Open House – Tuesday, February 24, 2026

9:15 – 10:30 am
Informational FAQs
Learn more about our programs of study, curriculum, distance learning, and the AJR application process.

Cantorial Practica – presentations by cantorial students as part of their educational programs.

1. Introduction to Midrash – Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD
2. Advanced Codes – Rabbi David Almog
3. Jewish Prayers for Healing – Rabbi Rob Scheinberg, PhD
4. Advanced Nusah Shabbat II – Cantor Sol Zim

2:10 – 3:20 pm
Pluralism at AJR and Pluralistic Leadership in Today’s Jewish Community
Dr. Ora Horn Prouser

Experience our spirited tefillot.

1. Comparative Meditation – Dr. Job Jindo
2. Introduction to Talmud II – Rabbi Jeff Hoffman, DHL
3. Introduction to Midrash – Rabbi Iscah Waldman
   
4. Advanced Nusah Shabbat II – Cantor Lisa Klinger-Kantor

1. Questions About Taking Classes This Spring? Rabbinic, MA, and Kol-Bo – Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, Rabbi Matthew Goldstone, PhD

Have a great day!

Course Descriptions

RAB 110 Introduction to Midrash
Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD and Rabbi Iscah Waldman
In this introductory class, we will examine the forms, methods and vocabulary of rabbinic midrash and explore the function that midrash plays in rabbinic interpretation of Torah. We will learn some basic midrashic strategies, and become familiar with a variety of midrashic collections from the talmudic to the medieval period. This is a text-based class and we will spend time during each session reading midrashim in Hebrew to improve our fluency.

HAL 510 Advanced Codes
Rabbi David Almog
This course will focus on Joseph Karo’s Shulhan Arukh, the major medieval code of Jewish law that continues to inform contemporary practice. We will study many of the most important laws related to the observance of laws of mourning and dietary practices with secondary readings that offer more diverse perspectives on a variety of related issues.

Jewish Prayers for Healing: History, Language, and Theology
Rabbi Rob Scheinberg, PhD
We will explore Jewish prayers for healing as found in the Tanakh, the Talmud, and the Siddur (with a special focus on the Mi Sheberakh le-holim). What are our theological assumptions when we pray for healing? How have Jewish approaches to prayers for healing changed over time?

CAN 426 Advanced Nusah Shabbat II
Cantor Sol Zim and Cantor Lisa Klinger-Kantor
This course provides an in-depth and extensive study of the vast liturgy of the Shabbat Shaharit and Musaf services. Students will develop a deep understanding and mastery of the Nushaot, special motifs, and participatory melodies involved in both services. They will also demonstrate strong competence in these areas so as to proficiently lead a Shabbat service.

SPI 356 “In a Still, Small Voice”: Comparative Meditation and the Renewal of Inner Life
Dr. Job Jindo
This course explores the existential meaning of meditation in liberal societies through a comparative study centered on the seminal guide Shoshikan (A Concise Guide to Stilling and Insight Meditation) by the great Buddhist master Zhiyi/Chih-i/Chigi (538–597). Zhiyi, who stands alongside Maimonides, Aquinas, and al-Ghazali in spiritual stature, left an unmatched legacy that profoundly shaped Buddhist practice throughout East Asia. Each session focuses on a chapter of the Shoshikan, bringing it into dialogue with Jewish sources and other spiritual traditions. Designed for spiritual seekers and future leaders serving diverse and pluralistic communities, the course combines study and meditative practice to explore how disciplines of attention and compassion can renew spiritual depth, relational awareness, and ethical presence in contemporary life.

RAB 231 Introduction to Talmud II
Rabbi Jeff Hoffman, DHL
In this second half of the two-trimester Introduction to Talmud course, students will continue to develop their skills in decoding the dialectic of the talmudic discourse. This term, the text will be studied in its original languages. Students will prepare the Steinsaltz commentary (Hebrew) with the help of vocabulary sheets provided by the instructor. Modern critical methodologies of Talmud study – identifying the three layers of Tannaitic, Amoraic, and Stam material – will be introduced. Study of basic Aramaic terms and Talmudic organic logic will resume. The content will be the various halakhic and theological approaches to the Amidah found in Tractate Berakhot, chapter 4.