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AKK 502 (3608) |
Introduction to Akkadian
Dr. Peter Obermark
Continued from Fall Semester. Introductory course. Text.
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AKK 509 (3609) |
Texts from the Time of Nebuchadnezzar
Dr. David Weisberg
How would one write a biography of Nebuchadnezzar, "King of Babylon, Loyal Shepherd"? This course will explore the relevant texts of various genres in an attempt to see what can be learned and what must be left unsaid regarding this Chaldean monarch.
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AMA 502 (3603)
BIB 594 (3602) |
Targum Shir ha-Shirim (3 cr.)
Dr. Isaac Jerusalmi
The entire Targum Shir ha-Shirim will be studied in class. Special attention will be given to the various methods of interpretation used in order to justify the sacred character of the book as Holy History. Major themes of Sin and Repentance, Exile and Return, the Messiah and Salvation, etc. will be discussed.
A working knowledge of Aramaic is sufficient for this course. Text.
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ARC 508 (3597)
BIB 508 (3598) |
Archaeology and the Bible: Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian Periods (3 cr.)
Dr. Nili Fox
This course is designed as an in-depth study of the culture of Israel and neighboring lands spanning the Neo-Assyrian through Persian periods. We will approach the subject from archaeological as well as textual perspectives. A key goal of the course is to examine the evidence for transitional or intermediate dark periods in history, for example, Judaea in the years between the fall of Jerusalem and the return under Cyrus. We will compare historiographic data in the Bible to extant Near Eastern documents and artifacts remains in an attempt to understand key events and their impact on the societies of the period. In the process, we will evaluate cultural paraphernalia mentioned in the Bible for dating purposes: Which are indicative of the Second Temple period and which indicate an earlier time? A study of pertinent visual representations of historical events, such as palace reliefs and stelae, primarily outside Israel, will also be incorporated. Methodlogical issues will be addressed throughout.
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BIB 402 (3599) |
Biblical Poetry
Dr. Fox
Biblical Poetry This course is a sequel to Bible 401 that focuses on different genres of poetic writings in the Bible. Students will read selections of poetry from the Torah, Prophets, and Writings paying attention to linguistic, literary, ideological and historical elements in the Hebrew texts. Special emphasis will be placed on the liturgical poetry of the Psalms. Comparative ancient Near Eastern literature will be examined to help elucidate the biblical material. We will employ a modern critical approach to Bible study.
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BIB 508 (3598)
ARC 508 (3597) |
Archaeology and the Bible: Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian Periods (3 cr.)
Dr. Fox
See ARC 508 for course description
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BIB 519 (3600)
HEB 519 (3601) |
The Language(s) of Biblical Poetry
Dr. Stephen Kaufman
The Language(s) of Biblical Poetry. In this course we will concentrate on the syntax and morpho-syntax of both early and classical Biblical Hebrew poetry. Our goal is to gain an appreciation of the nuances of usage generally missed by translators.
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BIB 607 (3604) |
RE-READING THE BIBLE / RE-WRITING THE BIBLE: JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE IN THE WAKE OF THE HOLOCAUST
Dr. Jason Kalman
This course introduces students to various aspects Jewish and Christian post-Holocaust theology as it is reflected in writings about the Bible. By examining the variety of ways modern thinkers have understood biblical texts (Noah and the Flood, the binding of Isaac, Job, etc.) the course seeks to introduce the theological and philosophical issues the Holocaust raises and particularly how the relationship of God and humankind is to be understood after the extermination of millions of innocents.
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BIB 608 (3605) |
Moral Values in the Bible and through the Perspective of the Generations
Dr. David Weisberg
This course is divided into seven units, each dealing with biblical texts of major moral importance and each exploring the texts in terms of contemporary issues of morality.
- Freedom of Choice (sample text: Genesis 2:9)
- The Sacred Character of Life (sample text: Genesis 22)
- The Dignity of Woman (Sarah, Miriam, Ruth and Esther as Heroes)
- Moral Values in Prophetic Literature: the Struggle for a Just Society in Biblical and Modern Times (e.g., Isa. 1:11)
- Responsibility and Evasion of Responsibility (Gen. 3)
- Freedom of Expression (Speeches of Abraham and Job)
- The Relationship towards Israel (e.g., Ps. 137)
This course fulfills the Ethical Literature prescribed requirement.
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BIB 594 (3602)
ARA 502 (3603) |
Targum Shir ha-Shirim (3 cr.)
Dr. Isaac Jerusalmi
The entire Targum Shir ha-Shirim will be studied in class. See ARA 502 for complete course description.
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CSP 401 (3606)
CSP 501 (3607) |
The New Testament and the Jews (3 cr.)
Dr. Michael Cook
The New Testament and the Jews. The critical issues for Jewish-Christian relations today arising from the Gospels and Paul's Epistles, and vital in theological interchange between rabbis and Christian clergy and in understanding the development and diversification of Christianity over the centuries and in the present day; also in preparing outreach and adult education courses, interfaith counseling sessions, religious school curricula, ministerial association/pulpit exchange, university/communal speaking engagements.
General rubrics: The parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity, and the socio-political realities underlying writings by Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, and Paul. Special Sessions: (1) Is the New Testament "anti-Semitic"? (2) Jews and the trial of Jesus. (3) Was the Last Supper a Passover Seder? (4) The origin of the Christmas (Virgin Birth) stories. (5) The origin of the Easter (Empty Tomb) stories. Slides analyzing: (6) widely-performed Passion dramas of the Jews' role in Jesus' trial; and (7) theological symbols common in Christian church and museum art; (8) Public speaking: how best to answer sensitive questions on these subjects.
May be taken as 501 for graduate students. Attendance required. Prerequisite for those in Judeo-Christian studies. (This course emphasizes New Testament and covers the fundamentals expanded upon by three other courses (for which there are no prerequisites): Missionaries, Millennialists and Christian Zionists — Navigating the Dynamics of Jewish-Evangelical Relations [Christian Scriptures 504]; The Jewish and Christian Quests for the Historical Jesus [History 605]; and The Jewish Bible and Christian Missionaries [Christian Scriptures 602])
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COD 521 (3636) |
The Laws of the Festivals
Dr. Mark Washofsky
The Laws of the Festivals. Readings in Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim, the Mishnah Berurah, and the Arukh Ha-Shulchan. The goal is to impart a broad knowledge of the halakhah and a deeper acquaintance with the vocabulary and terminology of the halakhic literature. Paper required.
Prerequisite: PTH 401 or permission of instructor.
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COM 401 (3637) |
Introduction to the Mikra'ot Gedolot
Dr. Jason Kalman
An Introduction to the Mikra'ot Gedolot. Selected narrative and legal passages of the Torah along with the traditional biblical commentators.
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EDU 507 (3625) |
"Perspectives on Death and Bereavement: Educational Implications for the Jewish Community"
Rabbi Samuel Joseph
This course will explore a variety of perspectives concerning death: as a biological reality, a cultural phenomenon, an economic reality, as a psychological process and as a spiritual event. The overall goal of this course is to enable the student to create formal and informal educational curricula related to death and bereavement. These educational programs will not be limited to a congregational setting. Included in this course will be a review of bibliography and media currently available as curriculum resources. Outside speakers will share their expertise with the class.
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HEB 403A (3611)
HEB 403B (3612) |
Reading for Meaning (3 cr.)
Mr. Christopher Jero;
Ms. Jennifer Quast
Reading for Meaning Continued from Fall semester. An indepth study of the grammar, syntax, idiomatic expressions and other linguistic features of the Hebrew of the Biblical and Rabbinic periods (prose and poetry).
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HEB 502 (3613) |
Postbiblical Hebrew
Dr. Edward Goldman
The purpose of Hebrew 502 is to introduce the student to postbiblical Hebrew, specifically the Hebrew of the Rabbinic period. For students who will be taking courses from Rabbinic Studies electives, this course will provide the background needed. For those students who will not be taking other courses in this area, it will give an introduction to the language and an overview of the genres which developed during this era.
The main objective is to be able to read rabbinic texts as they are normally edited, i.e. without the pointing. Grammar and idioms are important insofar as they facilitate the acquisition of this expertise. The course will begin with readings from Sefer Ha'Aggadah, a collection of aggadic texts which have been edited and pointed in standard rabbinic Hebrew. Reading these texts will provide a bridge to the unpointed texts.
Text.
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HEB 519 (3601)
BIB 519 (3600) |
Language(s) of Biblical Poetry
Dr. Stephen Kaufman
The Language(s) of Biblical Poetry - See BIB 519 for description
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Hebrew Literature 508 (3617) |
Magic and Popular Belief in Medieval Ashkenaz
Dr. Susan Einbinder
Magic and Popular Belief in Medieval Ashkenaz?
This course will explore two sorts of texts: (1) medieval stories originating in the Jewish communities of Germany and northern France and which have to do with magical practices or beliefs; and (2) magic texts, such as spells and amulets found in popular liturgical and ritual sources of this period. We will consider the evidence for magical practice and belief both in the context of earlier Jewish mystical and theurgic traditions and of contemporary Christian attitudes and practices.
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HIS 402 (3618) |
Jewish History Survey
Dr. Michael Mayer
Jewish History Survey. History 402 is a continuation of History 401 and covers the medieval period and the modern period, with the exception of the Western Hemisphere.
History 402 is a prerequisite for all further courses in Jewish History and is to be taken during one of the first two years' residence in Cincinnati. Required of all second year rabbinic students. Requirements: Midterm, brief paper and final examination.
Note: This class will not begin until January 23rd
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HIS 501 (3619) |
The History of Reform Judaism from its Origins to the Present
Dr. Michael Mayer
A chronological and topical study of Reform Judaism both in Europe and America within the context of other Jewish religious denominations and with particular emphasis on its problems and prospects in the world today. Non-text. Requirements: Midterm and Final examination.
Prerequisites: History 401 and 402 or permission of the instructor.
Required of all 4th year students
Note: This class will not begin until January 23rd
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HIS 557 (3620) |
Issues in Southern Jewish History
Dr. Gary Zola
In this seminar, students will explore the historical development of Jewish life in the Deep South. We will be studying a diverse array of topics that bring the distinctive nature of the Southern Jewish experience into bold relief. These topics include Jewish life in the Southern Colonies, the rise of Reform Judaism in Charleston, Jews and the Civil War, Jews and African American Slavery, Anti-Semitism in the South, Southern Jewry and Reform Judaism, Southern Jews and Civil Rights, and so forth. Class discussions will be based primarily on outside readings and, in some instance, on primary documents that will be read in class and analyzed in detail.
Aside from weekly reading assignments, students will be asked to submit a term paper based on original research with primary documents in The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. Attendance in compulsory.
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HLT 516 (3622) |
Readings in Greek Exegesis in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Period
Dr. Adam Kamesar
The object of this course will be to examine some important texts pertaining to ancient scholarship on literary texts. The focus will be on texts in which the relevant exegetical issues are posed in a theoretical fashion, or which constitute representative examples of various exegetical tendencies. We will pay special attention to the Peripatetic-Alexandrian tradition on the one hand, and the Pergamene-Stoic (allegorical) tradition on the other. Among the authors from whom selections will be read: Strabo, Heraclitus, Cornutus, Pseudo-Plutarch, Porphyry. Other later sources, including some scholia on classical texts, and the commentary of Eustathius on Homer, will be examined for the light they shed on earlier exegetical questions. Greek text.
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MID 401 (3658) |
Introduction to Midrashic Literature & Practice
Dr. Edward Goldman
"Midrash" refers both to the distinctive mode of scriptural interpretation practiced by the Rabbis of late antiquity and to the extensive literature (in a variety of genres) that contains these interpretations. In this course we shall attempt to understand and account for the distinctive nature of rabbinic interpretation in its historical, social, and religious-ideological contexts by paying attention to the exegetical and discursive techniques of the midrashic process and to the world view and contemporary concerns which the Rabbis bring to the reading of Scripture. We also shall explore some of the resources contained in this literature for Jews today. Students will become familiar with the major genres and texts of midrashic literature, bibliographical tools and major interpretive secondary literature. One course session each week will be devoted to lecture/presentation of materials and concepts by the instructor, or to the reading and disscussion of primary texts together. The second session will be devoted to reading and discussion of primary texts in smaller groups, divided according to level of Hebrew fluency and supervised by the instructor.
Required of all second-year rabbinic students and graduate students working in the areas of History of Biblical Interpretation, Jewish Studies in the Greco-Roman Period, and Rabbinics.
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MUS 515 (3623) |
Basic Musicianship and Shabbat Nusach; continued from Fall
Cantor Yvon Shore
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MUS 517 (3624) |
Basic Musicianship/Overview of Reform Repertoire
Cantor Yvon Shore
This course presents helpful techniques for the singing voice. This includes vocal health, proper breathing, ear training, and fundamentals of music. The music used for this class covers Reform composers from the 19th century to today.
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PTH 401-A (3639)
PTH 401-B (3640) |
Introduction to post-Talmudic Halakhic Literature (3 cr.)
Dr. Jonathan Cohen;
Dr. Mark Washofsky
An Introduction to post-Talmudic Halakhic Literature. The class will study the nature of the halakhic process and the methodology of the most prominent post-Talmudic poskim. Selections from Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim and Yore De'ah will be read, both for their practical significance and as a means of increasing the student's familiarity with this literature. Required of all 3rd year students.
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PDE 401 (3626) |
Worship and Ritual
Cantor Yvon Shore
Continued from 1st semester. This course covers the essentials of practical rabbinics surrounding life cycle events. Text study comprises an overview of halakhic and Reform sources. The focus of the class is to establish building blocks for creating effective ritual. Through an array of hands on developmental programming including creative liturgies, music, innovative programming, and site visits, this class will provide the basis towards an extensive rabbinic portfolio.
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PDE 402 (3627) |
Teaching Within a Reform Educational Setting
Rabbi Samuel Joseph
Continued from Fall Semester - Teaching Within a Reform Educational Setting
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PDE 402-A (3628) |
Advanced Ta'amei Mikra continued from Fall
Cantor Yvon Shore
The class emphasizes both individual mastery of Torah and Haphtarah chanting and the pedagogic tools needed to teach others. This includes aspects of grammar and interpretation as well as performative Hebrew and chanting skills. The chug functions as a laboratory in order to develop listening skills, kinesthetic, cognitive, and developmental language approaches needed when working with b'nei mitzvah. It is an extension of PDE 402.
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PDE 403 (3629) |
Homiletics
Rabbi Michael J. Cook;
Rabbis Ingber and Kopnick
Homiletics. Continued from first semester. The structure and content of the Jewish sermon, stressing the textual and non-textual sermon. Two semester course.
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PDE 404 (3630) |
Human Relations
Rabbi Ruth Alpers
Continued from 1st Semester. Human Relations provides the theoretical bases for understanding individual and family behaviors. Students will learn to deal appropriately with common life issues facing congregants, and will practice basic techniques for responding to a variety of pastoral care needs. The course will also include discussion of Jewish teachings and attitudes towards pastoral care.
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PDE 405 (3631) |
Human Relations\Clinical Pastoral Care or its equivalent
Permission required from Rabbi Alpers for admission to this courses.
Continued from 1st Semester. HUC-JIR offers all 4th year students the opportunity to complete a unit of CPE during the academic year. It consists of two separate components: formal classroom instruction, conducted one evening per week and practical experience, which involves the counseling of unaffiliated Jewish patients (approximately 8-10 hours per week) at Jewish Hospital or Children's Hospital under the supervision of the course instructor. Instructor's permission required for admission to this course. Interns are expected to continue their training between academic semesters.
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PDE 407 (3632) |
Senior Practicum
Rabbi Kenneth Kanter
Continued from Fall Semester. Senior Practicum. Required of the candidate for ordination, this course will examine issues, challenges, and problems that confront the contemporary rabbi. Together we shall examine and discuss key questions to which we must direct our thinking and help our people find personal and communal responses. This course will not meet every week. Some additional programs are required.
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PDE 409 (3634) |
Mayerson Fieldwork
Rabbi Kenneth Kanter
Mayerson Fieldwork continued from first semester. Each student serving a bi-weekly (or its equivalent) for credit must register for this course both Fall and Spring semesters.
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PDE 410 (3635) |
4th Year Sermon
Rabbi Kenneth Kanter;
Rabbi Kenneth E. Ehrlich
Fourth Year Sermon A required speech/homiletics workshop for fourth year students. Sermon structure, style and delivery.
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RAB 539 (3648)
PHI 553 (3649) |
Religion State, and Jewish Identity (3 cr.)
Dr. Jonathan Cohen;
Dr. Mark Washofsky
In the western liberal tradition religion and state represent two distinct aspects of human existence and socio-cultural reality. Indeed, our western tradition has sought to separate church from state and remove the influence of one from the other. This course examines the entangled relationship between religion and state from a number of perspectives and disciplines. It entails the reading of a variety of rabbinic texts in conjunction with the writings of political philosophers and theologians. Our aim is to examine a number of models of church-state relations and consider various aspects of Jewish identity. Pre-requisites: TAL 401, PTH 401, PHI 401, or instructor's permission.
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PHI 402 (3641) |
Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought
Dr. Haim Rechnitzer
Modernity as a western cultural phenomenon challenged, revolutionized, and reshaped the human world and spiritual horizons. This revolution changed profoundly the religious sphere and theologies. In order to understand this phenomenon we will examine major works of modern Jewish thinkers such as Mendelssohn, Krochmann, Cohen, Buber and Strauss. In all our readings we will address a dual question: What is the definition of modernity in each of these texts, and what is the theological response its.
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PHI 507 (3642) |
Readings in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah
Dr. Barry Kogan
Readings in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. A survey and analysis of the major non-halachic sections of the great code of Maimonides. Special attention will be devoted to his treatment of the fundamentals of Jewish belief, the moral dispositions which make for human flourishing, their perversion through the practice of idolatry, the problems of human freedom and Divine omniscience, the nature of the world to come and the days of the messiah. Text. This course fulfills the Ethical Literature prescribed requirement.
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PHI 553 (3649)
RAB 539 (3648) |
See RAB 539 for course description.
Dr. Jonathan Cohen;
Dr. Mark Washofsky
See RAB 539 for course description.
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SEM 501 (3610) |
Introduction to Semitics
Dr. Stephen Kaufman
Introduction to the principles of historical linguistics and their application to the study of the Semitic languages. In addition to the theoretical, comparative approach, connected texts in each of the major languages will be analyzed.
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SUM 501 (3615) |
Introduction to Sumerian
Dr. Samuel Greengus
Through a series of graded readings, this course offers an introduction to the study of Sumerian language and literature. Major emphasis is upon language structure and analysis; all cuneiform reading selections are provided with transliterations; reading skills are addressed through discussion of the history and development of the cuneiform script. SUM 502 is planned for the Fall
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SYR 502 (3616) |
Introductory Course Part 2
Dr. Isaac Jerusalmi
A continuation of Syriac 501, with readings from Commentaries and Expositions of Saint Ephrem, Aphrahate, Isho'dadh of Merv and Bar-Hebraeus. *Attendance is a course requirement. Permission of Instructor Required. Text.
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THE 401 (3643) |
Belief and Practice
Dr. Barry Kogan;
Dr. Samuel Greengus;
Dr. Richard Sarason
An introduction to the idiom and conceptual frameworks of Jewish religious literature from the biblical period through the early modern period, with emphasis on the interrelationship between religious belief and religious practice. Selected passages from the Tanakh, rabbinic literature, medieval philosophy, kabbalah, and modern Jewish thought will form the basis for discussion.
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