BIB 101 Introduction to Bible
Dr. Ora Horn Prouser
This course will introduce the student to modern critical studies of the Bible. Selected texts of the Bible will be studied in-depth while broader thematic issues will be surveyed. Various methodologies used by biblical scholars will be introduced to the students. The many meanings of the text and the centrality of the Bible in the Jewish world will be emphasized through careful study.
This course is a prerequisite for all Bible study at AJR. Students in this course must be at the level of Hebrew IA or above.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
BIB 345 The Book of Genesis: An Exploration of the Human Condition
Dr. Job Jindo
This course is a close critical reading of Genesis, revolving around the themes of free will and the human condition. By the conclusion of this course, the student will: (1) learn the structure, purposes, and theological outlook of Genesis; (2) the insight into the complexity of being human as well as the enduring dilemmas of soulcraft as reflected in Genesis; and (3) how to teach the book of Genesis to contemporaries with AJR values (i.e., critical rigor, inclusivity, commitment to the pluralistic, contemporary Jewish and broader communities).
Prerequisite: In order to count this class as a biblical text class, students must have taken Introduction to Bible or the equivalent. Otherwise, students may count this class as an elective.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
BIB 420 Parshanut: Introduction to Medieval Biblical Exegesis
Dr. Job Jindo
This course introduces students to the rich world of medieval Jewish biblical exegesis. Selections, mostly from the Torah (esp., Genesis), will be examined to compare and contrast opinions of major commentators, such as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, and Ramban. By the conclusion of this course, the student will also be able to demonstrate: (1) a mastery of the essential skills in reading medieval commentaries; (2) an informed understanding of the methodologies and exegetical goals of each exegete; and (3) a deeper appreciation of the commentators in their own historical and theological contexts. Students will also become familiar with other features and interpretive tools found on the pages of rabbinic Bibles (Mikra’ot Gedolot)—for example, the interpretive value of the cantillation notes (Ta’amei Hamikra)—as well as what they should be mindful of, when using online sources (e.g., Sefaria).
Prerequisite: Introduction to Bible
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
CAN 131 Musical Skills II
Stanely Dorn
This series of courses is designed to prepare prospective cantors for the various technical musical demands of their profession. These include the ability to sing the written literature at sight, to harmonize those melodies for choral or instrumental performance and to create their own melodies to texts they may wish to use with their congregations. The course builds on the natural musical abilities of each student and helps to focus and refine these abilities so that the cantors can achieve mastery over these techniques.
Prerequisite: Musical Skills I or permission of the instructor
No Credit
Required Texts: TBD
CAN 201 Jewish Music in the Diaspora
Dr. Samuel Torjman-Thomas
The purpose of this course is to explore Jewish music as an expression of diaspora identity. To understand Jewish musical expressions, this course examines Jewish culture and identity as inherently diasporic. This course analyzes different types of Jewish musical expressions, including liturgical, para-liturgical, and non-liturgical spheres of musical production.
This course fulfills the Music History requirement.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
CAN 437 Advanced Nusah Hol
Cantors Sol Zim and Lisa Klinger-Kantor
In this course, students will learn and develop a deep understanding of the vast components of various Motifs, Nushaot, Prayer Modes and Misinai tunes for Y’mot Hahol – Shaharit, Minhah and Ma’ariv services. Students will learn, demonstrate and master how to lead all the weekday services from the siddur by utilizing the correct motifs and the richness of the various Nushaot blending them with contemporary sounds and various niggunim, thereby creating a bridge between traditional and new sounds. Each student will be required to master the Nusah motifs of the following parts of the weekday service: Birkhot Hashahar, P’sukei D’zimrah, Shaharit (including the Amidah), Tahanun, Torah Service, and the concluding service.
Both sections (second and third period) are required.
4 credits
Required Texts:
- Book of Musical Manuscripts will be provided by Cantor Sol Zim
- Siddur Sim Shalom for WEEKDAYS (Old, New versions)
- Mishkan T’filah
CAN 449 Nusah Improvisation
Cantor Sol Zim
In this course, students will learn how to create and develop an understanding of how to IMPROVISE “on-the-spot”, while using the many modes and musical motifs of Nusah Hatefillah. When one improvises, they create an even deeper elevation of a spiritual connection for the listener. The students will learn how to express the meaning of the words of a prayer
by being more inventive through their musical elaboration and doing a musical motif that was not planned and comes spontaneously from the heart.
Prerequisite: At least three trimesters of Advanced Nusah
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
HAL 373 Critical Issues in Jewish Law and Science: AI and Emerging Technologies
Dr. David Zvi Kalman
This is the online Intersession course May 5 – 8, 2025, see course schedule.
This course will count as Critical Issues Halakhah or as the Science requirement.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
HAL 460 Intermediate Codes
Rabbi Matthew Goldstone, PhD
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 Shabbat and holidays with secondary readings that offer more diverse perspectives for modern forms of observance and celebration.
Prerequisite: two trimesters of Introduction to Codes
2 credits
Required Texts: None
HEB 251 Hebrew IB
Ilana Davidov
This course will bring students to Chapter 8 of the second volume of Hebrew from Scratch (עברית מן ההתחלה ב’). The focus of the course is on reading comprehension of adapted informative and narrative texts in Modern Hebrew, with an emphasis on vocabulary development and dictionary look-up skills. The grammatical component of the course mostly follows the textbook. It includes Pi’el, Hitpa’el in all tenses, passive verbs in Pa’al, and more prepositions. Written and oral assignments will enhance communicative skills while improving absorption and integration of vocabulary and grammar.
Prerequisite: Hebrew IA or equivalent
4 credits
Required Texts:
- Shlomit Chayat, Sara Israeli, Hilla Kobliner, Hebrew From Scratch Textbook Part II (English and Hebrew Edition) 2001 Edition, Amazon, $65 ISBN: 084000849X
HEB 400 Hebrew IIIA
Ilana Davidov
The purpose of this course is to transition students from intermediate to advanced level of Hebrew. The course will focus on vocabulary expansion and reading comprehension and will provide training in speaking and listening. Students will develop their productive language skills via class discussions, presentations and listening practice, and via reading and writing assignments. The course will include a review of the verb system.
Prerequisite: Hebrew IIB or equivalent
4 credits
Required Texts:
עושים עניין Osim Inyan, Hebrew Matters by Gali Huminer and Tsuki Shay, Akademon Publishing.
It is available at https://www.sifrutake.com/scripts/main.cgi?action=big&product=TX100, and also at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OSIM+INYAN&i=stripbooks&crid=N6QDSBS72TV6&sprefix=osim+inyan%2Cstripbooks%2C84&ref=nb_sb_noss
HIS 401 Great Ideas and Debates of Jewish History II
Rabbi David Fine, PhD
The second part of this two-trimester course will examine the new ideas and the great debates that affected Jewish belief, culture and society from the Early Middle Ages up through Early Modern Times. This trimester will focus on the new ideas, perspectives, innovations, and debates of the Babylonian Jewish community under Islamic rule, followed by the growth of the Spanish Jewish community and the exciting developments created in that context. The development of the Ashkenazi Jewish community, as well as its unique understanding of Torah, will be explored, along with the influences and cultural exchange between Judaism and the Medieval Christian World, leading into the period of European Enlightenment and the Early Modern World. Great Ideas and Debates of Jewish History II may be taken before Great Ideas and Debates of Jewish History I.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
LIT 101 Introduction to Liturgy
Rabbi Rob Scheinberg, PhD
What are the words associated with Jewish prayer, and how and why have they changed over time? In this course we will closely examine the Jewish liturgy for weekdays, addressing the structure, history, and theological implications of texts of the Siddur including the Shema, Amidah, Torah service, Kaddish, Berakhot associated with food, and more. We will also explore questions of prayer’s personal meaning and spiritual significance in contemporary Jewish life, as well as the role of a religious leader in thoughtfully designing worship experiences.
Prerequisite: Students in this course must be at the level of Hebrew IA or above.
Required Texts: TBD
LIT 307 Festival Liturgy
Rabbi Jeff Hoffman, DHL
A study of the liturgy of Pesah, Shavuot, and Sukkot from biblical origins to the present era. Features: Variations from the weekday liturgy, especially in the Amidot; the development of Hallel customs; the form, function and texts of principal piyyutim, e.g., Hoshanot and Akdamut; Yizkor. These will be studied from historical, literary, and theological perspectives.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Liturgy or the equivalent; Hebrew must be at least at the level of Hebrew IA
2 Credits
Required Texts:
1. Arthur Waskow, Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays, 1982 and reprinted many times since
2. Jeffrey Hoffman, Weaving Prayer: An Analytical and Spiritual Commentary on the Jewish Prayerbook, 2024. Available in hardcover, paperback, and digital formats through the publisher, Ben Yehuda Press: https://www.benyehudapress.com/books/weaving-prayer/
3. The Complete Artscroll Siddur (Ashkenazic, Orthodox), edited by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. (Not the interlinear version). For identification purposes only, here is a link to this book, though you may purchase it from any source: https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9780899066509.html
In addition to the two books above, students are required to have available two of the following four siddurim. Students may purchase copies from the various movements or from any other source. Another possibility is borrowing one or more of these from local synagogues:
1. Siddur Lev Shalem (Conservative), The Rabbinical Assembly, 2016.
2. Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Vehaggim (Reconstructing Judaism), The Reconstructionist Press, 2004. (Note that the weekday and Days of Awe versions are also titled Kol Haneshamah; this course requires the volume with the subtitle, Shabbat Vehaggim).
3. Mishkan T’filah: A Reform Siddur, Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2007.
4. Siddur Eit Ratzon (Havurah Movement), edited by Joseph G. Rosenstein, 2006. (Note that the weekday and Days of Awe versions are also titled Eit Ratzon; this course requires the edition that includes the Shabbat and Festival Liturgy).
MEC 155 Mechina IV
Yifat Avner
This course is a continuation of Mechina Hebrew III. It will build upon the foundational grammar covered in previous Mechina courses. The students will continue to develop their Hebrew language skills and expand their verb conjugations in past and present tense. They will also be introduced to new vocabulary and more advanced grammar topics.
0 credits
Textbooks:
Hebrew From Scratch Part 1 – Ivrit Min Ha’Hatchala Ha’Chadash, Amazon $61.50 ASIN B0035G8WME
PHI 301 Bioethics
Rabbi Jill Hackell, MD
Technological advancements in medicine have brought with them bioethical issues of increasing complexity. This course will examine issues pertinent to today’s bioethical dialogue from a Jewish point of view, including issues such as organ donation, end-of-life, assisted reproduction, genetic screening and gene therapy, disease prevention, physician-assisted death, and the many issues raised by COVID. How does the Jewish way of looking at these issues compare and contrast with the general societal discussion? What are the governing principles of bioethical argument in each of these across the spectrum of Jewish thought? How are ancient Jewish sources reconciled with modern technology in guiding thinking about these issues?
This course runs for the first half of the trimester.
1 credit
Required Texts: TBD
PHI 475 Personal Theology
Rabbi Len Levin, PhD
Through taking this course students will be able to: clarify their own theological agenda—the questions and core-concepts that are most central to their own Jewish theological vision; develop a statement of their personal theological visions, through a combination of drawing on previous paradigms and creating their own; and specifically be able to address the issues of revelation/authority/practice, God, Israel/Jewish peoplehood, suffering/evil, and eschatology in a way that will be meaningful to themselves and to their future audiences.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
PHI 510 Jewish Mysticism for 21st Century Jewish Leaders: Between Theory and Practice
Dr. Yakir Englander
This course seeks to bridge the rich world of Jewish mysticism with the challenges and questions facing Jewish spiritual leaders in the modern era. Rather than focusing on a historical-chronological approach, the course is structured around central themes that engage contemporary Jewish community life. Students will be exposed to diverse mystical voices while gaining practical experience in spiritual practices and critically examining their boundaries. Special emphasis will be placed on the relevance of mystical insights to modern communal life, while examining the costs and risks associated with employing mystical tools.
The course is structured in four distinct gates (she’arim), each exploring different dimensions of Jewish mysticism.
The first gate addresses fundamental questions and boundaries of mysticism, examining the possibility and propriety of knowing the Divine, investigating Divine imagery, and establishing the boundaries that Jewish mysticism sets for such knowledge.
The second gate focuses on tools and approaches for mystical encounters, exploring prayer both as dialogue with and articulation of the Divine – questioning whether Jewish prayer requires a recipient and examining its meaning in post-Death of God theology. This gate also investigates language, text, and the art of spiritual listening as pathways to Divine knowledge.
The third gate examines mystical encounters through embodiment and space, including the analysis of the Hasidic tzaddik’s embodied presence, the mystical relationships to land (“ha-makom“) and its transformations in Israeli political discourse regarding settlers, and the role of body, sexuality, and gender as spaces for Divine encounter.
The fourth gate addresses challenging aspects of Jewish mysticism, including the use of psychedelics and bodily mortification as means of hastening Divine communion, and mystical approaches to communal trauma, as exemplified in ultra-Orthodox responses to the Holocaust and Elie Wiesel’s unique Hasidic literary creation.
Throughout the course, students are not only expected to engage intellectually with these topics but are also invited into an intimate and personal experience with mystical dimensions through contemplative practices and exercises.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
PRO 217 Scientific Literacy
Rabbi Geoff Mitelman
From COVID-19 to climate change, genetic engineering to artificial intelligence, and exoplanets to human flourishing, we’re living through unprecedented changes in science and technology. But these questions also touch on deep theological, philosophical and existential issues. So how do we understand these questions through a Jewish perspective, Jewish tradition, and Jewish law? How can we better understand and communicate scientific findings, especially if we ourselves are not experts in the field? And how do we talk about science and technology when questions surrounding religion and science are often viewed as hot-button political issues? This course will give you an opportunity to better understand science not as a collection of facts, but as a process of discovery, and how you can share these findings with your community. With guest lecturers from across the scientific world, you’ll gain a firmer grasp on how you can integrate science and scientific knowledge into your Jewish life. This course will fulfill the Science and Judaism requirement.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
PRO 314 Leading Through Crisis
Rabbi David Seth Kirshner
While synagogues are communities within themselves, they are also always a part of a larger community. It’s important to know how to connect with political authorities, police and fire departments, and to be a relevant part of a larger community. Additionally, it’s important for clergy to be savvy about communication, whether through press or social media, and to recognize the kind of outreach that is not meant just to bring in new members, but to serve the functioning congregation. All of these skills become that much more important during times of communal crisis. This course will give students guidance and a toolbox in dealing with these types of external pieces in leading communities through times of crisis.
This class will count toward the entrepreneurship requirement or as an elective.
1 credit
Required Texts: TBD
PRO 341 Life Cycle I
Rabbi Jef Segelman
In this course, we will explore the Jewish perspective of life from birth until marriage. Our focus will be on three particular ideas. One: Understanding the traditional ideas, ceremonies and rituals associated with these stages of life. Two: Understanding the very practical and professional manner in which rabbis and cantors officiate at these ceremonies and rituals. Three: Considering the ways in which we may innovate these ceremonies and create new ones for special life moments not ritualized by tradition.
2 credits
Required Texts:
1. Goldie Milgram, Living the Jewish Life Cycle
2. Martin Cohen, The Observant Life
3. Rela Geffen, Celebration and Renewal
4. Isaac Klein, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet)
PRO 366 Teaching Israel
Rabbi Anat Katzir
The Israel Education course will look into some of the major questions and challenges when approaching Israel programs and curricula. We will begin with an initial understanding of why Israel education is important in spiritual communities, and include issues such as what Israel content do we introduce to our community, and how to handle challenging conversations and complex emotions when discussing Israel. This class counts toward the Education requirement.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
PRO 426 Beyond the Pulpit: Community and Organizational Life
Rabbi Robert Kaplan
In this dynamic course, we will explore the intricate tapestry of both Jewish and non-Jewish communal structures, examining how they operate and intersect in the realm of community service and organizational leadership. Participants will engage in a comprehensive analysis of the various facets of not-for-profit service delivery, funding mechanisms, and community relations and the role you as a spiritual leader can play and navigate in it.
This nonprofit management course can count toward the entrepreneurship requirement.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
PRO 470 Chaplaincy
Rabbi Julie Schwartz
This course seeks to integrate the theoretical knowledge about the science of spiritual care with the practical application of the art of spiritual care. Students must secure an internship of at least 27 hours in a chaplaincy setting (hospital, senior housing, etc.) during which they are expected to intentionally practice the skills and approaches presented during the course. Class sessions will include regular opportunities for students to discuss and process their practical experiences in the field and to learn from the experiences of their peers. Students will continue the development of their pastoral care skills while also identifying the multiple roles that a chaplain may serve during the provision of pastoral care. Students will be introduced to methods of spiritual assessment, theological reflection, and the use of self during the pastoral encounter.
This course will meet six times over the course of the trimester on the following dates: 1/13, 2/3, 2/17, 3/3, 3/17, 3/31
1 credit
Required Texts: TBD
PRO 700 Field Work Support Seminar
Rabbi Jef Segelman
This seminar group focuses upon issues that arise in the course of rabbinical and cantorial work. Students will explore the challenges that they face in their work and in their developing rabbinate/cantorate through the presentation of a case study. Participation is required of all students whose work is counting as a required internship experience.
All Fieldwork must be approved prior to the beginning of the term by Rabbi Jef Segelman.
No credit
Required Texts: TBD
RAB 230 Introduction to Talmudic Logic
Rabbi Jeff Hoffman, DHL
In this first trimester of Talmud study, the emphasis will be on learning the kind of talmudic logic employed in the legal arguments, especially the kushia-contradiction (objection) and the terutz (resolution). While the passages studied will be in parallel English/Hebrew-Aramaic columns from Sefaria, most of the passages will be studied in English in order to facilitate learning the challenging logic of talmudic discourse. Nevertheless, students will learn key technical terms in the original Aramaic. Once students learn the basics of talmudic logic in this first trimester of Introduction to Talmud, the second trimester will introduce additional elements of talmudic study and passages will be studied in their original Hebrew and Aramaic.
The Havruta session is required of all students.
Prerequisite: Introduction to Mishnah
2 credits
Required Texts:
1. Jastrow, Marcus Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature, Amazon $44.95 ISBN 1932443207
2. Frank, Yitzhak The Practical Talmud Dictionary, Amazon $23.49 ISBN 1592644511
RAB 330 Intermediate Talmud
Rabbi Matthew Goldstone, PhD
This course will hone students’ abilities to critically read, parse, and understand Talmudic material that is relevant for understanding contemporary Judaism. This semester will focus on sugyot related to prayer and blessings, which will give us greater insight into the origins of several dimensions of Jewish prayer and will hopefully inform our own relationship to prayer.
2 credits
Required Texts: None
SPI 370 Architecture of Ritual
Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD
The Architecture of Ritual is a course that allows Jewish leaders to consciously explore, from a scholarly and experiential perspective, what ritual is, what ritual does within the life of individuals and communities, what a clergyperson’s role is in creating and performing ritual, and how ritual can be effective in the lives of modern Jews. The course will cover ritual as a phenomenon (what it is, why it exists, how it is structured) as well as explore individual ritual topics with an eye toward determining how ritual works, clarifying ritual structures, practicing ritual innovation, and considering the function of clergy as ritual leaders.
2 credits
Required Texts: TBD
