Ithaca College
Spring Semester 2003
Ithaca College
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Jewish Studies 340-20300-01, 02
Religion 344-20300-01, 02
M-W-F 12:00-12:50, CNS 118
M-W-F 1:00-1:50, CNS 118
Professor Rebecca Lesses
Office: Gannett G122
Phone: 274-3556
E-mail: rlesses@ithaca.edu
Office Hours: MW 2:30-4:00, Thursday 10:30-12:00, or by appointment
This course offers an introduction to Judaism as a religious civilization, with a focus on theology, ethics, and ritual practices. Readings include selected texts from the Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern periods. In this course we will consider basic human and religious issues as they have been understood in the classical Jewish tradition: God, good and evil, covenant, death and afterlife, justice and social responsibility. The course examines how these understandings are lived out through practices associated with birth and death, marriage and commitment, sexuality, and the life of study, prayer, and devotion.
Books & Other Resources
An Introduction to Judaism, by Nicholas de Lange
Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by the Jewish Publication Society of America
The Life of Judaism, edited by Harvey E. Goldberg.
A Different Night: the Family Participation Haggadah, edited by David Dishon and Noam Zion
Night, by Elie Wiesel
At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden, by Yossi Klein Halevi
Course Reader (CR), for sale in class
Requirements
1. Attendance (5%): you must come to class, unless you have a good excuse (for good excuses, see below in Policies section). 3 unexcused absences are allowed, but above that, your absence will be noted (and deducted from your grade).
2. Participation (10%): this includes asking questions and speaking up during class discussions, participating in small group work (chevruta), active listening to lectures and to classmates, and taking notes. I expect you to come to class having done each day’s reading and prepared to say something about it.
Chevruta. In class I will sometimes ask you to read a particular text together with another person, so that you can discuss your own questions about the text and spark each other’s ideas. This method is taken from the rabbinic way of studying a text, a method that they called chevruta (fellowship). It stems from the idea that learning is acquired best through the active interaction between self, fellow, and text. Your chevruta partner may have different questions than you do, or different answers.
Active Listening. Listening to another person speak is not a passive enterprise. Really to understand another person requires paying attention to his or her words, taking notes on what the other person says, making associations with what you already know, asking questions when you don’t understand. This is true when you listen to your classmates in small or large group discussions or to my lectures. I expect you to pay attention in class and learn both from your classmates and from my lectures.
Take notes. Do not expect simply to remember everything said in class. If you are unfamiliar with taking notes for a class, please speak to me.
3. Reports on Jewish cultural events this spring at Ithaca College, Cornell, or in the city of Ithaca– you must go to at least three of these during the semester & write a 1-2 page report for each (for which you will receive class credit) (10% for all three). If you go to more than three and write up your experience, you will get extra credit (1% per event). Many of these events appear in the class schedule, and I will inform you of events as the semester progresses – also, pay attention to notice boards and e-mail messages. Going to Purim or to a Passover seder counts as one of your cultural events.
4. Quiz & Short Papers
Quiz on Jewish books and religious movements – on Jan. 31 (5%)
Paper #1: Sh’ma and the Oneness of God – due Feb. 17 (2 pages) (5%)
Paper #2: the Shoah – due Mar. 7 (4-5 pages) (10%)
Paper #3: Fieldwork report on Shabbat service (4-5 pages) (10%). To write this paper, first attend a Shabbat service at one of the local synagogues, either Friday night or Saturday morning, and writing up an account of your experiences. Local synagogues: Temple Beth-El, corner of Court and Tioga streets in downtown Ithaca (Conservative)—services are 8 p.m. Friday night, 10 a.m. Saturday morning; Congregation Tikkun v’Or (Reform)—services are 7 p.m. Friday nights, at the Unitarian Church in downtown Ithaca; Young Israel (Orthodox) at Cornell (times TBA). Write up your experience, relating what you see and hear to what we have read and discussed in class – due March 19.
Paper #4: paper on a Jewish practice (Passover, Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur, everyday life) – April 11 (4-5 pages) (10%)
Essay question on Israel, interfaith relations – due as part of the final examination (4-5 pages) – May 7 (10%)
5. Final Examination (25%) – Monday, May 5, 7:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.; Wednesday, May 7, 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Policies
1. No plagiarism on papers or cheating on examinations. ALL WRITTEN WORK MUST BE YOUR OWN. Please consult pages 116-118 of the Student Handbook for a complete statement of the Ithaca College policy on plagiarism, including definitions of plagiarism and proper citation of sources. I refer proven cases of plagiarism or cheating to the Judicial Affairs office.
2. Attendance in class is required. In order not to be penalized for missing class because of illness or family emergency, you must notify me and provide a written excuse: either a note from the health center or your doctor, or an official notice from Kathy Lucas’s office (274-1375) (H&S; if you are not an H&S student, from the appropriate office in your school).
3. All written work must be done to pass the class. This includes all exams and papers.
4. Students with learning disabilities: please approach me early in the semester and let me know your needs in terms of papers or exams. Also, please have the Office for Support Services send me a letter with your specific needs.
Schedule of Classes and Readings
Monday, January 20: Introduction
handout: syllabus
MOVIE: 7 p.m. -- in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, screening of
DO THE RIGHT THING (Park Auditorium)
Topic 1: Who are the Jews?
Wed., Jan. 22: Who are the Jews?
read: de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 1-25
handout in class: outline of Jewish history with key terms
Fri., Jan. 24: Jewish books: Bible, Midrash, Siddur
read: de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 45-56
Claudio Segré, "Books as a Path to Jewish Identity," in Goldberg, The
Life of Judaism, pp. 137-148.
visit to IC Chapel to see Torah scroll
Mon., Jan. 27: Jewish books: Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, Zohar, philosophy
read: de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 56-66
handout: a page of Talmud
Tues., Jan. 28, 7 p.m. -- GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT (Park Auditorium)
Wed., Jan. 29: Jewish religious movements
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 66-83
handout: outline of characteristics of Jewish movements
Fri., Jan. 31: Synagogue Life
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 119-132
Frida Kerner Furman, "Synagogue Life among American Reform Jews," in The Life of Judaism, pp. 51-61
Samuel C. Heilman, "Orthodoxy in an American Synagogue," in The Life of Judaism, pp. 63-77.
Quiz on Jewish books and religious movements
Topic 2: Oneness of God – theology and ritual
Mon., Feb. 3: Sh’ma – the biblical text
read: Deut. 6:4-9, 11:13-21, Num. 15:37-41 (Sh’ma)
de Lange, Judaism, pp. 155-164.
Wed., Feb. 5: traditional interpretations of the Sh’ma
read: CR pp. 1-6: ancient
and medieval commentators, Rashi.
de Lange, Judaism, pp. 164-165.
Fri., Feb. 7: Oneness of God in Jewish thought
read: CR, pp. 7-9: Abraham Joshua Heschel, "One God."
de Lange, Judaism, pp. 169-82.
Tues., Feb. 4, 7 p.m. -- PROMISES (Park Auditorium)
Mon., Feb. 10: recitation of the Sh’ma in prayer and meditation
read: CR, pp. 10-11: liturgy: blessings before and after the Sh’ma (from Siddur Sim Shalom)
CR, p. 12: meditation on the Sh’ma, Havurat Shalom Siddur project
CR, p. 13: Sh’ma–communal declaration of faith, Marcia Falk, Book of Blessings
CR, pp. 14-19: "An Ancient Meditation," by Mark Verman.
Wed., Feb. 12: Tefillin, Mezuzah, and Tallit
read: CR, pp. 20-35.
Topic 3: Cycle of the Year
Fri., Feb. 14: Cycle of the Jewish year
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 94-107, 132-147
CR, pp. 36-39: Amidah for weekday prayers
handout: calendar of the Jewish year
Mon., Feb. 17: What is Shabbat rest?
read: Biblical passages defining Shabbat: Gen. 2:1-4; Exod. 16:1-30; 20:8-11, 23:12, 31:12-17; 34:21; 35:1-3; Lev. 23:3; Num. 15:32-36; Deut. 5:12-15; Nehemiah 10:31; 13:15-22; Isaiah 56:1-8; 58:13-14; Jeremiah 17:19-27; Ps. 92;
CR, pp. 40-41: Mishnah, 39 categories
of forbidden work
Short Paper #1 due: the Sh’ma (2 pages)
Wed., Feb. 19: Shabbat prayer
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 127-141.
CR, pp. 42-47: Liturgy: Kabbalat Shabbat, from Siddur Sim Shalom.
recommended: CR, pp. 48-53: Gershom Scholem, On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism.
7 p.m., THE BELIEVER (Park Auditorium)
Fri., Feb. 21: The meaning of Shabbat rest
read: CR, pp. 54-63: Bella Chagall, "Sabbath," in First Encounter.
Topic 4: Memory and History
Mon., Feb. 24: the Shoah
read: Elie Wiesel, Night, pp. 12-76.
REQUIRED EVENING LECTURE: 7:30 p.m., Dr. Nehemia Polen speaking in Textor 101 on Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro, the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto
Wed., Feb. 26: showing of the film HERITAGE: CIVILIZATION AND THE JEWS, Out of the Ashes (historical background on the Holocaust)
Fri., Feb. 28: Where was God?
read: Wiesel, pp. 77-127.
de Lange, Judaism, pp. 182-185
Mon., Mar. 3: Screening of EMILY AND GITTA in class
Wed., Mar. 5: Rituals of Memory
read: Ismar Schorsch and Jackie Feldman, "Memory and the Holocaust: Two Perspectives," in The Life of Judaism, pp. 148-171
Fri., Mar. 7:
Short Paper #2 due, on the Shoah (3 pages)
Spring Break: Mon., Mar. 10-Fri., Mar. 14
Topic 5: Repentance: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Mon., Mar. 17: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: The ritual of the scapegoat
read: Bible: Leviticus 16
CR, pp. 64-66: Mishnah, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
PURIM -- Monday evening, reading the book of Esther
Tues., Mar. 18, film showings
1:10-2:25 p.m.: MY JOURNEY, MY ISLAM (Park 285)
7:00 p.m.: ADIO KERADA (GOODBYE DEAR LOVE) (Park Auditorium)
Wed., Mar. 19: Repentance
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 141-146
CR, pp. 67-81: liturgy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
CR, pp. 82-86: Maimonides Reader, on repentance.
Short Paper
#3 due: Shabbat experience (3 pages)
Topic 6: Passover
Fri., Mar. 21: Passover
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 98-104
movie: PASSOVER: TRADITIONS OF FREEDOM
Mon., Mar. 24: Passover preparations
read: Irene Awret, "Preparing for Passover in North Africa," in The
Life of Judaism, pp. 29-40.
Wed., Mar. 26: The Telling: the Seder ritual
read: A Different Night, pp. 12-71.
Fri., Mar. 28: the Seder
read: A Different Night, pp. 72-131.
Topic 7: Cycle of Life and everyday life
Mon., Mar. 31: The kosher home
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 84-93.
Bible: Exodus 22:30, 23:19, 34:26, Leviticus ch. 11, Deuteronomy 14:2-21
http://www.ou.org/kosher/default.htm--the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America's kashrut page
Wed., Apr. 2: Circumcision
read: de Lange, Judaism, 109-112; Bible: Gen. 17
CR, pp. 87-92: Michael S. Kimmel, "The Kindest Un-Cut: Feminism, Judaism, and My Son’s Foreskin," and pp. 93-94: David Zaskow, "Circumcision and Brit: They’re Not the Same Thing."
Fri., Apr. 4: Welcoming girls into the covenant
read: CR, pp. 95-106: "Welcoming Children into Name and Covenant."
Mon., Apr. 7: Marriage and sexuality
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 84-88, 93-94, 107-109
Einat Ramon, "Tradition and Innovation in the Marriage Ceremony," in Goldberg, The Life of Judaism, pp. 105-120.
Tuesday, April 8, 1:10-2:25 p.m.: if your schedule permits, go to ARAB AND JEW: RETURN TO THE PROMISED LAND (Park 285)
Tuesday, April 8, 2:35-5:15 p.m.: BLACKS AND JEWS (Park Auditorium)
Wed., Apr. 9: Gay and lesbian Jews
read: CR, pp. 107-121: Lev Raphael, "To Be a Jew," in Journeys and Arrivals: on being Gay and Jewish
CR, pp. 122-134: Same-sex Jewish marriage/commitment ceremonies from New Menorah, 2000.
in class showing of selections from the film, RETURN OF SARAH’S DAUGHTERS
Film showing: 3:00-4:00 p.m., COMPROMISE: A PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL CO-PRODUCTION OF ROMEO & JULIET (Park 281)
Thursday, April 10, film showing
1:10-2:25: LIVING IN CONFLICT: VOICES FROM ISRAEL AND PALESTINE (Park 285)
Fri., Apr. 11: Death and the next world
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 114-117, 151-154, 201-212.
CR, pp. 135-152: Maimonides Reader: Mourning, Helek.
Short Paper #4 due: on Rosh Hashanah, Passover, or lifecycle
Topic 8: Israel and Jews between Christians and Muslims
Mon., Apr. 14: Jews and Israel
read: Yossi Klein Halevi, At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden,
pp. xi-9.
CR, pp. 153-169: Ray Scheindlin, A Short History of the Jewish People.
Film showing: 3:00-4:00 p.m., ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE (Park 281)
Wed., Apr. 16: Jews and Muslims
read: Halevi, pp. 13-106.
Evening: First Night of Passover & first seder
Fri., Apr. 18 No class: Second day of Passover
Mon., Apr. 21: Jews and Christians: Lent and Easter
read: Halevi, pp. 109-183 (especially pp. 137-183)
Wed., Apr. 23 No class: Seventh day of Passover
Fri., Apr. 25: Jews and Christians: Christmas
read: Halevi, pp. 185-231.
Mon., Apr. 28: Jews between Christians and Muslims
read: Halevi, pp. 235-267.
Tues., April 29: Yom ha-Shoah
Wed., April 30: Israel today
read: Halevi, pp. 269-315.
Fri., May 2 Evaluation and review
Final Exam: Monday, May 5, 7:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
This page maintained
by: Rebecca Lesses
Last revised January 22, 2003