Heschel and Two Approaches to Revelation
Rabbi Yishmael vs. Rabbi Akiva, based on sources in Professor A.J. Heschel’s work
LSJS April - May 2013
Session 1Session 2
Session 3
Session 2
Session 3
Praying the Festivals
A Dynamic Study of Yom Tov Tefillot
LSJS Apr-Jun 2013
From the LSJS website:
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO GOD ON THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS AND WHY?
This course looks at central prayers that we say on Jewish festivals: Who wrote them? Why were they included in the Machzor? Do we appreciate and embrace the ideas they contain? Have their meanings changed over time? Are they still relevant?
Topics include:
The structure of the Amidah for Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot
Prayers and home rituals unique to these festivals
The complex structure of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services
The nature of key prayers during these days
This course will enable you to get more out of your Machzor and develop your appreciation of each of the festivals.
And with Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur coming so early in the calendar this year, this course will also prepare you for these High Holy Days.
Session 1: Shalosh Regalim 1: Kiddush and Amidah
Session 2: Shalosh Regalim 2: Hallel and MusafHarmony: the Obsession of an early 20th-century Hasidic Mystic
The Interpretative Objectives of Shem mi-Shemuel
Oxford Seminar in Advanced Jewish Studies 30/01/13
Shabbat: Prayer and the Soul
A Dynamic Study of Shabbat Tefillot
LSJS Jan – Mar 2013
From the LSJS website:
How do we talk to the God of Creation on the Day of Rest?
This course looks at seven sections of the siddur that we encounter every Shabbat: Who wrote them? Why were they included in the siddur? Do we appreciate and embrace the ideas they contain? Have their meanings changed over time? Are they still relevant?
“The Shabbat is given unto you, not you unto the Shabbat” (Mechilta 31:13).
This course will enable you to get more out of your siddur prayer and develop your appreciation of God’s great gift to us, the Shabbat.
Session 1: Introduction and Kiddush
Session 5: Shabbat Musaf and Lunch Session 6: Shabbat Minchah and Seudah Shelishit Session 7: Havdalah and Motzo'ey Shabbat
21st-Century Halachah
How does Jewish Law Stay Relevant and Meaningful for Today and Beyond?
LSJS Nov – Dec 2012
From the LSJS website:
Halachah is the architecture of Jewish life. It guides our daily routine from what we eat and how we dress to what we say and how we treat others.
Yet surely the greatest modern challenge of Halachah has been its response to the dramatic and irreversible changes in society while staying true to our tradition.
This course takes on three cutting-edge modern concerns and shows how ancient sources and modern responsa address them in sensitive, coherent and innovative ways.
Session 1: Tekhelet and the Discovery of the Murex Snail
I am indebted to Rabbi Natan Slifkin for his excellent material on this topic
Sessions 3 & 4: Using Electricity on Shabbat
Session 5: The Shabbat iPad
Session 6: Teaching Torah to Women
19th-Century Existential Angst - Dostoevsky and Ishbitz
The Quest for Authenticity, Contemplating the Abyss and the Value of Laughter
LSJS October – November 2012
Dostoevsky, whose ‘Crime and Punishment’ defines the psychological novel, and Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner, the controversial Rebbe of Izbica, were contemporaries from entirely different worlds. Yet surprisingly, their writings address similar issues, reflecting the existential angst of their time. In this short series, Rabbi Belovski will compare the approaches of these two writers in areas such as death, laughter and the pursuit of authenticity.
Class 1: The Quest for Authenticity
Outrageous Introductions
Radical Rabbinic Ideas in Great Introductions
LSJS May – June 2012
From the LSJS Website
On this intriguing course, Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski will investigate the often surprising and always challenging contributions made to modern Jewish thought by little-known introductions to classic works.
Discover how Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel rocked the boat by considering whether Devarim is a full part of the Torah.
See how Rabbi Avraham Bornstein – the founder and first Rebbe of the Sochatchover Hasidic dynasty – set tongues wagging by stating that learning Torah should be both pleasurable and enjoyable.
Explore how Rabbi Aryeh Leib Heller discussed how halachah has developed as the world around it changed.
You will also delve into other iconoclastic introductions by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, Rabbi Shimon Shkop and Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban) and ask how these redefined the parameters of traditional Jewish thought.
Course Outline
Session 1: The Ramban's Introductions to the Books of the Torah
Session 2: The Abarbanel's Introduction to Devarim Session 3: The Ramchal's Introduction to Mesilat Yesharim & Derech HaShem Session 4: Rabbi Aryeh Leib Heller's Introduction to the Ketzot HaChoshenLink to Benedict Roth's working translation here
Session 5: Rabbi Avraham Bornstein's Introduction to Egley Tal Session 6: Rabbi Shimon Shkop's Introduction to Sha'arey YasharThe translation used in this class is not available on-line. An excellent alternative, by Rabbi Micha Berger, appears here.
Session 7: The Piaseczno Rebbe's Introduction to Chovat HaTalmidim
The translation used in this class is a copyrighted text and not available on-line. It is available here.The Meraglim
Superficial Gossips, Self-Interested Crooks or Altruistic Visionaries?
LSJS April – May 2012
Session 1: The Text, Chazal and Rishonim 1
Superseder: Themes and Celebration
Transformational Ideas, Foods and Songs
LSJS 12/03/12
1: Balancing Celebration with Commemoration2: Thematic Foods
3: Monotheism against Manichaeism
Discovering Tzelophchad
Sinner or Tragic Hero?
LSJS March 2012
Session 1: The Text, Chazal and Rishonim
Session 2: Other Sources