Courses

Spring 2024

Four Session Short Courses

• C. Tuesday Morning Talmud

  Tuesdays at 8:00am

  Oct. 9, 16, 30 Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27 Dec. 4, 11 Make Up Dec. 18 if needed

  Taught by Rabbi Elana Kanter

  The Talmud teaches us  how to argue from different points of view, how to consider multiple angles on any subject, and how to express values through legal language.  Fall Topics and Sources:

  Talmud 2018-2019

  1. Hagiga 10a: rabbinic law is like a mountain hanging by a thread
  2. Hagiga 14b: four entered the Pardes (2x)
  3. Rosh Hashana 25a: Violating Yom Kippur to prove a point.
  4. Rosh Hashana 28b: Do commandments require kavvanah (intention)?
  5. Rosh Hashana 33b-34a: Why do we sound the shofar the way we do?
  6. Ta’anit 21-22: What ordinary people do to earn a place in the World to Come
  7. Ta’anit 23a: Honi the Circle-Drawer
  8. Yoma 23a: Kohanim gone wild: When blood is spilled at the altar
  9. Sukkah 29b-30a: Can one perform a mitzvah with something stolen?
  10. Yevamot 24b: What is the status of a conversion for the sake of marriage?
  11. Yevamot 62b: how 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva suddenly died
  12. Ketubot 7b-8a: the seven wedding blessings
  13. Ketubot 9a: double doubt in the case of a claim about a bride’s non-virginity
  14. Ketubot 22a: “the mouth that forbids is the mouth that permits”
  15. Ketubot 31a: when a more serious punishment applies, the lesser punishment is waived
  16. Ketubot 62b-63a: when too much Torah gets a rabbi killed
  17. Kiddushin 29a: time-bound positive mitzvot
  18. Kiddushin 31a-32b: honoring parents
  19. Kiddushin 39b: what is the reward for observing the commandments?
  20. Gittin 55b-56a: the story of the destruction of the Temple (Kamtza, bar Kamtza)
  21. Gittin 56a: the escape of Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai (3x)
  22. Gittin 60a-b: how was the Torah given, scroll-by-scroll or all at once?
  
  Enroll - $225

• A. Tea and Torah: The Heart of Torah, Rabbi Shai Held

  Mondays at 4pm

  November 5, 12, 19, 26,

  Taught by Rabbi Elana Kanter

  Join us for Tea and informal Torah conversation on Essays from Rabbi Shai Held’s book, The Heart of Torah.

  Nov. 5, Parshat Toldot

  Nov. 12 Parshat Vayetze

  Nov. 19 Parshat Vayishlach

  Nov. 26 Parshat Vayeshev

  
  Enroll - $125

• B. Joan’s Class: Jewish Literature and Jewish Life

  Mondays at 10:00am

  Oct. 8, 15, 29 Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26 Dec. 3, 10 Make Up Dec. 17 if needed

  Taught by Rabbi Elana Kanter

  Joan Beren, zichrona livracha, was a beloved and regular participant in this class for many years. Each fall, as we inaugurate a new year of study, we begin with a short tribute to Joan, a person who embodied both a love of Jewish texts and a love of Jewish life.   She was an inspiration to those of us who knew her, and her memory continues to be a blessing for us.
  

   

  Join women from a diverse cross-section of the Arizona Jewish Community.  We’ll be reading and completing Dalia Rosenfeld’s “The Worlds We Think We Know”

  
  Enroll - $225