Ithaca College Spring Semester 2002

Judaism 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: M, W 2:00-3:00; Tu, Th, 4:00-5:00

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.

An Introduction to Judaism, by Nicholas de Lange

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by the Jewish Publication Society of America

A Maimonides Reader, edited by Isadore Twersky

The Life of Judaism, edited by Harvey E. Goldberg.

A Different Night: the Family Participation Haggadah, edited by David Dishon and Noam Zion

There will also be a course packet with additional readings. Readings in the course packet are marked with an asterisk in the course schedule.

1. Attendance (5%): you must come to class, unless you have a good excuse (for good excuses, see below in Policies section). 2 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), handing in Entry Tickets, 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. To further this goal, you are required to bring Entry Tickets to class each day.

A. Entry Tickets: For each class, prepare at least two questions about the reading and hand in an index card with your questions at the beginning of class.

B. Chevruta. In class I will often 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.

After a few classes, I will ask you to find one particular chevruta partner to study with for the rest of the semester. It is very useful to prepare the readings in chevruta before class and to study for exams with your chevruta partner. Sometimes I will ask you to get together with your chevruta outside of class to prepare a particular text together and present it in class.

C. 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.

D. 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. Midterm Examination (20%) — March 6

4. Final Examination (25%) — date to be set by the registrar.

5. Quizzes (total of 10%) — there will be several quizzes, scheduled every two or three weeks.

6. Written reports on events and services (20%)

A. Reports on Jewish cultural events this spring at Ithaca College, Cornell, or in the city of Ithaca— you must go to at least two of these during the semester & write a one page report for each (for which you will receive class credit) (2%). If you go to more than two and write up your experience, you will get extra credit (1% per event). I will inform you of events as the semester progresses — also, pay attention to notice boards and e-mail messages.

B. Fieldwork reports on Shabbat service and Passover seder (3 pages) (8% each)

i) 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 Wed., Feb. 27

ii) Attend a Passover seder. This means either going home to your own family’s seder, attending a friend’s family seder, or attending the IC Hillel community seder, and writing up an account of your experience, relating what you see and hear to what we have read and discussed in class — due Mon., April 8.

7. One short paper (3-5 pp.) on an issue in Jewish thought (10%). Pick one topic taken from those considered throughout the semester. These papers will be due shortly after each topic is completed. Oneness (due Feb. 11), Revelation (due Feb. 18), Creation (due Feb. 27), Repentance (due Mar. 8), Redemption (Mar. 25), Good and Evil (due Apr. 17).

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.

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.

Readings in the course packet are marked with an asterisk (*)

Monday, January 21: First day of class
Introduction–handout syllabus
celebration of life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — Emerson Suites B, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
EYES ON THE PRIZE - Emerson Suites A -- 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel: http://www.shalomctr.org/html/hesch07.html

Topic 1: Who are the Jews?

Wed., Jan. 23: Who are the Jews?
read: de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 1-25
handout in class: outline of Jewish history with key terms
recommended: Claudio Segré, "Books as a Path to Jewish Identity," in Goldberg, The Life of Judaism, pp. 137-148.

Fri., Jan. 25: Jewish books
read: de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 45-66
recommended: Isadore Twersky, A Maimonides Reader, pp. 1-29.

Mon., Jan. 28: Jewish religious movements
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 66-83
handout: outline of characteristics of Jewish movements
recommended: 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.

Wed., Jan. 30: Cycle of the Jewish year
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 94-107, 141-147
handout: calendar of the Jewish year

Fri., February 1: Shema — the text and how to interpret it
read: Deut. 6:4-9, 11:13-21, Num. 15:37-41 (Shema)
*ancient and medieval commentators, Rashi

Mon., Feb. 4: Oneness of God in Jewish thought
read: *Abraham Joshua Heschel, "One God," in Between God and Man, pp. 102-107
Maimonides Reader, pp. 42-47, 278-291 (on the existence of God)
de Lange, Judaism, pp. 155-160.

Wed., Feb. 6: recitation of the Shema in prayer and meditation
read: Maimonides, p. 87 (on reciting the Shema)
*liturgy: blessings before and after the Shema (from Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, pp. 28-33)
*meditation on the Shema, Havurat Shalom Siddur project
*Shema–communal declaration of faith, Marcia Falk, Book of Blessings
*"An Ancient Meditation," by Mark Verman, The History and Varieties of Jewish Meditation, pp. 151-159.

Mon., Feb. 11: Revelation at Sinai
read: Bible: Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 5:1-6:9.

Wed., Feb. 13: The Mitzvot
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 190-194
*A. J. Heschel, Between God and Man, pp. 155-175, 181-186.

Fri., Feb. 15 The meaning of revelation in our time
read: *Franz Rosenzweig, On Jewish Learning, ed. by Nahum Glatzer (New York: Schocken, 1955), pp. 72-92, 109-124.
recommended: *A. J. Heschel, "Revelation," in Between God and Man, pp. 72-79
recommended background reading: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 175-179

Wed., Feb. 20: 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.
*Mishnah: 39 categories of forbidden work
Maimonides Reader, laws of Shabbat, pp. 102-107, 290-291

Fri., Feb. 22: The meaning of Shabbat rest
read: *Bella Chagall, "Sabbath," in First Encounter, pp. 24-40.
*A. J. Heschel, "The Sabbath: Holiness in Time," in Between God and Man, pp. 214-229.

Mon., Feb. 25 Shabbat prayer
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 127-141.
*Liturgy: Kabbalat Shabbat, from Siddur Sim Shalom, pp. 13-24.
recommended: *Scholem, On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism, pp. 139-146

Wed., Feb. 27: The ritual of the scapegoat
read: Bible: Leviticus 16
*Mishnah: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Fri., March 1: Judgement and forgiveness
read: *liturgy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Maimonides Reader, on repentance, pp. 76-85

Mon., Mar. 4: Review session for midterm

Wed., Mar. 6: Midterm examination (in class)

Fri., Mar. 8 What is repentance?
*Ehud Luz, "Repentance," in Cohen and Mendes-Flohr, Contemporary Jewish Religious Thought, pp. 786-793.

Spring Break: Mon., Mar. 11-15

Mon., Mar. 18 The Exodus from Egypt
read: Bible: Exodus 1-18

Wed., Mar. 20 The Telling: the Seder ritual
read: A Different Night, pp. 12-71.

Fri., Mar. 22 the Seder
read: A Different Night, pp. 72-131.

Mon., Mar. 25 Preparing for Passover
read: Irene Awret, "Preparing for Passover in North Africa," in The Life of Judaism, pp. 29-40; Susan Starr Sered, "Religious Roles of Elderly Women," in The Life of Judaism, pp. 41-49.

Wed., Mar. 27: video: Passover: Traditions of Freedom

Fri., Mar. 29: no class–Second day of Passover

Mon., April 1: Final Redemption: the Coming of the Messiah
read: Maimonides Reader, pp. 222-227
de Lange, Judaism, pp. 201-209.

Wed., Apr. 3: no class–Seventh day of Passover

Fri., Apr. 5 Exodus and Liberation
read: Susannah Heschel–Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel: http://www.shalomctr.org/html/hesch07.html
*Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, "Jew in the Civil Rights Movement and After," in The Narrow Bridge: Jewish Views on Multiculturalism, edited by Marla Brettschneider (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers, 1996), pp. 105-122.

Mon., Apr. 8 Judaism and Social Justice
read: *Toba Spitzer, "Of Haiti and Horseradish," in The Narrow Bridge, pp. 149-160.

Wed., Apr. 10 Yom ha-Shoah
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 182-185
* Elie Wiesel, Night, pp. 74-88.

Fri., Apr. 12 Memory
read: Ismar Schorsch and Jackie Feldman, "Memory and the Holocaust: Two Perspectives," in The Life of Judaism, pp. 148-171

Mon., Apr. 15 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
Maimonides, pp. 124-125
http://www.ou.org/kosher/default.htm--the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America's kashrut page

Wed., Apr. 17: personal ethics
read: Maimonides Reader, pp. 51-64, 171-173

Fri., Apr. 19 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.

Mon., Apr. 22 Gay and lesbian Jews
read: *Lev Raphael, "To Be a Jew," in Journeys and Arrivals: on being Gay and Jewish, pp. 1-31.
*Same-sex Jewish marriage/commitment ceremonies from New Menorah, 2000.

Wed., Apr. 24 Circumcision
read: de Lange, Judaism, 109-112
Bible: Gen. 17; Maimonides: pp. 99-100
*Michael S. Kimmel, "The Kindest Un-Cut: Feminism, Judaism, and My Son’s Foreskin."
*David Zaskow, "Circumcision and Brit: They’re Not the Same Thing."

Fri., Apr. 26 Welcoming girls into the covenant
read: *"Welcoming Children into Name and Covenant," in Debra Orenstein, ed., Lifecycles: Jewish Women on Life Passages and Personal Milestones (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights, 1994), pp. 53-75.

Mon., Apr. 29 Bar and Bat Mitzvah
read: de Lange, Introduction to Judaism, pp. 112-113, 148-150.
*Regina Stein, "The Road to Bat Mitzvah in America," in Pamela S. Nadell and Jonathan D. Sarna, eds., Women and American Judaism (Brandeis University Press, 2001), pp. 223-234.
recommended: Fran Markowitz, "A Bat Mitzvah among Russian Jews in America," in Goldberg, The Life of Judaism, pp. 121-136.

Wed., May 1 Death and afterlife
read: de Lange, Judaism, pp. 114-117, 151-154, 209-212
Maimonides Reader: Mourning (pp. 211-215), Helek (pp. 401-423)

Fri., May 3 Evaluation and review

This page maintained by: Rebecca Lesses
Last revised December 15, 2002