Bible I -
JS501A - Spring 2001
Los Angeles Campus

Instructor Information:

Adriane Leveen
213-749-3424 x4224 (Tuesday through Thursday)
aleveen@huc.edu
ace354@hotmail.com

Office Hours: HUC-JIR Lower Level, West, Room #10 Wednesday, 1-2 PM or by appointment	Class Times: Room #111 Tuesday 1:10-2:30 Thursday 1:20-2:40

Syllabus:

I. Course Description
II. Background Information and Resources
III. Course Requirements and Expectations
IV. Texts
V. Class Schedule, Topics and Assignments

A. Philosophy

This course is focused on ways to "hear" the Torah, to learn, in a paraphrase of Martin Buber, to intensely listen to the text. Our goal is to discover first what the Torah says and then, second, to become skilled and responsible interpreters of what it says, adding our voices to the long chain of Biblical interpretation.

B. Procedure/Methods

1. For broad coverage and familiarity with the narrative of the Bible, we will read large sections in English outside of class.
2. We will gain entry into the Torah more specifically through one of its key thematic concerns: Covenant (loosely defined as a relationship between two partners - God and Israel)
3. We will translate key passages from the Hebrew because only in its own language can we begin to understand how the biblical text conveys its meanings.

C. Skills/Approaches

Through the semester we will read the Torah through three different lenses:

1. The language itself, as we develop familiarity with the biblical dictionary, concordance, and grammatical aids (For background information on these Biblical tools, please go to Professor Brettler's site: http://www.unet.brandeis.edu/~brettler/biblehelp/brettler.html).
2. The traditional commentary of Rashi.
3. Contemporary interpretations, particularly literary approaches.

At the end of the semester, your skills in critical analysis will come together through a final exegetical project.

II. Background Information and Resources:

A. Background on the Biblical text and manuscripts

Title:	"Bibliographic Tools for the Study of Bible," Marc Brettler
Web Address:	http://www.unet.brandeis.edu/~brettler/biblehelp/brettler.html
Description:	Professor Brettler teaches Bible at Brandeis University, and he has put together a guide to grammars, lexica, and concordances.




B. Rashi

Title:	"Rashi," Encyclopedia Britannica
Web Address:	http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/2/0,5716,64322+1+62727,00.html
Description:	This article introduces Rashi, the man, and gives a brief description of his "world."




C. Historical References

Title:	Internet Jewish History Sourcebook
Web Address:	http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook06.html
Description:	This site is particularly useful for a timeline of Ancient Israelite History. The timeline also has links to images of archaeological artifacts or other sites and articles which you may also find useful.

III. Course Requirements and Expectations:

There are three requirements for this class:
A. Class preparation and participation - 40% of the Grade
B. In-class presentation - 20% of the Grade
C. Final exegetical project - 40% of the Grade

A. Class preparation and participation

Your outside preparation will be crucial to your developing the necessary skills to work in the Hebrew and gain broad coverage in the English. Each assignment will usually include reading several chapters in the English, translating a specific passage from the Hebrew, and reading additional background materials. I will assume that you have read the material and can come to class prepared to discuss it.

To prepare a Hebrew assignment at home: (Taken from Ed Greenstein)


1. Read the text in Hebrew, aloud, at least twice.
2. Look up any words you don't know in the BDB.
3. If you have time, look up any unfamiliar usage in a Biblical concordance.
4. Compare your translation with a good English translation (such as the Fox).
5. Note any verses that strike you as thematically important.
6. Note any phrases that recur either in the passage at hand or between the present passage and others you may know (seeking allusions).
7. Depending on your group assignment, you will need to go into more depth to prepare one of the three approaches: philological, Rashi or literary that you will then discuss with your group (See note below).
8. Read the passage over again.

Group Assignments:
Over the course of the semester, there will be times in class during which you will be working on the Hebrew text in assigned smaller groups. I will hand out a separate schedule of group work. On a rotating basis, your group will read the text together and come up with a summary based on one of the following three lenses: philological and grammatical issues, Rashi's comments, OR an appropriate contemporary interpretation based on assigned reading. When we reconvene as a class, your group will be responsible to contribute that approach to our discussion. By the end of the semester, you will experience each lens.

In addition, I assume that you will be in class for all sessions unless ill.

B. In-class presentations

Three or four students can prepare together. These presentations will take place in Feb. and early March (More information will follow on these assignments).

C. Final Exegetical Project

Guidelines for writing an exegesis will be distributed and discussed during the first week of class. In April, you will no longer be working in your smaller groups, so you can shift your attention to applying your skills to this final individual project.

Week 1		January 9	Overview
	*	January 11	Covenant Partner I: God as Creator
Week 2	*	January 16	God and Chaos
	*	January 18	Covenant Partner II: God as Creator
Week 3	*	January 23	Covenant Partner: Woman
		January 25	Guest Lecture
Week 4		January 30	The Covenant with the Patriarchs: Abraham
	*	February 1	The Trickster
Week 5	*	February 6	The God Wrestler
		February 8	Complications: Judah and Tamar
Week 6	*	February 13	God Acts Through Moses, Reluctant Messenger
	*	February 15	Preparations for the Covenant
Week 7	*	February 20	Making the Covenant: The Decalogue
		February 22	Covenant Values: Civil Law
Week 8		February 27	Covenant Values: Cultic Law
	*	March 1	Revelation Renewed
Week 9		March 6	Within The Covenant: Cultic Practice of Sacrifices
	*	March 8	Threats to the Cult
Week 10		March 13	Kashrut
		March 15	Purity
Week 11	*	March 20	The Tabernacle and Holy Space
	*	March 22	Envisioning the Covenantal Setting: The Wilderness
Week 12	*	March 27	Israel's Response
	*	March 29	Struggles Over Holiness
Week 13		April 3	Death in the Wilderness
		April 5	Balaam: Outsider to the Covenant
Week 14		April 17	Retelling the Tale
		April 19	Future Partners to the Covenant
Week 15		April 24	Crossing Over
		April 26	Conclusions

January 9	Overview
English	No Readings...
Hebrew
Background
Recommended

*January 11	Covenant Partner I: God as Creator
English	Genesis 1
Hebrew	Genesis 1
Background	Brettler website (http://www.unet.brandeis.edu/~brettler/biblehelp/brettler.html)
Recommended	-Tamara Eskenazi, "Torah as Narrative and Narrative as Torah" -Martin Buber "The Man of Today and the Jewish Bible"

*January 16	God and Chaos
English	Genesis 2-3
Hebrew	Genesis 2
Background	Jon Levenson, Creation and the Persistence of Evil, pages 3-25
Recommended

*January 18	Covenant Partner II: God as Creator
English	Reread Genesis 1-3
Hebrew	Genesis 3
Background	Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, Chapters 2, 7
Recommended

*January 23	Covenant Partner: Woman
English	Genesis 4
Hebrew	Genesis 4:1-16
Background	Ilana Pardes, Countertraditions in the Bible, chapter 3
Recommended	Pardes, chapter 2

January 25	Guest Lecture
English
Hebrew
Background
Recommended

January 30	The Covenant with the Patriarchs: Abraham
English	Genesis 15, 17
Hebrew	Genesis 17
Background	Nahum Sarna, Understanding Genesis, Chapter 7 "The Covenant"
Recommended	Robert Alter, chapter 6

*February 1	The Trickster
English	Genesis 25:19 through chapter 31
Hebrew	-Genesis 25:19-26 -Genesis 28:10-22
Background	Ilana Pardes, chapter 4
Recommended	-Peter Pitzele, Our Father's Wells, chapter 11 -Robert Alter, chapter 3

*February 6	The God Wrestler
English	Genesis 32-33
Hebrew	Genesis 32:23-33:11
Background	Stephen Geller, "The Struggle at the Jabbok"
Recommended	Peter Pitzele, chapter 12

February 8	Complications: Judah and Tamar
English	Genesis 38
Hebrew	Genesis 38
Background	Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, chapters 1, 8, 9
Recommended

*February 13	God Acts Through Moses, Reluctant Messenger
English	Exodus 1-13
Hebrew	Exodus 1; 3:1-10
Background	Ilana Pardes, chapter 5
Recommended	Martin Buber, "The Burning Bush", pages 44-62

*February 15	Preparations for the Covenant
English	Exodus 14-18
Hebrew	Exodus 15
Background	Steven Weitzman, Song and Story in Biblical Narrative, pages 1-36
Recommended

*February 20	Making the Covenant: The Decalogue
English	-Exodus 19-20 -Deuteronomy: * 4:5-40 * 5:1-17 * 26:1-11
Hebrew	Exodus 19-20
Background	Moshe Weinfeld, "The Uniqueness of the Decalogue"
Recommended	-Stephen Geller, "Fiery Widsom:Logos and Lexis In Deuteronomy 4" -Martin Buber, "Holy Event", pages 63-79

February 22	Covenant Values: Civil Law
English	-Exodus 21-23 -Leviticus 25 -Deuteronomy 19-25
Hebrew	Exodus 21:1-22
Background
NOTE:	IN CLASS STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

February 27	Covenant Values: Cultic Law
English	Exodus 25-32
Hebrew	Exodus 32
Background
NOTE:	IN CLASS STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

*March 1	Revelation Renewed
English	Exodus 33-34
Hebrew	Exodus 33:1-23
Background	J.P. Fokkelman, "Exodus" in The Literary Guide to the Bible, ed. Alter, Kermode
Recommended

March 6	Within The Covenant: Cultic Practice of Sacrifices
English	Leviticus 1-5
Hebrew	Leviticus: * 3: 1-5 * 4:13-26
Background	Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus, Anchor Bible, pages 134-153
Recommended

*March 8	Threats to the Cult
English	Leviticus 8-10
Hebrew	Leviticus 10:1-11
Background	N. Kiuchi, "The Purification Offering"
Recommended

March 13	Kashrut
English	Leviticus 11
Hebrew	Leviticus 11:39-47
Background	Excerpt from Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger
NOTE:	IN CLASS STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

March 15	Purity
English	Leviticus 12-14
Hebrew	Leviticus 12:1-8
Background	Stephen Geller, "Blood Cult: Toward a Literary Theology"
NOTE:	IN CLASS STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

*March 20	The Tabernacle and Holy Space
English	Leviticus 16, 18-19
Hebrew	Leviticus * 16:1-10 * 19
Background	Jon Levenson, "The Jerusalem Temple in Devotional & Visionary Experience"
Recommended

March 22	Envisioning the Covenantal Setting: The Wilderness
English	Numbers 1-10
Hebrew	Numbers * 9:15-10:10 * 10:35-36
Background	Jacob Milgrom, JPS Torah Commentary, Numbers, Introduction
Recommended

*March 27	Israel's Response
English	Numbers 11-14
Hebrew	Numbers 11
Background	James Ackerman, "Numbers" in The Literary Guide to the Bible, ed. Alter, Kermode
Recommended

*March 29	Struggles Over Holiness
English	Numbers 15-17
Hebrew	Numbers * 15:37-41 * 16:1-7
Background	-Jonathan Magonet, "The Korah Rebellion" -Jacob Milgrom, Numbers, Excursuses 38, 39
Recommended

April 3	Death in the Wilderness
English	Numbers 18-21, 25
Hebrew	Numbers * 20:1-6 * 21:4-9
Background	Jacob Milgrom, Numbers, Excursuses 48, 50
Recommended

NOTE: START THINKING ABOUT YOUR FINAL PROJECTS

April 5	Balaam: Outsider to the Covenant
English	Numbers 22-24
Hebrew	Numbers * 22:20-35 * 24:1-7
Background	Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, Chapter 5
Recommended	-George Savran, "Beastly Speech: Intertextuality, Balaam's Ass and the Garden of Eden" -Robert Alter, chapter 4

April 10-12 Pesach break (no class)

April 17	Retelling the Tale
English	Deuteronomy * 1-3 * 9-10
Hebrew	Deuteronomy 1:20-33
Background	-Robert Polzin, "Deuteronomy" in The Literary Guide to the Bible, ed. Alter, Kermode -Jeffrey Tigay, JPS Torah Commentary, Deuteronomy, Excursus 2
Recommended

April 19	Future Partners to the Covenant
English	Deuteronomy 6-8,11
Hebrew	Deuteronomy 11
Background	Jeffrey Tigay, Deuteronomy, Introduction, pages xi-xix, Excursuses 10, 11
Recommended

April 24	Crossing Over
English	Deuteronomy * 27-28 * 31-34
Hebrew	Deuteronomy 32:1-15
Background	Steven Weitzman, Song and Story in Biblical Narrative, pages 37-58
Recommended

April 26

Conclusions