the overseas department at the Melitz Centers for Jewish Zionist Education and as the community director of Stanmore Synagogue, in northwest London. David hails from South Africa, loves cooking in his spare time and sees himself as a bridge between Jewish heritage and those seeking to connect or reconnect to that tradition. David founded and directs My Open Book Life Coaching which uses general and Jewish texts as well as life coaching techniques to achieve personal breakthroughs. He is married and the proud father of three boys. Website: www.myopenbooklifecoaching.com Elliott Malamet received his doctorate in English Literature from the University of Toronto, and he taught English Literature and Jewish Studies for twenty-five years at Canadian universities. He was also the Department Head of Jewish Thought at The Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto. Dr. Malamet cofounded Torah in Motion in 2001 in Toronto. He and his family made aliyah in the summer of 2013 and currently live in Jerusalem. Dr. Malamet now teaches Jewish Philosophy at Yeshivat Machanaim in Efrat and is consulted internationally about Jewish education. His book, "Are you a Good Person?: The Ethics of Teenagers and the Future of Morality", is currently being reviewed for publication. Leah Rosenthal holds a BA in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy and an MA in Jewish Education, both from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has been teaching Talmud at Pardes for over twenty years. She combines her teaching at Pardes with teaching at the nearby Pelech High School for Girls and raising, with her husband, their five children. Daniel Roth is the director of the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution. He holds a PhD from Bar Ilan University's Program for Conflict Resolution, Management and Negotiation writing on Jewish models of conflict resolution, peacemaking, and reconciliation. Daniel has been teaching advanced rabbinics, Bible, conflict resolution and other subjects at Pardes for over ten years. He is also a lecturer at Bar Ilan's Program for Conflict Resolution, a senior research fellow at George Mason University's Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution and an Israeli certified court mediator. He holds a MA in Talmud from Hebrew University, a B.Ed in Jewish Philosophy and Talmud from Herzog Teachers' College, and studied for eight years in Yeshivat Har-Etzion, during which time he received rabbinic ordination. Daniel is married with four children and lives in Jerusalem. Gideon Sylvester is the British United Synagogue's rabbi in Israel. Prior to making aliya, he was rabbi of Radlett United Synagogue, Britain's fastest growing Modern Orthodox synagogue. Rabbi Gideon served as Senior Rabbinic Educator in Israel for T'ruah The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and has worked as an adviser at the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel. He directed the Beit Midrash for Human Rights at the Hillel House of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is studying for a doctorate at Bar Ilan University. Gideon writes in a personal capacity and tweets at @GideonDSylveste