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Kinesthetic Kabbalah
Spiritual Practices from Jewish Mysticism and Martial
Arts
Learn how to translate the principles of Kabbalah into physical
movements and use them as a vehicle to transform our relationships
into opportunities for holiness. This class will combine study
of the principles of Jewish mysticism with non-strenuous physical
activities and exercises derived from the gentle, defensive
martial art of Aikido. These movements have been designed
to actualize Kabbalistic concepts in real life. Dress in comfortable
street attire and come prepared for study, discussion, and
light movement.
Entry-Level Mysticism: Key Concepts and Ideas from
the Zohar
This participatory course will introduce the concept of mysticism
known as Kabbalah in Judaism and in Jewish sacred literature
from the Hebrew Bible to The Zohar and beyond, posing the
questions, What is mysticism? How is it manifested? and What
are the literary, theological, and psychological implications
of mystical Judaism for a contemporary reader and student?
This course will briefly study excerpts from The Zohar (1280-86)
as well as discuss the life of its alleged mysterious and
elusive author, Moses de Leon (1240-1305). We will explore
the world of late medieval north-central Spain in which Moses
de Leon lived, as well as the Jewish communities from which
the Kabbalah emerged. We will also investigate spiritual and
literary terms essential to Jewish mysticism such as Gematria,
Gilgul, Golem, Zelem, Sefirot, Ein Sof, Shekhinah, and others.
We will finish our introduction by re-reading excerpts from
The Zohar exploring the realms of interpretation (Midrash),
discussing the questions posed in the first paragraph and
writing our own short poems in a Zoharic style.
A Woman's View of the Talmud
The Talmud offers profound insights, lively debates and challenging
perspectives on religious laws dating back to the early centuries
of the Common Era. From a modern viewpoint, the Talmud's message
on the roles and limitations of women is both fascinating
and controversial. This course will give students an exciting
'hands-on' experience in reading and interpreting English
translations of key Talmudic texts relating to women. Among
the issues we will explore and discuss from the Talmud will
be: marriage and divorce, female sexuality, women and childbearing,
contraception, and abortion. While this course can only introduce
essential topics relating to women from the Talmud, it will
certainly offer the inspiration and basic background for the
individual to begin her/his own exploration of this important
study.
The Kabbalah of Dreams: Working with Dreams in Jewish
Mystical Traditions
Dreams have been the most powerful subtext in the Prophetic
and Meditative traditions of Judaism. Paradigm shifts in Jewish
history have been affirmed and acknowledged through dream
states. Spiritual texts have been channeled through the dream
of the mystic.
Sources include the visionary descriptions of Jacob and the
heavenly ladder through the prophetic dreams of Daniel, dream
interpretation statements of Talmudic sages, medieval responses
from heaven, personal dreams of the grandson of the Baal Shem
Tov and the fascinating dream diaries of 19th century Hungarian
Chassidic masters. From the totality of these sources we will
explore and analyze the evolutionary patterns of dream influence
in Judaic traditions.
In this multidisciplinary course we will also explore the
history of dreams and dream work in traditional sources within
the Kabbalah.
The experiential section of the course will focus on these
crucial issues:
- How do you absolve and purify a dream?
- How do you practice a dream question?
- What are the conditions for auspicious results?
- What are the dream practices of the Kabbalists?
- Dream incubation and the Kabbalah
- Did the dreams of one generation of mystics affect the dreams
of mystics hundreds of years later?
- Lucid dreaming and the Kabbalah
- Integrating dreams in daily life
God and the Big Bang: Kabbalah for the 21st Century
In this class students will explore a number of questions:
Can contemporary scientific theory speak to us on a spiritual
level? How does it affect--or challenge--our concept of God,
revelation and Torah? How can we discover a spiritual dimension
in our lives and recover a sense of wonder? We will explore
intriguing parallels between ancient Kabbalah and contemporary
physics, without ignoring the differences between these two
distinct approaches. The course will be based on Daniel Matt's
new book, God and the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony Between
Science and Spirituality (Jewish Lights, 1996).
Living in the Presence: The Spiritual World and Teachings
of the Ba'al Shem Tov
Hasidism was the eighteenth-century revival movement that
revolutionized Eastern European Jewry through the renewal
of Jewish spirituality. The founder of Hasidism was Israel
Ba’al Shem Tov, a profound mystic, charismatic spiritual
teacher, shaman, and healer. He taught that through ecstasy,
love, and conscious living, one could find the Living Spirit
within every creation and event.
Students will be introduced to the Ba’al Shem as he
was seen through the eyes of disciples, followers, Hasidic
legend, and contemporary scholarship. We will examine many
of his core teachings, attempting to discover what they meant
to eighteenth-century Hasidim as well as how they might speak
to our lives today.
Class will begin promptly with twenty minutes of chanting
and meditation.
Radical Amazement
The Philosophy of Abraham Heschel. Abraham Joshua Heschel
(1907-1972) is widely regarded as the paramount Jewish spiritual
philosopher of twentieth-century America. He was one of those
rare religious thinkers whose life and words touched people
of all faiths. Man Is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion
is arguably Heschel’s masterpiece. It is an extraordinary
venture in re-narrating the spiritual foundations of Hasidism
for the contemporary world. The book is a profound and poetic
examination of the meaning of spiritual living: how we sense
God’s presence, come to accept it, and build our lives
upon it. We will reflect on the entire book, focusing on key
teachings and how they might enable us to open to the Mystery
of our existence.
Jewish Philosophy in the Modern Era
The last few decades have witnessed an exciting expansion
in the dialogue between Jewish philosophy and Western philosophy.
This dialogue has influenced various fields of thought, and
raises a number of topics:
• The relevance of Jewish philosophy to secular life
• The relationship between religion and ethics
• Pluralism and our treatment of the “other”
• Is there more than one way to believe?
• The problem of faith in our continuously changing
society
• The mystical revelation of God in our relationship
with the other
We will begin with an overview of Jewish and Western philosophies,
focusing on the notion of pluralism. We will then explore
the role of Jewish philosophy in modern ethics, and conclude
with an examination of some of the leading Jewish philosophers:
Emanuel Levinas, Martin Buber, and Franz Rosenzweig.
David and Goliath: Transformations of a Story
We teach our history, our values, and identity through the
stories we tell. The debate over the Jewish people’s
history -- over the stories it tells and the lessons it draws
from them -- has always been a fierce one. This battle is
evident, first and foremost, in the Bible, where different
writers sought to secure the primacy of their versions of
history.
In this course -- appropriate for both first-time and advanced
students of the Bible, for adults as well as high-school students
-- we will ask questions about the editing of history and
the struggle over values as found in one famous story: that
of David and Goliath. In reading together, we will uncover
the oral traditions behind the biblical version and examine
the work of the biblical writer. We will follow the story
as it was told and retold, by the translator of the Septuagint
(the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), who radically
shortened the story (or is his, rather, the original version?);
by the writer (David himself?) of a lost psalm found in Qumran;
and by later Hellenistic writers.
Jewish Book Club
The first book will be "Color of Water" by James
McBride. It is available in paperback in local bookstores.
Please read the book before attending the first session. Book
club members will have input on future books. Facilitator
led. Meets first Tuesday of every month October through January.
Back to the Sources
In 1984, Barry Holtz published a book, Back to the Sources,
which many scholars feel is the finest entry to classical
Jewish literature yet produced. The book provides a comprehensive
and sensitive introduction to Jewish thought through the ages.
This course focuses on this book to survey the most vital
Jewish texts, starting with the Bible and proceeding with
Talmud, Midrash, medieval commentaries and philosophy, Kabbalah,
Chassidic classics, and the prayerbook. In the process, students
will learn not just the range of texts, but the central role
that our literature has played in the development of our people,
and the spiritual messages that pervade three thousand years
of Jewish texts.
Magic and Healing in Jewish Folk Medicine
Have you ever wondered whether your grandmother's remedies
were really effective? In this course we will recover the
medical and magical practices of the ordinary Jews and understand
their relationship to the development of medicine as a profession.
We will examine Near Eastern texts, Biblical and Talmudic
passages, collections or cures, and look for evidence of the
role of women in the preservation and transmission of healing
remedies and practices in European, North African and Middle
Eastern Jewish Communities.
Islam and the Jews
For nearly 1,400 years, Moslems and Jews, Islam and Judaism,
have had an intimate relationship, sharing the lands in which
they lived and the One God to whom they prayed. With the explosion
of Islam upon the world of the Middle East in the seventh
century, Jews found themselves living within Moslem nations,
sometimes in cordial and fruitful relations, and sometimes
in a hostile atmosphere.
Those relations have in turn given birth to the problems
and opportunities faced today in the Middle East. Professor
Astren will provide a basic education in the nature and history
of Islam, emphasizing its relationship to Judaism in its formative
periods, and comparing the sacred texts of Islam to the Bible
and Talmud.
The class will then study the medieval history of Jewry’s
relationship to its Islamic host-world, and see how the Jewish
people’s interaction with Islam shaped Jewish thought,
philosophy, folklore, and how it affected the internal dynamics
of the Jewish community.
Finally, the modern period will be examined to determine
how religion and nationalism interact in the Middle East,
to understand the Zionist movement in the context of Islamic/Jewish
relations, and to discover the effects of Israel on the post-war
Jewish communities in the Islamic world.
Good and Evil in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
In this course we will study how the three monotheistic traditions
represent moral concerns to believers. We will examine notions
of the origin of evil and the role of divine revelation in
human affairs, with special attention given to the story of
Adam and Eve in all three traditions.
These three themes will facilitate an examination of the
relationship of these three religions to one another, and
will offer direct comment on such notions as free will and
predestination, reward and punishment, and life after death.
The series will begin with discussion about ways that philosophers,
academics, and theologians have approached the problem of
good and evil. Subsequent classes will deal directly with
one of the three Western religious traditions.
Joseph's Journey, and Ours
Since its first expression in the Hebrew Bible, readers have
turned repeatedly to the story of Joseph for its insight into
the resolution of conflict through repentance. While emphasis
generally is placed upon the magnanimity of Joseph's act of
forgiving his brothers, the question of the process by which
he arrives at this decisive moment frequently is overlooked.
In this course, we will consider that process in detail by
examining that story as it appears in the Bible. We will also
explore subsequent retellings of the story that essentially
redefine Joseph and the motives that can be ascribed to him.
The post-biblical narratives on which we will focus include:
The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Judeo-Christian),
Sura 12 of the Qur'an (Islamic), "Ma'aseh Yosef"
in the medieval Sefer ha-Yashar (Jewish), "La poema de
Yusuf" (Islamic), and "Las coplas de Yosef"
(Jewish).
In order to supplement our investigations of these texts,
we will read selections (all in English) from commentaries,
both traditional and modern, that provide exegetical insight
on the biblical narrative, including M. Sternberg's The Poetics
of Biblical Narrative, R. Alter's The Art of Biblical
Narrative, and J. Kugel's In Potiphar's House:
The Interpretive Life of Biblical Texts.
The Bayit and the Beit Midrash: A House and a House
of Learning
The Rabbinic texts (Talmud and Midrash), offer a fascinating
and controversial look into the world of men and women and
the relationship between them. The "Sea of Talmud"
is full of lively debates, profound interpretations of the
Bible, and many surprising stories about the lives of the
men and women who lived in the early centuries CE. Through
these texts we find many insights and dilemmas which were
relevant both for the ancient Rabbinic culture and our modern
life. The basic tensions around the relationship between men
and women in Rabbinic texts is represented in the two symbols
of the House and the House of learning. Are these two separate
worlds that could not meet? What happened when they did meet?
This course will explore some of these texts and questions
in a unique way. Instead of the teacher/student model in the
classroom, we are going to study in a guided Havruta -- the
traditional way of learning with a partner in a strong personal
engagement. This method offers a way to discover the Talmud
not as a closed, alien world, but as a rich tradition, which
is open and shared by all of us. We will study passages from
the Talmud and Midrash in Hebrew, Aramaic, and English translation,
and will get to know the basic modes of thinking, debating,
and narrating some of the most important questions in these
texts.
A Time to Every Purpose: The Wisdom of Qohelet (Ecclesiastes)
Yes, there is Bible after the Torah! This fall, we start our
study of the Five Megillot, beginning with Qohelet. In the
winter and spring, we will continue with Esther, the Song
of Songs, Ruth, and Lamentations. Each of these books is linked
by tradition to a Jewish holiday. The autumn festival of Sukkot
is the time for Qohelet, known in English as Ecclesiastes.
Both names mean “The Preacher,” and this is an
apt name for this controversial book of wisdom, attributed
by tradition to the wisest of kings, Solomon. Famous for phrases
such as “Vanity of vanities,” “There is
nothing new under the sun,” and “To everything
there is a season,” Qohelet was almost excluded from
the Bible because of the worldly and cynical cast of its philosophy.
We will read this book closely and carefully, using ancient
and modern commentaries to comprehend the book’s essential
messages. We will also seek to understand the arguments for
and against its inclusion in the Bible, including the issues
of authorship and rabbinic attitudes toward Biblical books.
Class will be conducted in English with references where appropriate
to the Hebrew text. Bring a Bible and a willingness to engage
in issues as ancient (and as modern) as the meaning and purpose
of life itself.
Beyond Tanakh--Matthew's Gospel: A Jewish Reading
The first-century Jewish evangelist for the Jesus sect within
Judaism was named Matthew. The book he wrote became the first
book of the Christian New Testament.
Clearly writing for a Jewishly-educated population, Matthew
provides a powerful redeployment of Biblical texts in support
of the early Christian movement. Writing perhaps a half-century
after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, in a changed world,
he reshaped an ancient tradition to support the claim that
Jesus was the much-anticipated Messiah of Jewish legend...and
much more.
This class will read through Matthew's book in its Jewish
context, focusing on Matthew's interpretation of Jewish texts
and events -- compared to the normative Jewish understanding
of these texts and events, largely reflected in Jewish Midrash.
We will examine the world in which Matthew wrote --compared
to the world in which Jesus lived and died. Our objective
is not polemical -- it is to understand better the various
ways in which Matthew's text would have been understood in
his time. Our goal is also to engage and understand the Jewish
roots of the message that Matthew propounded.
The other books in the New Testament, especially Mark and
Luke, will be consulted for alternative interpretations of
the career and messages of Jesus.
Class members are asked to bring two things to class: A Christian
Bible of your choosing; and an open mind to engage in the
objective text-study of a seminal work in the shared roots
-- and ultimate separation -- of two great religions.
Tolerance and Intolerance in Jewish Tradition
At times classical Judaism seems to claim an absolute truth--the
revelation at Sinai is perhaps the best example. But elsewhere,
such as in the Mishnah, where minority opinions are regularly
included, it appears that there may be many truths. In light
of the growing tension and increasing polarization between
the secular and religious camps in Israel, we invite you to
join us in examining issues of tolerance, dogma, pluralism,
uniformity and free speech in Jewish tradition. Sources used
will include the Bible, Talmudic texts such as Hillel and
Shammai, medieval writings of Maimonides and Rashi, and modern
rabbinical opinions such as those of Rav Kook.
Kings, Queens, Prophets, and Priests: Biblical Politics
and Prophetic Social Justice
Today, the State of Israel has reintroduced the issues of
sovereign nations' power politics, shifting foreign alliances,
and social justice as strictly Jewish issues. What can be
learned from the Biblical record of of ancient Jewish politics
to reflect on today's situation?
During the Kingships of Israel and Judah there was a tri-partite
division of political power shared among the King (and his
nobles and officers), the priesthood, and the prophets. Today,
the Prime Minister and the Knesset have replaced the King's
executive and legislative power, and political parties and
councils of rabbis have replaced the priests and prophets.
During the times of the Kings there was a civil war that left
two sovereign nations. Is that tragedy possible again today,
considering the schism between the religious-nationalist camp
and the secular-peace camp?
Ancient Israel and Judah faced political, theological, and
social dilemmas of major proportions. The Kings of the time
made alliances by marriage with foreign states that frequently
led to the introduction of alien religious practices among
the nobility. At times, non-Jewish queens and queen-mothers
survived the kings and ruled alone. Additionally, the expansion
of empires, first in Egypt, then Assyria, and finally Babylon,
led the monarchies of Israel and Judah to proclaim loyalty
by their allegiance to the gods of these empires. The priesthood,
guardians of the spiritual purity of the people and its Temple,
were at first independent, and then often suborned to the
will of the rulers. They sometimes fought, and sometimes abetted
these theological incursions. This "Golden Age"
of Jewish political sovereignty was also a time of great prophetic
ferment, as major figures like Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah,
and lesser known but equally important seers and spokespeople
such as Elisha and Huldah, assessed the moral purity of the
nation and it's ability to retain Divine protection against
the forces arrayed against it from the inside and outside.
This class will examine ten salient episodes from the political
life of ancient Israel as recorded by the highly partisan
Biblical authors with their view from 20-20 hindsight. We
will look both at how the stories in the Bible were structured
to impart their theo-political moral, and compare them to
issues confronting the contemporary State of Israel.
Our texts will be the Bible and the weekly “Jerusalem
Post International”.
The Book of " Malkhuyot": Stories of Valor
and Notoriety
The books of Samuel and Kings portray a fascinating account
of the first kings of the Israelite people. We will read and
discuss selected texts from these books in pursuit of understanding
the main characteristics of kings Saul, David, and Solomon.
The discussion will include rabbinic and modern opinions on
the acts and characters of these kings. The discussion will
focus on issues such as Religion and State, the rivalry between
Saul and David and the political challenges in establishing
a united kingdom out of 12 recently nomadic tribes.
Please bring a Bible to class.
L'Dor V'Dor: Generational Conflict and Connection
in Jewish Literature
Designed for both teens and adults, this course will use poetry
and stories from America and Israel in order to look at the
generation "gaps" and "bridges" in Jewish
families. We'll compare the perspectives of children, teens,
parents, and grandparents as they respond to changes within
their families and in the world around them. We'll explore
how the challenges faced by Jewish families have changed over
time, how we view the generational conflicts our parents once
wrestled with, and how we respond to our parents' assumptions
about Jewish identity as we develop our own. The topics we'll
discuss will vary from immigrant life in the early part of
the century to sexual orientation today, and the authors will
include Moyshe-Leyb Halpern, Jerome Waldman, Yehudah Amichai,
Etgar Keret, Savyon Liebricht, and Karen X. Tulchinsky. Expect
readings and discussions that are engaging, thoughtful and
interactive.
Jewish Ethics: Case Studies from the Bible
This course will focus on careful reading and analysis of
biblical cases that challenge basic principles of ethical
behavior. The cases examined present ethical issues of a social,
political, and business nature, as well as religious problems
involving the relationship between humans and God.
Events such as the story of Dinah (Genesis 34), David and
Bathsheba (II Samuel), the rape in Givah (Judges 19-20), the
“borrowing” of jewelry from the Egyptians during
the Exodus, and the Akedah (binding of Isaac, Genesis 22)
are some of the cases we will discuss in class. Rabbinic and
other responses to these events will be presented and discussed
as well. In addition, we will study Torah laws, which promote
ethical conduct, fairness in business, and dignified political
behavior.
Shakespeares' View of the Jew in Merchant of Venice
Explore Shakespeare's ambiguous vision of the most famous
Jew in literature. This class will consist of a close reading
of the Merchant of Venice, a play in which the money-lender
Shylock has been interpreted as everything from a farcical
caricature of miserly Jew to near-tragic hero. We will closely
study the play's language and atmosphere and read aloud in
order to explore this evasive and problematic figure. Please
bring a copy of Merchant of Venice to class.
Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Themes in Jewish Text
Can Song of Songs be interpreted as a homoerotic text? Were
David and Jonathan lovers? Why does the Bible discuss acts
of male homosexuality but not female? Where can we find modern
ritual for the lives of GLBT individuals?
This class will explore Jewish text which has been written
over the past 2,500 years and which pertains to Gays, Lesbians
and Bisexuals. We will approach the text in order to understand
the time in which it was written and the historic reasons
for the views we find expressed in it. We will then move to
the next level of study, that of interpretation. We will discover
the holy ways in which the text speaks to Gays, Lesbians,
and Bisexuals. We will also examine modern sources and ritual,
which celebrate all Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgender
individuals. If there is time at the end of the course, we
will design rituals that students may desire.
Beam Me Up Rashi: A Jewish Exploration of the Night
Sky
In many different arenas, Jews have boldly gone where no one
has gone before, but in this class we will specifically explore
the Jewish fascination with the moon, stars, planets and beyond.
From the beginning of creation, the Jewish people have developed
an intimate connection with the night sky. The first commandment
given to Moses and the children of Israel was to count time
by the moon, and Jewish women still celebrate this lunar event
each month. (Why women and not men, you ask? Come to the class.
Men have their moon rituals, too.) And it isn’t just
the moon that draws the Jewish people -- our symbol is, after
all, a star. You probably know that havdalah occurs when three
stars light the sky, but did you know that Abraham himself
consulted the stars when he and his wife Sarah could not conceive?
In this class we will explore sources from the Bible, Talmud
and Kabbalah, as well as Jewish ritual and prayer, travelling
to the furthest reaches of the galaxy and our own imaginations.
Whether poet or scientist, skeptic or mystic, this is a wonderful
class for anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and
wondered.
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