Adult Education at Shaare Zedek
Spring 2008
Shaare Zedek's Adult Education program offers learning opportunities for people of all types of Jewish background. We offer a mix of extended courses, guest scholars at meals or scholar-in-residence weekends, and "one-shot" classes on a variety of subjects.
For more information, or to let us know what types of educational offerings you would like to see in the future, please contact Dan Werlin, chair of our Adult Education Committee (adulted@sznyc.org), or Rabbi Julia Andelman (212-874-7005, ext. 13). We look forward to learning with you!
Egalitarian Prayer in Halakhah (Jewish Law)
Time: 7:30-9:00 pm
Cost: $5/class
In this four-session course, taught by Rabbi Micha'el Rosenberg, we will study a number of topics addressing the halakhic basis for the equal participation of men and women in Jewish prayer. Who is obligated to pray? What is a minyan, and who can help constitute one? Are we expected to pray with a minyan, or is it merely preferable? What makes a person eligible to lead services? We will examine the sources from the Talmud through 20th century rulings in order to understand better the halakhic basis for egalitarian prayer. Participants are welcome to attend all four sessions or individual sessions. This course is co-sponsored by Mechon Hadar.
Rabbi Micha'el Rosenberg is a PhD student in Talmud and Rabbinic Literature at JTS. He received his A.B. in Comparative Religion from Harvard College. He received semikhah (rabbinic ordination) from Rav Elisha Ancselovits at the Kollel Halakhah at Yeshivat Ma'ale Gilboa in Israel. He has taught Talmud and halakhah in many synagogues and educational institutions, including the Drisha Institute, JTS, the National Havurah Institute, and the Northwoods Kollel.
Talmud Skills Class
Taught by Rabbi Andelman
This group is designed for those with some Hebrew background and/or some text study background who have not yet had serious exposure to Talmud. In a supportive and non-competitive space, we will learn texts in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, with a strong focus on building fundamental skills for Talmud study: how to understand the structure of a sugya (a textual unit); how to recognize and work through different types of Talmudic logic and debate; how to separate chronological layers of the text for a sharper understanding of the rabbinic intellectual process as it plays out in each sugya. We will also learn how to use various types of Talmud study aids (dictionaries, reference guides, etc.) so that participants can continue to learn Talmud on their own.
Prerequisites: basic Hebrew reading and comprehension ability, and an appetite for learning. No prior knowledge of Aramaic is necessary.
Please note that is not a drop-in class. It is an ongoing course intended for those who are able to make a consistent weekly time commitment. Enrollment is now closed.
Me'ah Collaborative
Monday and Thursday evenings
Me'ah, an intensive adult Jewish learning experience conducted by Boston's Hebrew College, approaches Jewish history and Jewish thought through an intelligent and sophisticated conversation with core texts. This conversation is guided by university faculty who will lead and enrich your study of four central periods in Jewish history: biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern. Participants come from varied Jewish educational backgrounds but they all share a desire to learn more about Judaism through in-depth text study. Me'ah means 100 in Hebrew, and participants will study together for 100 hours over two years. Each class focuses on discussions of core texts and commentary, and all readings are in English. There are no tests or papers. More than 2,000 students have graduated from Me'ah. Many report that it significantly enhanced their lives and their sense of Jewish community.
We are excited to have partnered with Congregation Habonim and Congregation B'nai Jeshurun to form two separate Me'ah cohorts starting this fall. Enrollment for Year 1 is now closed. If you are interested in joining for the second year of the program, please contact the synagogue office.