Catering to the most inquiring minds, courses at Amudim provide a strong basis in Tanakh, Talmud and Halakha, while addressing big existential questions and evolving approaches to issues such as the existence of God, Torah mi-Sinai, the problems of suffering and evil, Torah and secular knowledge, gender and sexuality, Judaism’s encounter with modern values and ethics, Judaism and politics, the environment, art and design, multiculturalism and technology.
SCROLL DOWN FOR A SAMPLE OF COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
TanaKh
TanaKh Seder and Shiur
Tanakh classes at Amudim focus on skill-building by introducing students to various lexicons, grammars, concordances, and other tools that open up a world of independent study. Study of Tanakh at Amudim may involve reading passages within their Near Eastern contexts and using “versions” (Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, Peshitta, Samaritan, other Targumim) together with the Masoretic text, as a useful tool for reconstructing some of the earliest interpretations and understandings of the Tanakh. In addition to skill-building, Tanakh classes will provide endless opportunities for discussion of values and ideology.
Museum Tanakh: Text in context
This particularly exciting and innovative Tanakh class is held once a week, off-campus, at the Bible Lands Museum, where the latest archaeological discoveries bring Tanakh to life as we stand in front of the actual objects described in the text, giving us new perspective and fodder for analyzing it. From the Tower of Bavel to Megillat Esther, items on display spark deep discussion about some of our most intriguing texts and concepts, for example, the origins of written language, the development of the Hebrew script, the evolving nature of idol worship in the Near East and Egypt, notions of the afterlife, the nature of warfare in ancient Israel and its environs, royal life in Persia, and much more. By looking at the Torah within its cultural context, we come to understand the depth of the stories we know and love (and some we are less familiar with) and that we frequently take for granted.
The Book of Shemot: Birth of a Nation
The Book of Shemot takes us on a transformative journey from slavery in Egypt to an encounter with God at Har Sinai to the building of a House for God. Along the way, we witness the ups and downs, twists and turns, intrigues, rivalries and epiphanies that contribute to the emergence of Am Yisrael as an independent entity with a newfound identity. At the helm stands, of course, Moshe Rabbeinu, whose own process of maturation develops alongside his people. In this class, we will delve into the text and centuries of commentary to follow the parallel trajectories of a nation and its leader. Together, we will explore the major ideas, characters, motifs and patterns in this foundational sefer and learn valuable lessons about the Torah's notions of leadership, law, society, freedom and, ultimately, how it all ties into our relationship with God.
The Books of Trei Asar
In this course, we explore the prophecies of the twelve minor prophets, or Trei Asar, including the messages and ideas the prophets tried to get across to Bnei Yisrael and the different techniques and tools they used to deliver their messages. We learn the stories in their historical contexts and in the context of Tanakh as a whole. Students uncover repeating themes such as teshuva, leadership, am segula, and proper worship of Hashem. Relying on a close reading of the text, we will explore literary structures such as mila mankha, chiasm, metaphor and allusion, and discover how these structures add meaning to the texts. Students develop their textual analysis skills and gain proficiency in reading prophetic texts.
Homiletics and Hermeneutics
For hundreds of years, Jews around the world have read the parshat hashavua every week together, making the parsha an essential piece of Jewish learning. While commentaries on the Humash have existed for centuries, the contemporary era has exploded with “parsha studies” – books, articles, blogs, and divrei Torah dedicated to studying the parsha as a unit and focused on finding a message to make the parsha relevant to the modern reader. In this class, we explore the schools of thought and prominent writers unique to contemporary “parsha studies” and open them for critical analysis. Are the messages being derived from the parsha really the “pshat” of the text? Does it matter? How far are we allowed to take our homiletical imagination? What hashkafot do contemporary thinkers extract from, or project onto, the text of the parsha? We will see how the parsha has become a place for exploring the ideological questions being debated across Orthodoxy today. We will always leave class with food for thought on both the text of the parsha and contemporary Orthodoxy.
Book of Samuel
In this text based course, we explore both books of Shmuel. In parallel to our exploration of the actual text -- accomplished by both a close reading of pshat as well as a more expansive consideration provided by modern literary techniques -- we also develop meta-themes that appear throughout the work, particularly those that relate to prophecy, political theory and moral leadership.
The Akedah through the Ages
In this class, we will examine Jewish (and occasionally Christian and Muslim) portrayals of the biblical narrative of the Binding of Isaac from antiquity to the modern period, analyzing Talmudic, midrashic and later exegetical sources, addressing the philosophical and ethical conundrums associated with the narrative and emphasizing the interplay between gender, sonship, and sacrifice within Jewish culture and inter-religious polemics.
Nahmanidean Exegesis
Through intensive focus on selections of Ramban’s perush on the Torah, this class explores the Ramban's particular orientation, approach, and style as both a Jewish philosopher and Biblical commentator. We focus primarily on gaining deeper immersion in the worldview of the Humash itself through the eyes of this giant. While addressing topics such as his approach to Midrashim, his relationship to Rashi and Ibn Ezra's commentaries, his great philosophical disputes with other Jewish philosophers, and his approach towards science, we stress building skills in independent learning.
What is Pshat? A Study of Rashi and Rashbam
This course aims: a) To understand the reasons for the development of peshat interpretation of the Bible in Middle Ages, b) To understand why Rashi was interested in peshat (contextual interpretation) and what he understood peshat to be, c) To understand why Rashbam, Rashi’s grandson, was not satisfied with the work of his grandfather and why he developed a new way of understanding what peshat is and d) To explore how Rashi and Rashbam both understood the relationship between peshat and midrash.
Tanakh Beit Midrash
This course, modeled on Google’s 80/20 work philosophy, provides an organized forum for independent study in Tanach. Each student will focus on her chosen topic, with the ultimate goal of both in-depth learning and a real-world product—a way in which her learning can contribute to the community. In addition to independent learning, students will engage in reflective analysis, giving and receiving feedback, and symposia.
Tanakh for Thinkers
This course approaches Tanakh from a literary-theological perspective, using the tools of literary analysis to uncover the theological underpinnings of the verses. Drawing on the teachings of R. Menachem Liebtag, R. Elhanan Samet, R. Amnon Bazak, R. Yitzhak Etshalom, R. Jonathan Sacks , other modern day parshanim of Tanakh alongside traditional parshanim, we examine the overall structure of the perekim as well as key words, perspective, focus and meaning to understand the message of the Torah and how to make it meaningful to us in our lives.
Midrash: Methods and Meanings
The corpus of aggadah is often compared to its companion – the world of halakha: they were both constructed by the same authors, compete for space in rabbinic literature, and share the overall goal of urging their readers to be complete Jews. But, as we will examine in this course, aggadah tends to strike out on its own path. It adapts methods from the halakhic realm to produce its own style of parables, proverbs, stories, sermons, satire, hyperbole, gematria and word play. And while the halakhic enterprise is grounded in determining the proper code of behavior for mankind, around that system revolves the sphere of aggadah which explores matters of faith, philosophy and ideas. In this series of classes, we will sample midrashim from all the major rabbinic collections including the Gemara, the Tosefta, Midrash Rabbah, Tanhumah, and Yalkut Shimoni. With each text, we will pose two questions: What literary technique does the author employ in communicating his information to us – what’s the method? What underlying message does the metaphor of each aggadah conceal – what’s the meaning? The answers to these questions will guide us through the elaborate ideology of Jewish belief.
Unusual Biblical Stories
This course examines sections of Torah that leave the reader with a quandary. We study how commentators throughout the ages viewed each dilemma, looking to extract contemporary life lessons. Emphasis is placed on developing skills while at the same time understanding the depth and beauty of the Torah text.
Abravanel’s Commentary on Torah
This intensive seminar plunges into an examination of Abravanel's style, methodology, and interpretation of the Bible. Stress is placed on developing individual learning skills, while including historical background, and comparison with other commentaries.
Gemara and rabbinics
Gemara seder and shiur
The Gemara occupies a central place in the Jewish canon; it is "required learning" for an educated Jew. In our Gemara class we will explore this fascinating and perplexing text using both the traditional methods of a yeshiva Gemara shiur, and additional modern tools that are available to us. Traditional methods will include studying Gemara with Rishonim, following the development of halakhic issues raised in the Gemara up to halakha le-m’aaseh, and of course learning be-chavruta, the challenging and fun method used in Batei Midrash worldwide, which allows you to form your own opinions and develop your own skills for a lifetime of learning. Modern tools that we will use include tracing the different layers in the development of the Gemara text, literary analysis of aggadot, and comparing the Gemara with other Jewish and non-Jewish texts of that time period. The Gemara's views will sometimes shock you, and will always make you think. Gemara class is not a spectator sport – be prepared to try new things, push yourself, question and debate!
Gemara for Thinkers/Thinking for gemara
These companion courses train students to uncover the universal tools of logic embedded in the Gemara’s rhetoric, analyses and dialectics. Students come to understand the Gemara’s methodology, learn how to ask the correct questions, organize the various arguments, derive a sevara, and ultimately approach any area of knowledge in an intelligent manner.
Midrash: Methods and Meanings
The corpus of aggadah is often compared to its companion – the world of halakha: they were both constructed by the same authors, compete for space in rabbinic literature, and share the overall goal of urging their readers to be complete Jews. But, as we will examine in this course, aggadah tends to strike out on its own path. It adapts methods from the halakhic realm to produce its own style of parables, proverbs, stories, sermons, satire, hyperbole, gematria and word play. And while the halakhic enterprise is grounded in determining the proper code of behavior for mankind, around that system revolves the sphere of aggadah which explores matters of faith, philosophy and ideas. In this series of classes, we will sample midrashim from all the major rabbinic collections including the Gemara, the Tosefta, Midrash Rabbah, Tanhumah, and Yalkut Shimoni. With each text, we will pose two questions: What literary technique does the author employ in communicating his information to us – what’s the method? What underlying message does the metaphor of each aggadah conceal – what’s the meaning? The answers to these questions will guide us through the elaborate ideology of Jewish belief.
Pirkei Avot for Thinkers
As one of the foundational texts of Jewish thought, Mishna Tractate Avot has long been a source of ethics and reflection as well as a guide to spiritual and intellectual practice. This course is premised on the assertion that the lessons that the rabbis wish to convey throughout this tractate are best understood when the Mishnayot are subjected to rigorous analysis. To that end, in this course we study Avot in the same manner that we study other tractates of Mishna, with attention to literary and linguistic nuance, along with the clarification of conceptual ideas. In addition, we look at historical, biographical and philosophical material that can enhance our understanding of the background and impact of the various and diverse ideas found in the Masekhet. By the conclusion of the course, students will view Pirkei Avot though a new lens and appreciate that its true nature can only be apprehended through a full and thorough understanding.
Introduction to Aggadah
This course, devoted to the stories of the six named heroines of the Babylonian Talmud, has three objectives. First, it introduces students to talmudic narrative (Aggada), familiarizes them with its unique poetics, and teaches them the textual skills and literary techniques required to interpret it (at a later stage of the course, students will be asked to work with talmudic commentary and academic analysis alongside the primary talmudic text). Second, the course explores the Rabbis’ remarkable sensitivity toward the female experience, and their surprising – so as not to say proto-feminist – attitudes toward questions of modesty and women’s visibility, the female body and sexuality, childbirth and marital relations, women in the public and political sphere, and female Torah study. Finally, as women in the Talmud often represent the paradigmatic Other, the course seeks to uncover the moral messages that lie at the heart of their stories.
Imagining Women in the Talmud
Are women heroes or villains, endowed with special wisdom or of questionable intelligence? In this class, we will analyze stories of women in the Talmud, in order to understand how the rabbis defined "woman" and the meaning of femininity within the fabric of ancient Jewish society. Our objectives will be twofold: to discern the ways in which Talmud both creates and reflects social and religious realities through storytelling. Along the way, as we explore the images of womanhood and the attitude towards women in the narratives, we will familiarize ourselves with the language of Aggadah and consider our own identities as women in postmodern and traditional environments.
Halakha
HALAKHA SEDER and shiur
Halakhah seder and shiur is devoted to the intricate network of legal theories, principles, and practices that permeate Jewish life and infuse it with meaning. Tracing the halakha from its Talmudic origin through the rishonim, achronim and modern poskim, we see the halakhic process in action as we strive to balance ancient texts and modern realities. Along the way, we will come to appreciate the value and beauty of living a life of commitment and intricacy.
Laws of Shabbat
This course is devoted to the intricate network of legal theories, principles, and practices that permeate Jewish life and infuse it with meaning. We look specifically at the laws of Kashrut (dietary laws), exploring and making sense of the highly technical details associated with these laws and which render them a centerpiece of the Jewish day-to-day experience. We focus on tracing the halakhah from its Talmudic origin through the rishonim, achronim and modern poskim.
Laws of Kashrut
This course is devoted to the intricate network of legal theories, principles, and practices that permeate Jewish life and infuse it with meaning. We look specifically at the laws of Kashrut (dietary laws), exploring and making sense of the highly technical details associated with these laws and which render them a centerpiece of the Jewish day-to-day experience. We focus on tracing the halakhah from its Talmudic origin through the rishonim, ahronim and modern poskim.
Rabbis respond to reality: Contemporary Responsa literature
The century has posed a variety of new definitions of and relationships to concepts like “community,’ “authority,” “tradition,” “spirituality” and “truth.” This course highlights the ways in which new definitions and relationships have factored into and impacted the process of pesikat halakhah (halakhic ruling) in our age. Tracing the halakhic answers (known as she’elot u-teshivot or responsa literature) of central poskim of our generation, such as R. Moshe Feinstein, R. Shlomo Zlaman Auberbach, R. Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik, R. Ovadia Yosef, R. Aharon Lichtenstein and others, this class uncovers how the poskim have handled and continue to deal with ostensible tensions between halakha and modern life, including challenges to rabbinic authority, the growing sense of individuality, and participation in the global community. Looking deeply into rabbinic texts on topics concerning women, niddah, tzniut, women's Torah learning, and sexuality, students will, along the way, develop the skills necessary in navigating responsa literature.
Contemporary Halakha
This class aims to understand the basic factors of any halakhic decision, classify the ways in which modernity has challenged the halakhic system to respond, and explore specific topics that illustrate the process of halakha and the ways in which it can adapt in changing circumstances. Topics discussed include: Lab grown meat, self-driving cars, genetic engineering, cloning, artificial intelligence, minhag hamakom in a borderless world, space travel, time travel and chip implants. To reach our goals, we focus on: a) Texts that present methodological statements about halacha, such as the introduction to the Beit Yosef, b) Halachic texts, from the classic sources through the modern ones, that speak to the issues, and c) Analysis of the changing realities we face to determine which areas of halacha are most likely to need to adapt to modernity.
Codes of Practical Jewish Law
This advanced course traces the development of the laws of Tefillah by studying sources cited in the Tur, Bet Yosef, Shulhan Arukh, Mishneh Berurah and other twentieth century commentaries. This course mainly focuses on skill-building.
HIStory of halakha
Halacha is the means by which the Jew actualizes God’s commandments. Halacha is a very dynamic process, unfolding over time, which strikes a careful and delicate balance between the Timeless and the Timely, Personal and the National. In this course, we will examine just how the halakhic process works by tracing the history of Halakhot of different weight such as Conversion, Stam Yeinam, Pruzbul, Kisui Rosh (for men and women), from their origins in biblical and ancient sources to iterations of the halakha in texts of ahronim and contemporary rabbis. We will come to understand how halakha works. Along the way, we will encounter the historical lives and major works of the great Rabbinic Figures of the past, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic.
Jewish Legal Theory: Halakhic Methodology
This course tackles the different elements which make up the halakhic process. We examine how historical, analytical, judicial and social components make their way into the great works of our sages, and come together to form what we know as an halakhic decision.
Along the way, this class addresses, from an halakhic perspective, some of the cultural, political and intellectual trends confronted by the thinking Jewish person functioning within in a modern milieu. Drawing upon the Talmud through twenty-first century sources, we explore major issues facing the modern Jew, including Sanctifying the Mundane, Belief in God, Definitions of Modern Orthodoxy, Kavod Hatzibbur and Women, Universalism and Particularism, and more. By the conclusion of this course, students appreciate the multifaceted nature of these issues and the complexity of the Jewish legal approach to them.
Mental Health and Halakhah
While positions regarding a multitude of scenarios in the realm of physical health have been crafted over centuries of halakhic literature, questions of mental illness have unfortunately received very little attention. This course examines how halakhah responds to mental illness, considering topics from their earliest sources to contemporary application. We consider various scenarios (people who experience psychotic episodes, anorexia, and borderline personality disorder), examine the challenges that come with them, and the various solutions that might be offered to mitigate these challenges. Questions addressed include: May one violate Torah prohibitions in order to prevent a psychotic episode? Is someone suffering from anorexia exempt from any obligation on their way to recovery? May we allow journaling on Shabbat for someone suffering from depression or Borderline Personality Disorder? Can mindfulness be practiced despite its idolatrous history? Does one need to respect an abusive parent?
Mishpat Ivri: Jewish Law in the Jewish State
This is a comparative law course exploring various US and Israel Supreme Court decisions, and how halakhah at times influenced, and at times protested, the results.
This course aims to introduce the concept of Mishpat Ivri as understood in Israeli jurisprudence and thereby familiarize students with fundamental principles of Jewish law and their application (or potential application) in secular law, particularly in Israeli Supreme Court decisions.
Groundbreaking Halakhic sugyot
Rabbinic responsa provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Jewish people throughout history. Drawing upon centuries of precedent, this corpus of case law demonstrates the flexibility and creativity of the Halachic mind, as rabbis across the span of ages and geographic location have been called upon to address the major developments of their days. Whether it was a pandemic with potentially devastating medical and sociological implications, revolutionary advances in medical technology, the implications of social revolutions or enhanced standards of food production, new developments in the human experience have inevitably led to the question of how to apply Jewish law. This course will explore some of the most significant response written in the 20th and 21st centuries and will reveal how ancient Talmudic categories can shed light upon the most challenging of contemporary questions.
Sefer Hahinukh
In this course we explore Taryag Mitzvot - both the historical development of the endeavor of counting the mitzvot, as well as, and more significantly, the ethical, legal, communal, educational and spiritual lessons embedded within some key commandments. Our exploration utilizes the Sefer HaHinukh as the starting point for each mitzva considered, but quickly expands to a whole host of additional commentaries (mostly from the rationalist schools of thought). Special attention is paid to those mitzvot relating exclusively to Eretz Yisrael and Mitzvot teluyot ba-Aretz.
Jewish Sexual Ethics
The laws of sexual practice are an area surrounded by many myths and half-truths. At the same time, these laws are of paramount relevance in students’ lives, both now and in the future when they return to the college-campus. It is therefore important to demystify these laws through studying them in a direct and source-based way. Source-sheets are distributed at the beginning of each unit, and there is also a focus on how the halakhic process develops and evolves – min ha-pasuk el ha-poseik. Students gain experience reading primary halakhic texts and become familiar with the central commentaries to the Shulkhan Arukh in Even Ha-ezer, as well as with more contemporary poskim, who have addressed the issues from a contemporary perspective.
Gender and Halakhah
This class examines gender identity, homosexuality, trans-gender and trans-sexuality in halakhic discourse. With regard to homosexuality, it addresses biblical verses and rabbinic derivations from them, specific prohibitions, family-building, and community reactions. It discusses the Talmud's notion of androgyny, its connection to trans-sexuality, halakhic discourse about changing the body and associated prohibitions, and halakhot of tefilla, negia, Tefillin, Tzitzit, Yichud, marriage and more, in the aftermath of gender-reassignment surgery.
college prep
An open and frank discussion of halachic, social and ideological issues facing Jewish students on the college campus. Topics include living with non-Jews, kashrut and Shabbat on campus, collegiate social life, inter-denominational relations and Judaic studies at university.
Methodology
Amudim and Yesodot: Problems and Methods in Judaic Studies
One of the cornerstones of Amudim’s educational philosophy is that students should become independent learners and that the year in Israel should introduce them to the tools that they will need to engage in a lifetime of Torah study, long after they have left the walls of Amudim’s Beit Midrash. This class is designed to venture into the realm of sophisticated Talmud Torah by directly presenting the variegated methods and approaches available to the modern lamdanit. Looking at case studies in Gemara, Tanakh and Jewish philosophical and historical texts, this class models and analyzes the approaches of academia, “lumdus” (specifically Brisk), Nechama Leibowitz, “The Gush,” the phenomenon often called “Torat Eretz Yisrael,” Rashi’s innovations and more, each of which students encounter and are taught to apply in their other classes at Amudim.
Jewish Legal Theory: Halakhic Methodology
This course tackles the different elements which make up the halakhic process. We examine how historical, analytical, judicial and social components make their way into the great works of our sages, and come together to form what we know as an halakhic decision.
Along the way, this class addresses, from an halakhic perspective, some of the cultural, political and intellectual trends confronted by the thinking Jewish person functioning within in a modern milieu. Drawing upon the Talmud through twenty-first century sources, we explore major issues facing the modern Jew, including Sanctifying the Mundane, Belief in God, Definitions of Modern Orthodoxy, Kavod Hatzibbur and Women, Universalism and Particularism, and more. By the conclusion of this course, students appreciate the multifaceted nature of these issues and the complexity of the Jewish legal approach to them.
Methods of Writing Responsa Literature
In this course, students experience the process of coming to independent halachic decisions and learning how to communicate those decisions effectively. We study one topic in-depth over the course of the semester. Students are asked to process the material, take a position, and present their position orally and in writing, focusing on both content and style, understanding that good psak takes into account audience, rhetoric, as well as the obvious quality of legal argumentation.
Independent Research and Academic Writing
As an introduction to and application of key principles of effective and efficient writing for an academic Torah journal, this course, which is based in and makes use of the resources at the National Library of Israel, provides key techniques, guidelines and suggestions to improve academic written communication. It provides hands-on experience in drafting, organizing and revising academic texts. Students are exposed to resources such as the Bar Ilan Responsa Database, RAMBI, and Otzar Hachochma to help facilitate their writing. At the end of the course each student submits an appropriate article which is published in Amud Hashara, the midarasha’s annual journal of Jewish studies.
Build-A-Shiur Workshop
There are few greater privileges than being able to teach Torah to other people. The Build-A-Shiur Workshop is designed to help you communicate more effectively and actually deliver shiurim yourself. Together, we will work on developing skills for preparation, presentation, and managing one's mindset throughout the shiur-building and presentation process. By the end of the workshop, you will understand the anatomy of a shiur, how mekorot work together to illuminate a subject, and how to connect with the seekers of Torah who may want to attend a shiur. The Build-A-Shiur Workshop culminates in all-night shiur giving by Amudim students on the night of Shavuot.
Philosophy/theology
Jewish Ethics
This course traces the development of a Jewish ethical attitude within the Torah and rabbinic literature, examining notions of ethics within the narratives of Adam and Eve, the Akeidah and Amalek, and commentaries and midrashim on them. It also examines the relationship between religion and ethics, asking a) do the Torah and Hazal view and represent ethics as integral to, aligned with or detached from religion (as a system of laws)?, b) does Jewish tradition recognize an ethic independent of halakhah? and c) is ethical reasoning operative in the determination of halakha? In trying to answer the third question, we analyze halakhic literature regarding capital punishment, the allocation of scarce medical resources, the apostate city (Ir Nidahat), as well as philosophical writings on supererogation and virtue ethics. Finally, this course examines principles of Jewish ethics, including the concepts of repentance, free will, imitatio dei and love of neighbor.
Epistemology of Religion: Theories of God
Does God exist? Is it epistemologically justified to believe that God exists? These two questions are addressed in this class through analyses of teleological, cosmological and ontological approaches to the existence of God. Examining Jewish and non-Jewish philosophical approaches to the topic, students are introduced to arguments based on evidence, the absence of evidence, practicality, rationality and faith.
Body, Beauty, and Dress
What does it mean to be beautiful and who determines it? What or who determines how people dress? To what extent do we find and craft our identities through our physicality? What do we mean when we dress as we do? How does Jewish tradition (and even our pushback against it) shape our ethos? And what happens to our own perception and use of body, beauty, gender, and dress when we are conscious of the roles played these elements of the human experience?
In this class, we consider the historical, psychological, social, political and halakhic ramifications of beauty and dress. Placing special emphasis on the Jewish context, this class is co-taught by Dr. Goldstein, who examines the “subtexts of dress,” i.e. fashion theory and the semiotics, philosophical and political underpinnings of dress, and Elizabeth Dunoff, who examines the “texts of dress,” i.e. the Torah sources pertaining to issues such as shomer negiah, women's leadership roles and kol Isha, how they are connected to gender politics and "tzniut." Ultimately, this shiur aspires to facilitate an understanding of what the halakha aspires to and encourages students to effectively articulate their own stance on Jewish women’s dress practices and personal approach to dress.
Jewish-Christian Polemics
This class focuses on the historical split between Judaism and Christianity, early Christian approaches to Jews and Judaism, and arguments harnessed by Jews, mostly in the Middle Ages, against fundamental Christian doctrines and Christological readings of Tanakh.
Science and Religion: Jewish Views on Evolution
This course first focuses on the subject of rabbinic responses to evolution as a case study of a topic that is rife with all of the questions surrounding the meaning of life: Who are we, why are we here, and what can fields of knowledge and experience like science and religion tell us about truth? After examining a spectrum of responses to these notions, from R. Kook, R. Soloveitchik, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R. Jonathan Sacks and R. Gedalia Nadel, who largely disagree with one another, we then move on to the second subject of the class: What can be learned from disagreements in general, and how can we work to disagree better? After learning texts on the subject of mahloket in Jewish tradition, we experiment with the principals of contemporary conflict resolution in building and acting out a scenario where parties begin by seeing a disputed matter conflictually and move towards greater understanding and mutual resolution.
Prayer: theory and practice
What is the goal of prayer? Does God change His mind based on our prayers? What are the psychological effects of prayer? Do we really need to use a fixed text in order to speak to our Creator? What are the advantages and disadvantages of praying with a group? This class will explore different philosophies of prayer, including those of the Rambam, R. J.B. Soloveitchik, R. S.R. Hirsch, R. Shagar, Levinas, the Nefesh Hahayim, Heschel, mystic and hasidic masters, and postmodern thinkers, placing special emphasis on the connection between prayer, language and consciousness. We also focus on the meaning of individual prayers as well practices surrounding prayer—the structure and history of the siddur, why Hazal instituted the recitation of the daily amida, the use of music and dance in prayer, prayer groups/tefilah b’tzibur, dress and accessories during prayer—and discuss practical tips for cultivating focus during daily Tefillah.
Maimonidean Thought
Maimonides (Rambam) is possibly the most foundational and controversial Jewish thinker in history. This class surveys some of the Rambam’s most important writings and ideas, including the halakhic codification of the Mishneh Torah, philosophical ruminations of the Moreh Nevukhim, his seminal introductions to Mishnah, Pirkei Avot and the 613 mitzvot, and his famous letters, which show how he was simultaneously a rigorous scholar and a sensitive community leader.
Various approaches to the full comprehension of Rambam, adopted by the medieval and more modern Torah giants, are thoroughly analyzed. The academic textual/critical method is also examined as a tool to determine what exactly did Rambam say as a necessary prerequisite to understanding what Rambam meant.
Mahshavah from the Moreh
This class surveys the Rambam’s most important philosophical and theosophical contributions through study of excerpts from the Moreh Nevukhim, the Rambam’s philosophical masterpiece. Various approaches to the full comprehension of Rambam, adopted by the medieval and more modern Torah giants, are thoroughly analyzed. Through our study, we will develop an appreciation for the uniqueness of the Rambam’s worldview and the debates sparked by his ideas.
Jewish Mysticism
This class discusses theological and philosophical ideas such as theodicy, free will, and God’s interaction with our world, through the lens of the Kabbalah as explicated by Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzzato and his followers. Students will leave the class with a working knowledge of kabbalistic vocabulary and concepts and an understanding of how these ideas can be applied to their own relationships with God.
Introduction to Hasidic thought and practice
What is Hasidut and who are the Hasidim? How is the Hasidic movement simultaneously so radical and conservative? What are the theological and philosophical ideas of Hasidut that have inspired masses of Jews for the last 300 years and captivated the hearts of the millennial generation? This course examines the teachings, traditions and history of the Hasidic movement. Entering theָ worldָ ofָ theָ Ba’alָ Shemָ Tov and his followers, including the radicalism of Kotz and Ishbitz, mystical spirituality of Reb Nahman of Breslov, influential world of Habad, as well as the Tanya, Kedushat Levi, Mei HaShiloach, and the Piaseczner Rebbe, his course will uncover the complex values and beliefs of Hasidut when it comes to prayer, contemplation, the role of the Tzaddik, dveykut, asceticism, joy and God, as they are conveyed in tales and Hasidic scholasticism. Approaching hasidism through its primary texts, we look at the role of women, the Holocaust and Zionism, Torah study and music, all the while focusing on historical contexts, writing styles and theological approaches, as well as practical advice for serving HaShem.
Comparative Religion I: Judaism and Abrahamic Religions
This course offers a comparative survey of Judaism and Abrahamic Religions and examines the following topics: The life and death of Jesus the Jew, the split between Judaism and Christianity, Christianity as a source of antisemitism, Nostra Aetate, Evangelicals and Evangelism, The life of Mohammed and his encounters with Jews, The spread of Islam and its transformation into a world religion, The Ottoman Empire, Israel and the Islamic World, Muslim radicalism and Islamist movements, The idea of Covenant, Jerusalem in the Abrahamic Religions, and theology of religions.
Comparative Religion II: Judaism and Eastern Religions
This course compares Judaism to the classic religions of the Far East: Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. What do these religions teach about G-d, the soul and the purpose of life? Do they contradict Judaism or are they different expressions of a universal truth? Why are so many American Jews attracted to Buddhism? And can a religious Jew find there things that are missing from her own tradition?
Must-Reads: Survey of Contemporary Jewish Writings
This course examines some of the seminal, most profound and impactful articles on Jewish topics, primarily Jewish philosophy, written by Modern Orthodox thinkers in contemporary times. Students are required to read the articles prior to class in order to substantively facilitate discussion during class.
Philosophy of Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik
Is mankind meant to master its surrounding or submit passively to God? What is the place of Jewish faith in the modern world? How does modernity pose a challenge to religious life? What is the viability of forming community today? These questions stand at the center of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s masterful "The Lonely Man of Faith" and we explore them as we make a close reading of the essay and exploration of the sources on which the Rav zt"l drew in composing one of the 20th century’s most significant treatments of religious philosophy and Jewish faith.
Jewish Literacy
There are many aspects of Judaism and Jewish life rarely described or discussed in a typical day school setting that any literate member of the Jewish community should know about. In order for you to be able to be conversant in these areas, crystallize your own thoughts, take your thinking to the next level, and discuss Jewish ideas and values in a highly developed way, from a position of erudition and sophistication, this course provides an understanding of the most important religious figures, movements, belief systems, labels, writings and political parties impacting Jewish thought and culture today. Together, we will get to know the difference between Religious Zionism as taught by Rav TY Kook as opposed to Rav Soloveichik, what we mean when we talk about haredim, the difference between Reform and Conservative, Conservative and Modern Orthodox, Litvaks and Hassidim, Sephardim who follow the teachings of Rav Ovadia Yosef and those who follow Rav Mordecai Eliyahu, The approach to women’s worship, study, and observance in the psak of Rav Moshe Feinstein in contrast to those expressed by Rav Yehuda Herzl Henkin; The role of Mashiach in the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in contrast with those of Religious Zionism, and how all these groups and thinkers confront the new questions of kibbutz galiyot and the State of Israel.
All the rav’s men
This philosophy and fine arts course was inspired by the phenomenon (mostly in the Haredi community) of hanging “gedolim pictures” in the home, a behavior that emphasizes the physical presence of revered thinkers and leaders of the Torah world. With an eye on orienting the focus onto the gadol’s thought and philosophy (rather than physique), this course examines the typologies of mankind as they are presented in the writings of R. J.B. Soloveitchik. After each study session, students are asked to pictorially represent the philosophies discussed, either on canvas or paper, with the goal of creating an art exhibit entitled “All the Rav’s Men.”
Israel and the middle-east conflict
This course provides an in-depth understanding of the Zionist narrative and how it conflicts with the Palestinian narrative. Topics covered throughout the course include Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, settlements, border disputes, security concerns and the struggle for peace. By addressing these complex issues head on, students will gain the knowledge to effectively articulate an informed position regarding one of the longest running modern conflicts.
theories of Religious Zionism
What does it mean to be a religious Zionist in the twenty-first century? How central is the State of Israel to our religious identity? To answer these question, this class explores central texts and theories of Religious Zionism from the early days of the Zionist movement into the twenty-first century. Along the way we explore such central questions as the role of messianism, the authority and religious standing of the state. We also explore the thought of those who object—sometime vehemently—to the Zionist movement and its settlement in Eretz Yisrael. This course affords students the opportunity to explore in depth a component of modern orthodoxy—one that is often taken for granted, but is in actuality rich in sophisticated nuanced ideas.
Theories and theorists
This course introduces students to the thought and philosophies of major Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century, including Franz Rosensweig, Martin Buber, Walter Benjamin, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Emmanual Levinas, Jacques Derrida, Abraham Joshua Heschel, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and more, and examines the intersection between their theories and religion, specifically Judaism. The goal of this course is to see Jewish philosophy as a guide to life.
The HolocaUST in FILM
The overwhelming tragedy of the Shoah is almost unspeakable and perhaps un-representable in its magnitude, having impacted not only the very fabric of Jewish life, existence and consciousness but also the way in which the broader western world thinks about such concepts as “civilization,” “ethics,” “technology” and “progress. Due to its magnitude and incomprehensibility, some have chosen to approach knowledge of the Holocaust, to convey something about it through visual media. With an eye towards the responsibilities involved in Holocaust film-making and the limits of representation when it comes to the Holocaust, this course examines the representation of the Holocaust in 1) primary source film: original images, created before or during the period of the Shoah, providing documentary evidence for life during this period and insight into the mentality of those who produced them, 2) educational film: secondary material produced in the aftermath of the Shoah and meant to objectively report, instruct or enlighten students about the Shoah, and 3) “representational” film: Historical fiction meant to convey a specific image, relay a message, evoke emotion, and/or entertain. Along the way, students gain facility in critical film analysis and film theory.
Intellectual Jewish History
This class looks at essential Jewish thinkers and texts from the Second Temple until the Modern period, with an emphasis on their religious and pedagogical goals, impact on subsequent Jewish thought, and the influence of surrounding cultures on their formation. Units include Tanakh and its canonization, Tannaim and the Oral Law, Amoraim of Bavel and Eretz Yisrael, North African philosophers and poets, Medieval Ashkenaz and the Tosafists, and Zoharic and Lurianic Kabbalah. Classes consist of guided independent study (seder) of primary texts followed by discussions of the material and larger ideas and concepts.
Jewish Sexual Ethics
The laws of sexual practice are an area surrounded by many myths and half-truths. At the same time, these laws are of paramount relevance in students’ lives, both now and in the future when they return to the college-campus. It is therefore important to demystify these laws through studying them in a direct and source-based way. Source-sheets are distributed at the beginning of each unit, and there is also a focus on how the halakhic process develops and evolves – min ha-pasuk el ha-poseik. Students gain experience reading primary halakhic texts and become familiar with the central commentaries to the Shulkhan Arukh in Even Ha-ezer, as well as with more contemporary poskim, who have addressed the issues from a contemporary perspective.
50 Big questions
Fifty questions. Hundreds of answers. Question #1: what’s the difference between a שאלה (question) and a קושיא (difficulty)? Answer #1: A שאלה asks ‘what’; a קושיא asks ‘why’. This class, “50 Questions People Ask About Judaism” promotes our culture’s favorite pastime: challenging everything – the whats and the whys. Together we will ask: Does prayer actually work? Does God care if you tear toilet paper on Shabbat? How old is the world really, and why does it matter? Why should we care that there’s no Temple today? Can a woman be a rabbi? How do we know God wrote the Torah? Do segulot have any power over our lives? Why must we keep mitzvot just because our ancestors agreed to? Is Judaism just one truth along many paths to God? In this fast paced and intense course, we will tackle these and dozens of other questions that have concerned the Jewish people from time immemorial.
Mussar for moderns
Mussar stands at the junction of philosophy, psychology, ethics and spiritual self-improvement. With an eye towards understanding of mussar literature and its significance, as well as personal introspection and self-awareness, this class introduces students to the variety of writings and practices that lay at the roots and center of the “philosophy of the self,” known as the Mussar movement.
BIG IDEAS
The thinking Jewish person who exists in a modern milieu is compelled to confront cultural, political and intellectual trends that challenge her system of beliefs and values. This course draws upon sources from the Talmud through twenty-first century thinkers to explore some major issues facing the modern Jew, including Sanctifying the Mundane, Belief in God, Definitions of Modern Orthodoxy, Kavod Hatzibbur and Women, Universalism and Particularism, and more. By the conclusion of this course, students will appreciate the multifaceted nature of these issues and the complexity of the Jewish approach to them.
Philosophy of R. Kook
Examining the writings and ideas of one of the most important Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, this course allows us to investigate R. Kook’s deep spiritual, philosophical and psychological insights, as well as his ideas of Zionism and science.
Teachings of R. tzadok hacohen of lublin
Reb Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin was one of the most profound, original, and prolific thinkers of the late hasidic movement. His writings cover a vast array of topics and bring deep insights into every facet of Torah and Jewish life. R. Dessler called him the bridge between Hasidism and Mussar. The brilliant, analytic precision of his Lithuanian upbringing combined with the radical hasidic teachings of his teacher, R. Mordechai Lainer of Izhbitz, result in a deep, text-based Hasidut, which reveals how the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings can be uncovered in the writings of hazal themselves. His teachings are exciting, eye-opening and controversial. This class examines a number of the major themes of Reb Tzadok’s thought, as well as his hermeneutical method.
Art and literature
Midrash Agnon
S.Y. Agnon, Hebrew literature’s only Nobel winner, absorbed the entirety of the Beit Midrash, its books and ethos, distilling millennia of Jewish sources and pouring them into the mold of modern literature—what Rav Kook described poetically as Agnon’s “authentic Jewish/Hebrew writing, flowing through the divine channels with no barrier.” In this course, we will read a wide variety of Agnon’s short stories (in English translation, with Hebrew texts available for those who will brave them), pulling apart the sources on which he drew, to explore the relationship between text and the master-texts he mined in his writing. Along the way we will consider the major themes he explored: The relationships between tradition and modernity, Eretz Yisrael and the Diaspora, and the pull that the past exerts upon the present. Also: What is the role of literature and reading in the life of a thinking, religious Jew?
Must-Reads: Survey of Contemporary Jewish Writings
This course examines some of the seminal, most profound and impactful articles on Jewish topics, primarily Jewish philosophy, written by Modern Orthodox thinkers in contemporary times. Students are required to read the articles prior to class in order to substantively facilitate discussion during class.
Contemporary jewish short stories
In this class, students read, analyze and reflect upon Jewish short stories, from Kafka to Nathan Englander. Stories are chosen based on the following criteria: Variety, substance, intellectual level, Jewish content, relatability, readability and manageability.
Jewish Biblical Art
This mini course explores the pictorial representation of biblical figures by Jews from ancient to modern periods, focusing on the parallels with contemporary written midrashim and commentaries that render these representations “visual midrash.”
Visual Theology of Kabbalah
Zoharic texts lend themselves to and encourage visualization of the cosmos and divine elements. This special haburah is for select students interested in diving deeply into Kabbalistic theology and rendering lofty concepts in visual artistic form. Assignments include diagnostic analyses of specific texts and artistic representation of the concepts therein.
The Holocaust in film
The overwhelming tragedy of the Shoah is almost unspeakable and perhaps un-representable in its magnitude, having impacted not only the very fabric of Jewish life, existence and consciousness but also the way in which the broader western world thinks about such concepts as “civilization,” “ethics,” “technology” and “progress. Due to its magnitude and incomprehensibility, some have chosen to approach knowledge of the Holocaust, to convey something about it through visual media. With an eye towards the responsibilities involved in Holocaust film-making and the limits of representation when it comes to the Holocaust, this course examines the representation of the Holocaust in 1) primary source film: original images, created before or during the period of the Shoah, providing documentary evidence for life during this period and insight into the mentality of those who produced them, 2) educational film: secondary material produced in the aftermath of the Shoah and meant to objectively report, instruct or enlighten students about the Shoah, and 3) “representational” film: Historical fiction meant to convey a specific image, relay a message, evoke emotion, and/or entertain. Along the way, students gain facility in critical film analysis and film theory.
Hebrew language
Ulpan
Weekly ulpan classes utilize a highly interactive specialized method that has proven enormously successful in the development of Hebrew language skills. Students’ Hebrew language skills are assessed at the beginning of the year for placement purposes and classes are tailored towards differing needs within each level.
Hebrew Immersion
Select classes at the midrasha are taught in Hebrew by instructors who specialize in improving the Hebrew language skills of their students via Torah study.
UNIVERSITY LEVEL CLASSES
One day each week, students may opt to study side by side with Israelis at an institute of higher learning, where classes are conducted entirely in Hebrew. Venues have included the Midrasha at Bar-Ilan, Herzog College and Matan.
Amudim exclusives
Hebrew Letters and the Scribal Arts
This course introduces students to the midrashic, kabbalistic, and hassidic perspectives on the significance and meaning of letters of the Hebrew alphabet (vis examination of writings in the Tanhuma, Raba, Zohar, Pardes, Tanya, and Moshe Idel), and also teaches students how to form kosher letters using genuine sofer’s materials while encouraging them to find creative graphic expression incorporating the Hebrew letters. Along the way, we consult halakhic sources such as the Mishnah Brurah, Keset HaSofer, Shaarei Sofrim to address major halakhic concerns associated with women and the scribal arts.
Amudim and Yesodot: Problems and Methods in Judaic Studies
One of the cornerstones of Amudim’s educational philosophy is that students should become independent learners and that the year in Israel should introduce them to the tools that they will need to engage in a lifetime of Torah study, long after they have left the walls of Amudim’s Beit Midrash. This class is designed to venture into the realm of sophisticated Talmud Torah by directly presenting the variegated methods and approaches available to the modern lamdanit. Looking at case studies in Gemara, Tanakh and Jewish philosophical and historical texts, this class models and analyzes the approaches of academia, “lumdus” (specifically Brisk), Nechama Leibowitz, “The Gush,” the phenomenon often called “Torat Eretz Yisrael,” Rashi’s innovations and more, each of which students encounter and are taught to apply in their other classes at Amudim.
the Amudim Seminar
This course provides students with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interface and study with some of the most creative and dynamic thinkers in the incomparable world of Jewish intellectual life in Israel. The Amudim Seminar, a series of lectures in Tanakh, Talmud, Jewish history, Jewish thought and culture, Jewish philosophy, ethics and art, taught by leading scholars and artists, introduces students to a realm of Jewish scholarship that exists only in Israel. This course requires student to attend a weekly two-hour seminar, to engage in meaningful discussion with the speakers and, twice per year, write a response paper. Speakers bring source material from traditional Jewish texts (including Tanakh, Talmud, Rishonim and Ahronim), historical documents and artwork, as well as their original research.
Museum Tanakh: Text in context
This particularly exciting and innovative Tanakh class is held once a week, off-campus, at the Bible Lands Museum, where the latest archaeological discoveries bring Tanakh to life as we stand in front of the actual objects described in the text, giving us new perspective and fodder for analyzing it. From the Tower of Bavel to Megillat Esther, items on display spark deep discussion about some of our most intriguing texts and concepts, for example, the origins of written language, the development of the Hebrew script, the evolving nature of idol worship in the Near East and Egypt, notions of the afterlife, the nature of warfare in ancient Israel and its environs, royal life in Persia, and much more. By looking at the Torah within its cultural context, we come to understand the depth of the stories we know and love (and some we are less familiar with) and that we frequently take for granted.
Comparative Religion I: Judaism and Abrahamic Religions
This course offers a comparative survey of Judaism and Abrahamic Religions and examines the following topics: The life and death of Jesus the Jew, the split between Judaism and Christianity, Christianity as a source of antisemitism, Nostra Aetate, Evangelicals and Evangelism, The life of Mohammed and his encounters with Jews, The spread of Islam and its transformation into a world religion, The Ottoman Empire, Israel and the Islamic World, Muslim radicalism and Islamist movements, The idea of Covenant, Jerusalem in the Abrahamic Religions, and theology of religions.
Comparative Religion II: Judaism and Eastern Religions
This course compares Judaism to the classic religions of the Far East: Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. What do these religions teach about G-d, the soul and the purpose of life? Do they contradict Judaism or are they different expressions of a universal truth? Why are so many American Jews attracted to Buddhism? And can a religious Jew find there things that are missing from her own tradition?
UNIVERSITY LEVEL CLASSES
One day each week, students may opt to study side by side with Israelis at an institute of higher learning, where classes are conducted entirely in Hebrew. Venues have included the Midrasha at Bar-Ilan, Herzog College and Matan.
Build-A-Shiur Workshop
There are few greater privileges than being able to teach Torah to other people. The Build-A-Shiur Workshop is designed to help you communicate more effectively and actually deliver shiurim yourself. Together, we will work on developing skills for preparation, presentation, and managing one's mindset throughout the shiur-building and presentation process. By the end of the workshop, you will understand the anatomy of a shiur, how mekorot work together to illuminate a subject, and how to connect with the seekers of Torah who may want to attend a shiur. The Build-A-Shiur Workshop culminates in all-night shiur giving by Amudim students on the night of Shavuot.
Physical Fitness: Krav Maga; Boxing
As part of Amudim’s goal to foster healthy mind, body and spirit, Hilutz Atzamot sessions take students out of the Beit Midrash and into the great outdoors (or studio, during non-Covid years) to study and practice various physical skills which this year includes krav maga and boxing. With their friendly, energetic, encouraging, and goal-oriented style of training, our instructors pushes students to discover and work to their potential without going beyond their maximum limits of exertion.