Learning with Rabbi Richard Hirsh 2021 (via Zoom)

Law, Legend & Liturgy – How Do We Know What ‘Judaism Says’ About Anything?”

Contents:

- Summary

- Readings

- Audio Recordings of the Class:  Recordings are available to logged-in members of Beth Israel.  Please log in and then return to this page, and the Recordings section will then be visible.

Summary

Thursdays February 4, 11, & 18, 2021 from 7:30 - 9:00. To receive the Zoom link, please contact Marion Hamermesh.

What does “Judaism teach”? What are “Jews supposed to believe”? What are Jews “supposed to do”? And where do we look for the answers? 

Is Jewish spirituality fixed or flowing? What kinds of conversations are “authentic”?  What gets precedence, questions or answers? What forms of Jewish text and what kinds of Jewish conversations can best serve us in our contemporary Jewish moment?

In this class, we will look at three different types of Jewish spiritual conversation, and look at the assumptions behind each, as well as the pros and cons of each style of discourse”

The debates about what we do as codified in the texts of Jewish Law (“Halakha”);

The discussions about who we are, as found in the open-ended conversation called Midrash;

The declarations about what we believe as refracted and reflected in the declarative prayers of the Liturgy.

Readings

Source Sheet: Law, Legend, and Liturgy Session 1 PDF 

Source Text: Law, Legend, and Liturgy Session 2 PDF 

Source Text: Law, Legend, and Liturgy   Session 3 PDF