INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM
Hebrew Studies 211 Prof. Jonathan Schofer
Jewish Studies 211 1352 Van Hise Hall
Religious Studies 211 Tel: 263-2835
Fall 2005 Email: jwschofer@wisc.edu
TTh
132 Noland and by appointment
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
This course offers a general introduction to Judaism. For the first part of the semester, we will examine biblical and classical rabbinic sources concerning worship, holidays, and ideals for men and for women. Then, we will turn to medieval and modern transformations of these aspects of Judaism, as well as major historical events that have shaped contemporary Jewish life.
Through intense analysis of primary sources, we will see how Jews have defined sacred time (the rituals of the day, the week, and the year), sacred space (land, temple, synagogue, household), and religious leadership (prophet, priest, king, scribe, rabbi, philosopher, mystic, politician). Throughout the semester, we will focus on the dynamics of Judaism as a religious "tradition," in which innovation and change emerges through asserting continuity with the past.
REQUIRED
TEXTS
(books are available at both the University Bookstore and Underground
Textbook
Exchange)
1) A translation of the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament (I will use the JPS version, which will be at the bookstore; if you have another scholarly version, you may use it, but check with your TA to make sure that it is appropriate)
2) Raymond Scheindlin, A Short History of the Jewish People
3) R. Nathan Goldberg, Passover Haggadah
4) Primo Levi, Survival in
5) Course Reader (available at Bob's Copy Shop at
Please bring your readings and Bible to class
every
session!
Requirements
and Grading
1. Regular class attendance of lectures and careful preparation of assigned texts are considered essential aspects of the course. In grading papers and tests, we will be particularly concerned that you are learning the material and concepts that are taught in class sessions. Prior learning of Jewish sources is not a substitute for doing the work required by this course.
2. Your email address with the university must be current, or you should inform me of an appropriate one to add to the class email list. On a regular basis, we will send out worksheets by email to help you through the readings. Generally speaking, the worksheets are your guidelines in preparing for lecture. The lectures will build upon the worksheets, and then the questions for papers and tests will be drawn from the worksheets, lectures, and discussion sections.
3. Participation in sections (10%) – Active involvement in discussion sections is highly important. Your teaching assistant will provide an additional syllabus with standards and guidelines.
4. Papers (15% each) – Two short papers, each not more than three typed, double-spaced pages, will be assigned during the semester. They are due at the beginning of class on Oct. 25 and Nov. 29. No email submissions will be accepted.
University policies on plagiarism and cheating can be found at http://www.wisc.edu/students/conduct01.htm.
This is the policy regarding late papers:
If you hand in a paper up to one class session late, the grade will be reduced a full letter (A to B, AB to BC, etc.).
After that, and until the final exam, you can hand in late papers, but the grade will be reduced two full letters (A to C, AB to D, B to D, and lower grades will be an F).
5. Midterm (25%) – There will be one midterm, given in-class on Nov. 8. It may address any of the readings and class discussions to that point.
6. Final Exam (35%) –
The take-home Final Exam will be cumulative and may address any of the
readings
and class discussions. It is due on Monday,
December 19, at
7. You may sign up for honors credit, which can be a very productive way of exploring your own interests in relation to the topics of the course. If you do so, it is your responsibility to talk with the professor or one of your TA's and arrange your honors work (students who sign up for honors credit and do not do the work will receive a grade of "Q" at the end of the semester until the honors credit is dropped).
(this grading scale is approximate and may be
subject to
change)
SCHEDULE
Introduction to Introduction to Judaism (Sept. 6, 8)
Chronology
G. Scholem, "Revelation and Tradition," pages 282-284 (Reader)
J. Plaskow, "Standing Again at Sinai" (Reader)
A. Green, "Introduction" to Seek My Face, pages xiii-xxiv (Reader)
Ancient
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 1-23
Genesis 1-5, 12, 15
Exodus 1-4, 12-15, 19-20
Judges 4-5
Ancient
Leviticus 11
Deuteronomy 14
J. Milgrom, "The Biblical Diet Laws as an Ethical System" (Reader)
M. Douglas, "The Abominations of Leviticus" (Reader)
Ancient
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 24-49
1 Kings 8
2 Kings 22-25
Nehemiah 8
E. P. Sanders, Judaism:
Practice and Belief, pages 112-118 (Reader)
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: Intro (Sept 27)
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 51-70
Matthew 1 (Reader)
Mishnah Aboth (The Fathers) 1:1-2:1 (Reader)
Genesis Rabbah, pages 1, 9-10 (Reader)
-- Read with Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 8
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: Rabbinic Men and Women (Sept 29, Oct. 6 – note that there is
no class
on Oct. 4)
The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan, pages 32-38, 40-45 (Reader)
J. Abrams, Women of the Talmud, pages 1-7, 16, 65-73 (Reader)
Oct. 4 – No Class – Rosh Ha-Shanah
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: The Daily Liturgy (Oct. 11, 18
– note that there is no class on Oct. 13)
A. Mintz, "Prayer and the Prayerbook" (Reader)
the Shema and its Benedictions (Reader)
the Amidah / Tefillah / Shemoneh Esreh (Reader)
-- read these with Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 3
Mishnah Berakhoth 1, 2, 5:1 (Reader)
Green, Seek My Face, 3-8
Oct. 13 – No Class – Yom Kippur
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: Shabbat (Oct. 20)
Heschel, The Sabbath, pages 3-10 (Reader)
Sabbath Liturgy (Reader)
Genesis 1-2:3
Exodus 20:8-11
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Mishnah Shabbat 1, 7:2 (read Mishnah 7:2 first) (Reader)
àPaper due Oct 25ß
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur
(Oct. 25)
Celestial Delights, page 2
Exodus 23:14-17
Leviticus 23
Numbers 29
Deuteronomy 16
Mishnah Rosh Ha-Shanah 1
Mishnah Yoma 1, 8 (read Chapter 8 first)
(Reader)
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: Passover (Oct. 27, Nov. 1)
Exodus 1-20 (note that much of this material was assigned earlier as well)
Leviticus 23
Numbers 9, 28
Deuteronomy 16
Goldberg, Passover Haggadah
Classical Rabbinic
Judaism: Shavuot and Sukkot (Nov. 3)
Mishnha Sukkah 1, 5 (Reader)
R. Patai, "The Ritual of Water Libation" (Reader)
Green, Seek My Face, 138-142
Midterm (Nov. 8)
Medieval
Judaism: Philosophy (Nov. 10)
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 71-123
Maimonides, "Thirteen Principles" (Reader)
Daniel ben Judah of Rome, "Exalted" (Yigdal) (Reader)
Medieval
Judaism: Kabbalah (Nov. 15, 17)
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 123-149
L. Fine, chart of the Sefirot, from Holtz, Back to the Sources, pages 320-321 (Reader)
D. Matt, Zohar, pages 49-53, 207-214, 132, 257-258 (Reader)
L. Fine, Safed Spirituality, pages 61-80, 176-180 (Reader)
C. Weissler, Voices of the Matriarchs, pages 89-103 (Reader)
Nov. 22 All
discussion sections for the week will meet during lecture time on this
day, and
attendance will be taken.
Nov. 24 – no class –
Thanksgiving
àPaper due Nov. 29ß
Modern Judaism: Reform
(Nov. 29)
Scheindlin, A Short History, 149-197
Meyer, "Reform Platforms," in Response to Modernity, pages 387-394 (Reader)
Shema, in Gates of Prayer, pages 55-58 (Reader)
Knobel, "Reform Judaism and Kashrut," pages 488-493 (Reader)
Green, Seek My Face, 85-88
Modern Judaism: 19th
century Zionism (Dec. 1)
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 217-234
A. Hertzberg, The Zionist Idea (on Theodore Hertzl), pages 200-231 (Reader)
Modern Judaism: The
Holocaust (Dec. 6, 8)
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 199-216
P. Levi, Survival in
Contemporary Judaism (Dec. 13)
Scheindlin, A Short History, pages 235-260
Broner, Women's Haggadah, pages 1-7, 39-55 (Reader)
Contemporary Haggadot, selections (Reader)
Katz and Goldberg, "The Ritual Enactments of Indian-Jewish Identity of the Cochin Jews," pages 15-39 (Reader)
Conclusion and Review (Dec. 15)
If you have trouble accessing this page, contact: Chris Dargis (cadargis@wisc.edu)
Latest revision date: 8/23/2005 (cad)