Fall 2007
Tuesday + Thursday 2:30-3:45
Van Hise 475

Instructor: E. Tod Twist
Office: 1340 Van Hise Hall
Office Telephone: 262-9553
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-4:45 PM and by appointment
Email: todtwist@gmail.com

Course Description:

This course offers a general introduction to the literature of the Classical Rabbinic or Talmudic period of Judaism. We will primarily focus upon: (a) the Mishnah and its interpretation in the Babylonian Talmud; (b) midrash aggadah, or non-legal midrash.

We will be reading primary sources that are quite difficult. The quantity of material is not large, but we will examine it very intensively with close and detailed analyses. As a foundation for our study, we will examine the historical development of the Rabbinic period of Judaism.

I will give out worksheets and reading guides on a regular basis. The main goal of the course is the development of reading skills that will enable a glimpse into a radically foreign culture of religious elites - a culture whose thought and practice have shaped the religious life of Jews to the present.

Goals:

1. To understand the background of the Rabbinic Period of Judaism, and thereby the distinctive contribution of the Rabbis to the history of Judaism;
2. To develop an initial familiarity with the major genres of Rabbinic Literature;
3. To acquire a working vocabulary of interpretive techniques for those genres;
4. To develop skills in the analysis (and expression of analysis) of this literature.

Study Suggestion:

Your grasp of the material will be enhanced if, in addition to studying alone, you further prepare the texts in pairs or groups, discussing and debating the texts’ meanings and implications. Note, however, that you must answer your homework questions and write your take-home papers on your own.

Course Requirements and Grading:

Syllabus:

During the course of the semester, the syllabus may be modified, and handouts may be added. Any modifications / additions will be announced / distributed either in class, or by email (to your “wisc” address), or in both ways. You are responsible to be aware of any such modifications / additions.

Required Texts:  when reading has been assigned, bring book(s) to class

Martin S. Jaffee, Early Judaism [= “Jaffee” on schedule]
Strack and Stemberger, Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash [= “ITM” on schedule]

Worksheet Assignments and Primary Text Selections will be made available via “Learn@UW-Madison” [https://learnuw.wisc.edu].

In addition to the required texts, you are expected to have access to an English translation of the Hebrew Bible (I will provide some biblical texts, but not all of them). You may use any translation that you wish, but I suggest that you use a scholarly translation that is fairly literal (i.e. “word-for-word”) in its style, because this will help you notice underlying language features more readily. If you have no preference, an online version of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is available here: http://www.devotions.net/bible/00old.htm

Attendance:

You are expected to attend class. Please don’t disrupt the class by arriving late or
leaving early. Cell phones turned off; no talking; no reading of outside material; no meals; no noisy wrappers; no elaborate food or drink; no MP3 (I-Pod) listening.

Grade Distribution and Grading Scale :

Grading Distribution:

Class Participation: 10%
Homework: 30%
First In-Class exam: 15%
Second In-Class exam: 15%
Take-Home Paper 1: 15%
Take-Home Paper 2: 15%

Grading Scale:

A 94.0 - 100
AB 88.0 - 93.9
B 82.0 - 87.9
BC 76.0 - 81.9
C 70.0 - 75.9
D 60.0 - 69.9
F 0 - 59.9

(note that this grading distribution and scale is approximate and may be subject to change).

Participation (10% total):

Participation is based on the combination of a short Oral Report (5%) on a section of the assigned secondary reading, and attendance at an external lecture (5%).

Oral Report:
One oral report will be given by each student on a segment of the secondary readings. You will have approximately 5 minutes to answer two questions about your section of the readings: (1) What does it say?; (2) Why is it important?

External Lecture:
You are required to attend one of four possible external lectures. A one-page typewritten summary of the contents of the lecture that you attended is due the class period after the lecture. If you need extra credit on your participation grade or one homework assignment, you may attend another lecture, and submit a summary after the extra lecture .

Option 1: Thursday, October 18th - 4:00 pm (The Sanford J. Ettinger Lecture)
Michal Govrin—“Writing of Hope in Times of Despair: Jerusalem in Woman's Eyes”
State Historical Society Auditorium, 816 State Street [LOCATION NOT CONFIRMED]

Option 2: Thursday, October 25th - 7:30 pm (Tobias Lecture)
Guy Stern—“The Secret War of the Ritchie Boys and a Look Behind the Scenes of an
Oscar Nominated Documentary"
State Historical Society Auditorium, 816 State Street

Option 3: Monday, November 5th - 7:30 pm (Lubar Lecture)
Leonard J. Greenspoon—“Interpreting the Word, Hope, Hype and Habit in 50 years of BiblicalStudies”
Pyle Center Auditorium - 702 Langdon

Option 4: Thursday, November 8th - 4:00 pm
Ruth Gruber (journalist and human rights activist)—“Witness: One of the Great Correspondents of the Twentieth Century Tells Her Story”
Alumni Lounge, Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street

Homework Readings and Questions (30%):

Homework completion before class is required. Homework consists of reading the assigned primary and secondary passages, thinking about them, and providing brief (two or three sentences) written answers to questions about them.

Homework answers must be submitted in typewritten hardcopy at the beginning of every class. Late Homework will not be accepted. Make two copies of your answers, and BRING BOTH COPIES OF YOUR HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO CLASS. YOU WILL USE THE SECOND COPY AS REFERENCE WHEN YOU ARE CALLED ON, AS WELL AS IN CLASS DISCUSSIONS. Note that I reserve the right to call on students during class discussions.

You may miss a maximum of two homework assignments before losing grade points, but you are responsible for material covered in any assignments that you miss. If you do not miss any homework assignments, your lowest two homework grades will not be counted.

Exams and Papers (60% total):
The two exams and the papers will be based upon all aspects of the course, including the primary and secondary readings, homework, and class lectures and discussions. Your answers should be based upon the primary and secondary readings and the type of analysis used in this course. Previous or outside knowledge may supplement — but may not substitute for — the readings and analysis employed in this course.

I will construct exams from homework assignments, lectures, and readings. I will provide a study guide for both exams.

Both papers will be approximately 5-7 pages each. Detailed instructions for the papers will be handed out near the beginning of Units Three and Four. You will have several options to choose from for both paper assignments.

First In-Class Exam (15%):
During class time, Sept 27. NO EXCEPTIONS

Second In-Class Exam (15%):
During class time, Oct 25. NO EXCEPTIONS

Take-Home Paper 1 (15%) :
Due in hard copy on or before the beginning of class on Nov 20th. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Take-Home Paper 2 (15%):
Due in hard copy on or before the scheduled final exam time—Friday, Dec 21st
NO EXCEPTIONS.

Academic Integrity and Honesty:
Cheating and Plagiarism are serious injustices, and will be dealt with according to University rules, which contain a provision for failing the perpetrating student for the entire course.

Extreme Circumstances:
Any foreseen extreme circumstances must be brought to my attention in advance.

SCHEDULE (note that the schedule is approximate and may be subject to change)

Unit 1—Recognizing the Tradition

Week 1 (Sept 4, 6)
9/4—Introduction to Course and Syllabus
Jaffee 1-24
ITM 1-7 (“The Historical Framework”)
m. Avot 1.1

9/6—Method and Reading Strategies 1
Jaffee 25-46
ITM 45-55 (“Handling Rabbinic Texts: The Problem of Method”)

Week 2 (Sept 11)
9/11—Method and Reading Strategies 2
Jaffee 49-73
ITM 31-44 (“Oral and Written Tradition”)
m. Avot 1 (all)

9/13—No class session (Rosh Hashanah)

Week 3 (Sept 18, 20)
9/18
Jaffee 74-98
ITM 108-138 (“The Mishnah”)
m. Berakhot 1-2 (all)

9/20
Jaffee 99-121
ITM 149-161 (“The Tosefta”)
Comparative text of m. Berakhot 8 and t. Berakhot 5
t. Berakhot 1.1-5

Week 4 (Sept 25, 27)
9/25
Review

9/27
Test 1

Unit 2—Transforming Tradition

Week 5 (Oct 2, 4)
10/2
Jaffee 125-151
ITM 190-214 (“The Babylonian Talmud”)
Comparative text of m. Berakhot 8.1-4 and b. Berakhot 8 (folios 51B-52A)
10/4
Jaffee 152-188
ITM 164-185 (“The Palestinian Talmud”)
Comparative text of m. Berakhot 8.1-4 and y. Berakhot 8

Week 6 (Oct 9, 11)
10/9
Jaffee 189-225
m. Sukkah 1 (selection)
b. Sukkah 2a-3a

10/11
Jaffee 230-249
ITM 8-14 (“The Rabbinic School System”)
Avot de Rabbi Natan, version A on the "fence of the sages"

Week 7 (Oct 16, 18)
10/16
Jaffee 250-259; 263-266
Avot de Rabbi Natan (Version A) 41 on m. Avot 4.13

10/18
Avot de Rabbi Natan (Version A) 16, commentary to yetzer ha-ra‘
b. Berakhot 61b on the martyrdom of R. Akiva

[Oct 18—Lecture Option 1; M. Govrin Lecture—4:00 PM]

Week 8 (Oct 23, 25)
10/23
Review

10/25
Test 2

[Oct 25—Lecture Option 2; G. Stern Lecture—7:30 PM]

Unit 3—Midrash

Week 9 (Oct 30, Nov 1)
10/30—Introduction to Midrash
ITM 233-246
Genesis Rabbah 1 (selection) + Genesis 1:1; Proverbs 8
Bemidbar Rabbah (selection) + Numbers 11 (on the 70 elders)
Sifre Deuteronomy 32 (selection)

11/1—(Paper 1, Option 1)
ITM 276-282
Genesis 22
Genesis Rabbah 55

Week 10 (Nov 6, 8)

[Nov 5—Lecture Option 3; L. Greenspoon Lecture—7:30 PM]

11/6—(Paper 1, Option 2)
ITM 247-250; 270-272
Deut 3:23-26
Sifre Deuteronomy 26

11/8—(Paper 1, Option 3)
Deuteronomy 33:2
Sifre Deuteronomy 343

[Nov 8—Lecture Option 4; R. Gruber Lecture—4:00 PM]

Week 11 (Nov 13, 15)
11/13—(Paper 1, Option 4)
ITM 251-256
Exodus 19, 20
Mekhilta to Ex. 20:2

11/15—Review

Week 12 (Nov 20)
11/20 Paper 1 Due
Introduction to Next Unit

11/22—No class session—Thanksgiving

Unit 4—Turnabout on Tradition

Week 13 (Nov 27, 29)
11/27—The Oven of Akhnai—(Paper 2, Option 1)
m. Baba Metzia 4 (all)
b. Baba Metzia 58b-59b

11/29—Mysticism + The Four in the Garden—(Paper 2, Option 2)
b. Hagigah 14b
m. Hagigah 2:1
t. Hagigah 2:1-4
b. Hagigah 11b-16a

Week 14 (Dec 4, 6)
12/4—Legends and Myths: Ships and Sea-Monsters—(Paper 2, Option 3)
m. Baba Batra 4 all, 5:1
b. Baba Batra 73a-77b

12/6— Magic: Prohibitions and Practices—(Paper 2, Option 4)
m. Sanhedrin 7 all
b. Sanhedrin 67a-68a

Week 15 (Dec 11, 13)
12/11— Jewish-Christian Relations, Martyrdom, and Women—(Paper 2, Option 5)
m. Abodah Zarah 1 all
b. Abodah Zarah 16a-19b

12/13—Summary and Review

Finals Week
Dec 21 (Friday)—7:25 PM, Paper 2 Due

If you have trouble accessing this page, contact: Chris Dargis (cadargis@wisc.edu)
Latest revision date: 8/29/2007

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