The Pardes Community Education program offers courses that provide in-depth, Jewish text study on a flexible schedule to meet students’ interests and availability.
Classes offered via Zoom are scheduled based on Israel time (IDT) and are therefore also available to those living in other parts of the world.
With classes, lectures, and tours on a variety of subjects, participants can attend a single class, a course, or an entire series.
If you have any questions please contact Alex@pardes.org.il.
You can register for one class or the entire series. Recordings are provided for any missed classes when you purchase an entire class series. Details of each class is below.
MONDAYS
Ambassador Daniel Taub – 9:30-10:45 am, Through a Veil: Lenses that Reveal and Revise the Meaning of our Texts
Reading Torah is an art. We have lenses that channel and sometimes distance us from the text itself – translation, teachers, contemporary context and so on. This course will explore these dimensions of experiencing the words of the Bible.
Rachel Sharansky Danziger – 11 am – 12:15 pm, Partnerships and Pitfalls Biblical Tales of Working Together
This course will study stories of cooperation and partnership in the Hebrew Bible, and what they can teach us about working together, about the difficulties of uniting across divides.
TUESDAYS
Mike Feuer – 9:30-10:45 am, The Making of the Jew
The Formation of Ashkenazi Jewry in the 9th -13th Centuries
The evolution of Jewish culture happened together with that of Western European culture. This class will explore the world which produced Rashi, the cultural context of the Tosafists and the mysticism of Chaside Ashkenaz. We will trace the interaction between Jewish and European culture in the Middle Ages and understand how the Crusades were a crucible for both. During this Omer season when Ashkenazi Jewry underwent some of its early formative experiences, join me to understand how those events are part of our liturgy, theology and cultural outlook as we explore the making of the Jew.
Alex Israel – 11 am – 12:15 pm, Shir Hama’alot
The Poetry and Passion of Psalms
The “Shir Hamaalot” Psalms (Chapter 120-135) are some of the most famous passages in Tehillim. We shall study a selection of these chapters and the broader themes that they express, exploring the poetry of the Psalms and the varied ideas that they express.
THURSDAYS
Tanya White – 11:15 am – 12:30 pm, Rethinking Revelation: Hearing God in a Postmodern World
The word ‘revelation’ today is almost an anomaly. It belongs to a time gone by; of a nation that once saw the wonders and watched in awe as God revealed Himself. How can we today, in an age of skepticism, rationalism and biblical criticism still identify with theories of Divine revelation? In an age of Divine ‘hiddenness’ can His presence still be intuited? But perhaps most poignantly, how can we, the generation following the destruction of a third of world Jewry, still claim to ‘hear’ God? This course will journey from the biblical text to modern philosophy in a quest to uncover the relevance of revelation for our contemporary consciousness.
Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn – 1-2:15 pm, Morality, Modernity and Medinat Yisrael: War Ethics, Gender Equality, Universalism, Organ Donation.
This series will examine the relationship of Jewish Ethics to Halakhah, how Tzedek and Hesed relate to equality and empathy, the meaning of Tzelem Elokim, morality in war, universalism, and the mitzvah to imitate God.
1. Is intentionally killing civilians permitted in war, as the Bible seems to teach?
2. What are the ethical issues in donating and receiving organs?
3. How does “tzedek” relate to gender equality?
4. What is the difference between Jewish law and Jewish ethics?
5. What is wrong with religious zealotry and violence committed out of religious conviction?
6. Are Jews essentially different from gentiles?
Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn is an Orthodox rabbi and holds a doctorate in moral philosophy from Columbia University. His recent book is, To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values. He is the author and editor of 8 books and his writings have been translated into Hebrew, Italian, German and Spanish. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Lila Magnus Korn.
The times listed are all Israel time. (GMT+3)
For questions please contact ce@pardes.org.il or alex@pardes.org.il.
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