Rabbi Aaron S. Gold Institute of Jewish Studies:
Schedule for 2008/09

Rabbi Rosenthal is asking those who are interested to participate in a brief survey about Adult Education for the coming year. Click here to start. The survey should take less than five minutes. 

Hebrew

Hebrew school was never like this! Come study Hebrew with us this year. Maybe you've heard that our courses are different: All of them use the same method as is used in the popular "Ulpan" currently sponsored by the San Diego Agency for Jewish Education - but generally focused on reading for religious purposes.

Alef-Bet Crash Course

Rapid introduction to pronouncing Hebrew words, with fun 'associations' like "the pirate with a pin." Hebrew school was never like this! 6 sessions. Dates & times: Sundays, 9:30 - 10:40 a.m., October 19 & 26, November 2, 16, & 23, & December 7, 2008. Fee: free, but please register; book is $10. Instructor: Zev bar-Lev, professor of linguistics at SDSU, and founder/director of the Language Bazaar.

Elementary Hebrew

Review of alphabet, practice with basic vocabulary, reading/comprehension of some simple texts. Dates & times: Sundays, 9:30 - 10:40 a.m., January 4, 11, & 25, & February 1, 8, & 22, 2009. Fees: $35 (members), $40 (non-members), plus books. Instructor: Zev bar-Lev, professor of linguistics at SDSU, and founder/director of the Language Bazaar.

Beyond the Alphabet

Learn what Hebrew means! (You wouldn't say you can read Turkish just because you can pronounce it.) Here you will learn how Hebrew is like challah (English is like sliced bread), and how kabbalah can help build your vocabulary rapidly through roots and roots of roots. Dates & times: Sundays, 9:30 - 10:40 a.m., March 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, & April 5, 2009. Fees: $35 (members), $40 (non-members), plus books. Instructor: Zev bar-Lev, professor of linguistics at SDSU, and founder/director of the Language Bazaar.

Judaism

Basic Judaism

This course explains Jewish concepts, values and rituals. It provides a good review of subjects learned in Torah School on an adult level, and is a required course for conversion to Judaism. A Hebrew Literacy component of this course is scheduled for October 19 - December 7 (at no additional charge). (See Alef-Bet Crash Course above.) Dates & Times: Sundays, 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 noon, September 21, 2008 - April 26, 2009. Fees: $40 (members), $150 (non-members), plus books (scholarships are available). Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal. Click here to download the class syllabus.   Click here to purchase the required and recommended books for this course.

Adult B'nai Mitzvah

Even though everyone becomes a Bar or Bat Mitzvah when they reach the age of 13, many Jews feel something missing from their lives if they do not participate in this very moving coming of age ceremony. Fortunately, it is never too late to celebrate becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah! Students will learn to chant from the Torah and Haftarah, and to lead the service. The year will culminate at a moving and inspirational Adult B'nai Mitzvah service. (Please note: Adult B'nai Mitzvah students must be simultaneously enrolled in, or have previously completed, Rabbi Rosenthal's Basic Judaism class. The class is open to TIS members only.) Dates & Times: TBA. Fees: $118. Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal.

 

Torah

Does the Torah Really Say That? - An Exploration of Midrash Agadah

Have you ever scratched your head over a rabbinic interpretation of the Torah? Have you ever wondered how Jewish tradition justifies twisting or modifying the word of God? In this mini-course we will explore the freewheeling world of Midrash Agadah, the process of rabbinic interpretation which helps explain and expand the Torah's narrative. We will learn some of the rules of rabbinic interpretation and study several selections from core Midrashic texts in English. Dates & Times: Sundays, 9:30 - 10:40 a.m., October 12, 19 & 26, November 2, 16, & 23, 2008. Fees: $35 (members), $40 (non-members), plus books. Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal.

Where Does the Torah Say I Can't Eat a Cheeseburger? - An Exploration of Midrash Halacha

Judaism seems to have a lot of rules that are nowhere found in the Torah. Despite the Torah's injunction against adding or subtracting to its words, much of what Jews do and do not do cannot are not found explicitly in the Bible. This mini-course will explore the world of Midrash Halacha, how the Rabbis derive legal principles and laws from the Torah's text. We will learn some of the rules of rabbinic interpretation and study several selections from core Midrashic texts in English. Dates & Times: Sundays, 9:30 - 10:40 a.m., March 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, & April 5, 19, & 26, 2009. Fees: $35 (members), $40 (non-members), plus books. Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal.