Join the Summer School in Rabbinic Literature, including, trips, guest lectures & compatible with the Ulpan

ADVANCED SUMMER SCHOOL IN RABBINIC LITERATURE

IN ENGLISH AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY

SUMMER 2012

Overview of the program

The department of Hebrew Culture Studies of Tel Aviv University announces the establishment of a new intensive 6-week summer school in rabbinic literature. The program’s aim is to enhance textual, linguistic and philological skills for advanced students of Jewish and Religious studies.

The program is tailored for English speaking students with a high level of Rabbinic Hebrew who are interested in acquiring reading skills in Talmud and Midrash. It will provide advanced scholarly training in rabbinic literature and culture, while exposing the students to relevant historical sites, current scholarship, and leading Israeli experts in the field.

The program will consist of two courses, Midrashic Hermeneutics and Mishnaic Hebrew. Both will be taught in English and will comprise of two credits (one of which is a language credit). Both courses will focus on reading skills and are meant to improve textual capacities essential to academic research in rabbinic studies and adjacent fields.

This program is a unique opportunity to enjoy an enriching academic experience in English, in Israel. Its intellectual home in the department of Hebrew Culture Studies at Tel Aviv University, the single largest integrative Jewish Studies department in the world today, enables us to cover a wide range of methodologies and scholarly interests, while maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence. In addition, as an international program, students will get the chance to meet with scholars and students from around the world.

Program of study

The program is composed of two courses, each taught 4 hours, twice a week (48 hours).

To enhance students’ understanding of the historical contexts of the texts studied, the program will integrate visits to key locations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as to various archeological digs. During these visits, students will examine relevant literary sources in situ. Among the sites are Masada, Qumran, Beit Shearim, the Bible Museum in Jerusalem and more.

• Course in Mishnaic Hebrew (Dr. Uri Mor)

The course is intended to introduce Rabbinic Hebrew to research students who are familiar with Biblical Hebrew, and to equip them with the ability to read rabbinic texts and understand their background. We will focus on the tannaitic period (the first and second centuries CE) and the tannaitic (halakhic) texts: Mishna, Tosefta, and halakhic Midrashim, and have a glance at other types of texts as well. The students will be familiarized with Mishnaic Hebrew and its unique problems through reading selected passages in class and discussing their linguistic nature, as well as literary, historical, and cultural aspects of this literature.

• Course in Reading Tannaic Midrash (Prof. Ishay Rosen-Zvi)

The course offers a close reading in the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, a Tannitic (second-third century) Midrash on Exodus, in both legal and aggadic sections. Alongside various thematic examinations, the course will study improving skills for engaging with Tannaitic Midrashim, their language, construction, structure and interpretive techniques. An emphasis will be also placed on the hermeneutic and textual assumptions of the homilists. The readings will include regular comparison with the other Tannaitic Midrash on Exodus, the Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimeon.

Is this program for me?

• The program will provide the equivalent of two academic courses (taught in English)
• The program will integrate visits to key locations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as to various archeological digs, examining relevant literary sources in situ.
• Located within Israel's cultural, financial and business heartland, Tel Aviv University is the largest and most comprehensive of Israel's institutions of higher education.
• Tel Aviv has been named the third "hottest city for 2011" by Lonely Planet and the ninth-best beach city in the world by National Geographic.
• The students will be invited to join social activities and to explore vibrant Tel Aviv life, and to meet Israeli students in relavant fields of study.

Course schedule:

6 weeks: July 9^th –August 16^th

Practical details

1. Application deadline: May 30th
2. Cost: $ 2500 covering tuition, health insurance, tours and entrance to sites.
3. Help will be provided to find a private apartment.

Application

Apply on line: http://international.tau.ac.il/apply-online.html For more information about the program please visit our webpage or contact the program coordinator Emilie Levy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it