Spring Courses Start January 22

Register now for Conservative Yeshiva Online Learning beginning the week of January 22, 2012.  Students of all Hebrew levels and Jewish learning backgrounds are welcome. Students should be self-motivated and willing to devote 1-2 hours per week to study.  Hevruta – study with a partner – is strongly encouraged for all students including those with no prior experience in hevruta study.  Conservative Yeshiva Online students have set up hevruta study in person, by phone, and even via Skype.  The Conservative Yeshiva’s course management system makes online learning easy and fun!

One eight-week course and two four-week mini-courses will be offered. 

A Jewish Theology of Human Rights (begins January 22)
Dr. Shaiya Rothberg

Megillat Esther (begins January 22)
Vered Hollander-Goldfarb

Midrashim on the Exodus (begins March 4)
Rabbi Gail Diamond

Complete course descriptions are found below.

Registration: To register for a class, please click here and select “online fall 2011” for your choice of program. Follow the instructions for completing the application.  Alumni of the Conservative Yeshiva, please email yeshiva@uscj.org to register.

Tuition:  $200 for the eight week course, $100 for each four week course.   A 10% discount will be given to Hevruta partners who sign up together for the class, to alumni of the Conservative Yeshiva and to members of USCJ congregations.  If all three apply to you, go ahead and take a 30% discount!  Students from Asia, South Africa, Eastern Europe and other developing nations will receive a 50% tuition discount. College and university students may enroll free of charge!

For more information about the course or about on-line learning with the Conservative Yeshiva, please contact Rabbi Gail Diamond at yeshiva@uscj.org.

Course Descriptions

A Jewish Theology of Human Rights
Beginning January 22

Elie Wiesel has famously spoken about a modern “secular religion of human rights”. The world movement for human rights seeks to guarantee the most basic conditions for the flourishing of humanity, like life and at least minimal freedom. While this is a “secular” effort for some, in important Jewish sources the flourishing of humanity or ADAM is nothing less than the revelation of God. In this class we will study the divine significance of humanity in three sources: The Zohar, Maimonides, and the modern religious-Zionist thinker Rabbi Chayyim Hirschenson. Perhaps together these sources constitute a modern Jewish theology of human rights.

Instructor:  Dr. Shaiya Rothberg received his doctorate in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University and his B.A. in Jewish Philosophy and Talmud from Bar Ilan University. Shaiya has also learned in the Conservative Yeshiva Kollel since it began, and earlier on at Machon Meir, Machon Pardes, Hamachon Hagavoah Letorah (Bar-Ilan’s yeshiva) and Machon Hartman. He teaches Theology, Kabblah and Written and Oral Torah from Midrash to the Middle Ages. You can find some of Shaiya’s theology and interpretation at bitterchocolate.faithweb.com.

Megillat Esther
Beginning January 22

Palace intrigues, a decadent court, beautiful queens, and an advisor whose rise to prominence risks an entire nation.  Who do you feel is the worst character of the Megilah?  And how did Esther and Mordechai get their roles in this story?

Megilat Esther reads (at least in parts) as a chronicle of the Persian court, leaving us to wonder what it is doing in the Canon.  During 4 sessions we will explore various aspects of Megilat Esther and try to expand our appreciation of this unlikely holy text.  Studying the Megilah will also give us the opportunity to review some rabbinic texts, as well as other biblical texts that influenced the narrative of Esther, texts that the narrator assumed that we know and refer to.

Instructor:  Vered Hollander-Goldfarb received her M.A. in Judaic Studies and Tanach from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University and studied atBar-IlanUniversity and the Jewish Theological Seminary.  Before making aliyah, she taught atRamazSchool andSternCollege inNew York.  She teaches Advanced Tanach.

Midrash on the Exodus
Beginning March 4

Enhance your understanding of the Exodus and your retelling at the Seder by studying Midrash – early and later rabbinic teachings about the Exodus.  Learn the story behind the story.  Find out by the merit of which actions by righteous women we were redeemed.  Learn the true nature of the waters that covered Pharoah and his army.  Examine what really happened at theRed Seaand what the witnesses saw…and explore the meaning of all these teachings for our lives today.

Instructor:  Rabbi Gail Diamond is the Associate Director of the Conservative Yeshiva. She received her M.H.L. and Rabbinic Ordination from theReconstructionistRabbinicalCollege.  She teaches Psalms at the Yeshiva and Prophets for Project Oded.