SUNDAY
Jewish Theological Seminary Curriculum
Beyond Dispute: Debates that Shape Jewish Life
Rabbi Zuckerman
Sun / Jan 12; Feb 9; Mar 1, Mar 29 / 10:00-11:30 am / PAS@87th Street
Debates – philosophical, spiritual, ethical, and cultural – are at the heart of Judaism and Jewish life. Are religion and reason compatible? Can Jewish law change in response to context? How do we teach and talk about the Holocaust and the State of Israel? Is our relationship with God defined by human obligation or divine compassion? We will study texts that show the emergence of these debates over the course of Jewish history and their continued resonance for contemporary Jewish life. Going beyond the conflicts themselves, we will uncover the essential questions that underlie them in order to build a more inclusive view of the Jewish past, present, and future.
Register
MONDAY
Haftarah Trope
Arielle Green, Cantorial Intern
Mon / Feb 3, 10; Mar 2, 16, 23, 30 / 7:00 pm / PAS@87th Street
Like our popular course on chanting Torah, this 6-session series is open to anyone who would like to learn to chant haftarah, whether or not you have learned any kind of trope before. Students need to be able to read Hebrew, but do not need to understand it.
Cost: Members/free; General/$18
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Essential Essays
Rabbi Cosgrove
Tue / Weekly, resumes Jan 14 / approx. 8:00 am, immediately after morning minyan / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Join in a discussion of Jewish philosophy, theology, and thought. Each week's essay is distributed via a weekly email; if you wish to be added to the distribution list, please contact iisaac@pasyn.org or 212-369-2600, x120.
Cost: Free
No registration necessary.
Contemporary Jewish Thought
Rabbi Zuckerman
Tue / Weekly, resumes Jan 7 / 12:00—1:00 pm / PAS@87th Street
Discuss a reading about contemporary Jewish experience and thought.
Cost: Free
No registration necessary.
Pathways: An Introduction to Judaism
Rabbi Zuckerman and Rabbi Philp
Tue / Weekly, resumes Jan 7 / 6:30—8:30 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Students will be introduced to Jewish thought, history, and practice, engaging the mind, heart, and soul. This enriching curriculum is for anyone who seeks deeper knowledge of Jewish life and wisdom, whether you are Jewish, are sharing your life with a Jew and/or raising Jewish children, or are considering conversion to Judaism.
If you are interested in signing up for this class, please email Rabbi Zuckerman at nzuckerman@pasyn.org or call 212.369.4900, x121.
WEDNESDAY
Daf Shevui: Women's Weekly Talmud Study
Rabbi Witkovsky
Wed / Weekly, resumes Jan 8 / 8:30—9:00 am / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
You may have heard of Daf Yomi, the worldwide study of a page of Talmud a day. As wonderful as this popular endeavor is, the pace is extremely fast, perhaps a bit difficult even for advanced Talmud students to keep up with. We've decided to slow down the pace, covering a page of Talmud per week. Join us! Talmud is always best learned in a group. NO prior knowledge necessary, just a willingness to learn.
Cost: Free
No registration necessary.
Winter session class!
Shir HaShirim I
Rabbi Shmuel Afek
Wed / Jan 8-Feb 12 / 7:00-8:30 pm / 6 sessions / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Read the biblical book Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) with the four levels of interpretation traditionally applied in Jewish text study: p’shat (the plain sense of the text), drash (discovering theological, historical, and ethical issues in the text), remez (exploring philosophical interests and concerns of the text) and sod (mystical – searching for esoteric elements and events in the divine realm hidden in the text). Using Professor Michael Fishbane’s landmark JPS translation and commentary on Shir HaShirim, participants will learn to appreciate the different aspects of traditional interpretation of Jewish texts in addition to gaining a deep understanding of this unusual biblical book.
Cost: Members/$225; Non-members/$255
Register
The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning: Year 1
Rabbi Witkovsky and Rabbi Joel Shaiman
Wed / Resumes Jan 8 / 7:00—9:15 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Learn what we believe as Jews and why in Purposes of Jewish Living. Examine the ideas, beliefs, life cycle, and holiday practices involved in living Jewishly in Rhythms of Jewish Living.
Registration closed, but consider beginning Melton in the fall!
PAS Graduate Class
New York Jews and the Making of American Pop Culture
Dr. David Kaufman
Wed / Begins Feb 26 / 10 Sessions / 7:00—8:15 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Put the largest urban Jewish community in history at the epicenter of American popular culture, and what have you got? Twentieth-century New York City! NY Jews made extraordinary contributions to popular culture in key genres (theater, music, comedy) and in essential media (radio, television, and film). From Molly Picon to Stephen Sondheim to Jerry Seinfeld, encounter the iconic figures who shaped our cultural landscape.
Cost: Members/$290; Non-members/$350
Register today
The Rachel Wasserman Scholars Curriculum
Jewish Mysticism: Tracing the History of Kabbalah
Rabbi Shmuel Afek
Wed / Begins Feb 26 / 10 Sessions / 7:00—8:15 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
This course presents the rich history of Jewish mysticism, along with exploration of many of the central texts of that tradition, speaking to the deepest mysteries of human existence and to many of life’s eternal universal questions.
Cost: Members/$290; Non-members/$350
Registration closed
THURSDAY
Study Circle: Torah Talks with PAS Clergy
PAS Clergy
Thu / First Thursday of the Month, resumes Jan 7 / 12:00—1:00 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Our Sages said, “Make Torah study a regular practice.” Do as they said, and learn about a wide range of ancient and contemporary topics that can all be considered “Torah.” Come once, twice, or whenever you can!
Cost: Free
No registration necessary.
The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning: Year 2
Rabbi Zuckerman and Rabbi Philp
Thu / Resumes Jan 9 / 9:15–11:30 am / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
In Ethics of Jewish Living, students learn how Jewish teachings shed light on contemporary issues such as the environment, interpersonal relationships, end-of-life decisions, and stem-cell research. Crossroads explores the lessons of Jewish history and investigates how the Jewish past gives meaning to the Jewish present.
Prerequisite: Completion of Melton Year 1.
Registration closed
Rachel Wasserman Scholars Curriculum
The Book of Joshua: The Sixth Book of the Torah?
Rabbi Savenor
Thu / Begins Feb 27 / 9:15–10:30 am / 10 sessions / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
The Book of Joshua is the world’s first sequel, inviting the question of how it continues and departs from the Five Books of Moses. This study of the biblical classic will explore issues of leadership transitions, the quest for national sovereignty, and the mixed blessings when your dreams, even covenantal ones, come true.
Cost: Members/$290; Non-members/$350
Register
Rachel Wasserman Scholars Curriculum
Social Justice: The Heart of Judaism in Theory and Practice
Rabbi Witkovsky
Thu / Begins Feb 27 / 9:15–10:30 am / 10 sessions / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Exploring how social justice work goes beyond addressing short-term needs, this new Melton course draws from text and history to look at structural causes of injustice today. Topics will include poverty, immigration, and environmental degradation. In addition, participants will identify issues that are particular to PAS and to other communities of which they are part, and the class will explore those issues at greater depth.
Cost: Members/$290; Non-members/$350
Registration closed
Insights from Israel
Rabbi Michael Graetz (via Skype from Israel)
Thu / Second Thursday of the month; begins Jan 9 / 12:00–1:00 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
On the second Thursday of the month, we explore the most pressing issues affecting Israel, meeting with Rabbi Graetz via video conferencing. A co-founder of the Masorti movement in Israel, Rabbi Graetz was guest scholar and interim rabbi at PAS in 2008-09.
Cost: Free
No registration necessary.
Shulhan Ivrit (Conversational Hebrew)
Thu / Jan 9; Feb 20; Mar 19; Apr 13; May 21 / 7:15–8:30 pm / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
Intermediate and advanced level Hebrew speakers are invited to spend an hour practicing conversational Hebrew. Come to one session or come to all to deepen your connection with Israel and the Jewish people by speaking Hebrew.
Cost: Free
No registration necessary
FRIDAY
Talmud Torah
Rabbi Witkovsky
Fri / Weekly, begins Jan 8 / approx. 8:00 am, immediately after morning minyan / Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center
We will study passages of the Talmud page by page to explore the world of the Rabbis, their methodology, and how their thinking shapes us today.
Cost: Free
No registration necessary
Women in the Bible
Debbie Cosgrove
Fri / Jan 10; Feb 7; Mar 20; Apr 24 / 9:15–10:15 am / PAS@87th Street
Learn the fascinating stories of the women in the Bible. Through engaging texts, we will study the lives of the familiar and not-so-familiar women who populate the biblical narrative.
Cost: Members/$36; General/$46
Register
SATURDAY
Shaharit and Parashat HaShavua
PAS Clergy
Sat / Weekly / 9:00—10:15 am / PAS@87th Street
Join in P’sukei D’zimra, Shaharit and an engaging study of the morning’s Torah portion, ending in time to join the community in the Sanctuary for the Torah service.
No registration necessary.