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Latest revison date: 8/25/2008
Classical Rabbinic Texts
Fall 2008
Hebrew and Semitic Studies 448
Jewish Studies 448
Religious Studies 448
Instructor:
Professor Jordan D. Rosenblum
Office: Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies, 1340 Van Hise Hall
Office Hours: TuTh 10:30-11:30 and by appointment
E-mail: jrosenblum@wisc.edu
Course Hours:
Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-5:15 pm
Prerequisite(s):
Hebrew 202 or 324 or consent of instructor
Course Description and Course Goals:
An introduction to the language and literature of the Classical or
Talmudic period of
Rabbinic Judaism. Our goals are threefold: (1) to build skills in
reading and interpreting a
range of Hebrew texts, including Mishnah, Tosefta, midrash, and
narrative; (2) to
study major topics in rabbinic thought; and (3) to introduce key
reference books
and critical editions so that you will be able to study on your own.
Requirements:
(1) Class participation and preparation: 10%
(2) Midterm (October 30, in class): 20%
(3) In-class presentation: 20%
(4) Final Paper (December 17, in my mailbox by 9 AM):
50%
Honor Code:
Students are expected to follow the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Academic Honor Code. If students have any questions about this
policy, please speak with the instructor. More information on
plagiarism can be found at:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/QPA_plagiarism.html
Absence Policy:
Participation is ten percent of the course grade and you cannot
participate if you are not in class. More than three absences
will result in a lowering of your participation grade by one full
letter per absence. In case of medical or personal emergency
requiring absence, please contact me as soon as possible.
Class Preparation and Participation:
Because language training is a key component of this course, regular
preparation and participation are expected. Adequate preparation
entails the following: (1) bringing the relevant texts to class
(including the Hebrew Bible); (2) the ability to parse and translate
every word; (3) consulting the original context for each biblical
citation and being prepared to discuss it; and (4) reading the relevant
entry in Strack and Stemberger for each text, as well as any other
assigned reading for that day. Graduate students may not consult
translations or notes during class. Undergraduates may use notes,
but may not consult translations during class. I recommend that
you prepare these texts in groups, which we will arrange on the first
day.
Midterm:
There will be an in-class midterm on October 30.
The midterm will have two parts. The first part of the midterm
will require students to translate small sections of various texts
covered in class. In addition to translating texts, students may
be asked specific questions about grammatical structures or technical
terminology. The second part of the midterm will consist of short
essay questions, in which students must connect, and interact with,
primary and secondary readings.
Class Presentation:
In the latter portion of this course, each student in consultation
with the professor will choose a short text (and perhaps a
secondary reading) on which they would like to present. The
presentation should be modeled on the basic structure of our usual
classes, and other students will be expected to prepare for them as
they would for a normal class. The student presenting will
provide a list of 3-5 questions that they would like the class to
address, and will distribute them in writing to the entire class at the
beginning of his/her presentation. The class itself will be lead
by both the student and the professor. Undergraduate students
will present for one half of a class period (approximately 35 minutes)
and graduate students will present for an entire class period.
Graduate students are expected to demonstrate a higher level of
sophistication and engagement with rabbinic scholarship in their
presentations. Students must consult with the instructor about
their presentation by October 2. In addition,
students will provide the class with a copy of the Hebrew text from a
critical edition and an English translation (published by another
scholar, it need not be their own) at least a week prior
to their presentation. Graduate students may wish to pick topics
related to their dissertations. Please come to see me to discuss
your topic during my office hours or by appointment, especially if you
feel lost in trying to decide on a topic and/or cannot locate a
text. It is my job to help! In class on October 16,
students will be assigned a day on which to present. The topic of
the class presentation will lead to the final paper project.
Final Paper:
Undergraduate students 8-10 pages; Graduate students 10-15 pages.
Due in my department mailbox by 9 AM on December 17.
No e-mail submissions will be accepted. At the core of the final
paper is your own translation and commentary on the passage that you
presented on in class. The commentary must address the historical
and literary questions relevant to your text. In addition,
students must connect their passage to at least two of the authors
and/or texts discussed in class (which may include those found in other
students presentations). Students are encouraged to take their
papers to the Writing Center (http://www.wisc.edu/writing/).
Extension Policy:
Extensions on papers will not be granted. For
each 24-hour period that a paper is late, the student’s grade will be
reduced by one full letter grade.
Required Books:
(1) A Hebrew Bible (preferably the BHS [Biblia Hebraica
Stuttgartensia; Deutsche
Bibelgesellschaft, 1997])
(2) Marcus Jastrow, Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli,
Yerushalmi, and
Midrashic Literature [Hendrickson, 2006]
(3) H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger, Introduction to the Talmud and
Midrash [Fortress
Press, 1996] (ITM)
(4) Electronic Reserve (R)
**All books are available for purchase at the
University Bookstore**
Class Schedule:
September
2
Introduction; Arrange Study
Groups
September 4 m. Avot 1:1-18; ITM, 62-69
September 9 m. Avot 1:1-18 continued
September
11
m. Hullin 1:1; t. Hullin 1:1-3; Rosenblum reading (R);
Hauptman,
“Mishnah as a Response to ‘Tosefta,’” 13-34 (R)
September
16
Sifre Numbers 115; Numbers 15:37-41; Warren Harvey, “The
Pupil, the Harlot, and the Fringe Benefits,” 259-271 (R)
September
18
Sifre Numbers 115 cont.; Boyarin, “On the Status of the
Tannaitic
Midrashim,” 455-465 (R)
September 23 Mekilta d’Rabbi Ishmael Bo 1; ITM, 15-30
September
25
Mekilta d’Rabbi Ishmael Bo 1 continued; Azzan Yadin, Scripture
as Logos, 48-79 (R)
September 30 NO CLASS: Rosh Hashanah
October 2 Mekilta d’Rabbi Ishmael Bo 1 continued
October 7 Mekilta d’Rabbi Ishmael Bo 1 continued
October 9 NO CLASS: Yom Kippur
October
14
Sifra on Leviticus 11:46; Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus,
“Meat-Eating
and Jewish Identity,” 227-262 (R)
October
16
Bereshit Rabbah 1:10; Catherine Hezser, “Classical Rabbinic
Literature,” 115-140 (R)
Assign Presentation
Days
October 21 Bereshit Rabbah 38:38
October
23
Lamentations Rabbah 4:11; Leviticus Rabbah 28:2;
David Stern,
Parables in Midrash, 4-45 (R) [the Hebrew for Lamentations
Rabbah can be found on pages 286-287 of Stern]
October 28
Avot
d’Rabbi Natan A4, 40-77; Seth Schwartz, “Historiography on
the Jews in the ‘Talmudic Period,’” 79-114 (R)
October 30 MIDTERM (in class)
November 4 Student Presentation
November 6 Student Presentation
November 11 Student Presentation
November 13 Student Presentation
November 18 Student Presentation
November 20 Student Presentation
November 25 NO CLASS: Society of Biblical Literature conference
November 27 NO CLASS: Thanksgiving
December 2 Student Presentation
December 4 Student Presentation
December 9 Student Presentation
December
11
Student Presentation
** Paper due in my department mailbox by 9 AM on Wednesday,
December 17th **