Judaism(s) October 17, 2007

Judaism(s)
Despite countless attempts to describe it, Judaism resists any single definition. From its inception, it has been characterized by opposing points of view—Moses and the rebel Korach, David and the prophet Samuel, the sages Hillel and Shammai, Pharisees and Sadducees, Rabbanites and Karaites, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, Hassidim and Mitnaggdim, Orthodox and Reform, secular and religious—and with no end in sight.

This course explores Judaism as an historical phenomenon, singular in ancestry yet resolutely plural in expression. Along the way, the class will survey the ancient, medieval, and modern landscapes of Jewish belief and practice, focusing on the clash between continuity and change. Students of all faiths are welcome.

Instructor: Dr. Robert Kirschner is Director of Exhibitions and Collections and Senior Scholar-in-Residence at the Skirball Cultural Center, and author of Divine Things: Seeking the Sacred in a Secular Age. He is a gifted teacher and lecturer, as well as an ordained rabbi.

Wednesdays
October 17–November 14
1:30–3:00 p.m.
5 sessions

$125 General
$100 Skirball Members
$75 Students

Official Website: http://www.skirball.org