Terms and questions

Bible 

See Segal, pp. 11-20, 137-140.

•    Hebrew Bible/Old Testament – what is the different meaning of these terms?
•    Torah/Nevi’im/Ketuvim – what do these terms refer to? What is contained in each of these sections of the Bible?
•    Tanakh
•    covenant
•    revelation
•    How can the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9) be interpreted (see Segal, pp. 138-139, and the commentary in the Jewish Study Bible)? How is it interpreted in the two midrashic passages on the Shema? (in Course Reader, p. 23)
•    What are the characteristics of God in the Bible? (see Segal, pp. 137-140)

Second Temple Judaism

See Segal, pp. 21-39); also see the Powerpoint on Second Temple Judaism, which is available at http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/ - scroll down to the bottom where the attachments are.
•    Samaritans
•    What was Hellenism and why was it so attractive to many Jews?
•    Septuagint – what is it and where and why was it written?
•    Pharisees – who were they, what were their characteristics and why were they so important for the development of rabbinic Judaism? (see Course Reader, pp. 8-10, for Josephus’ accounts of the Pharisees in comparison with the other Jewish sects)
•    Dead Sea Scrolls

Rabbinic Judaism

See Segal, pp. 40-59, 197-199, 201-202, 212-216); also see the Powerpoint on Rabbinic Judaism which is available at http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/ (scroll down to the bottom where the attachments are).

•    Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai and Yavneh – what did Rabban Yohanan do that was so noteworthy for the creation of rabbinic Judaism? (see Segal, pp. 43-44 and the story of Rabban Yohanan in the Course Reader, pp. 16-18)
•    Mishnah – what is the structure and content of the Mishnah? (see Segal, pp. 50-52)
•    Rabbi Judah the Prince
•    Why was the oral Torah not written down? (see Course Reader, pages 19-20)
•    Talmud: What is the relationship between the Mishnah and the rest of the Talmud? (see Segal, pp. 54-57)
•    What is the difference between halakhah and aggadah?
•    Why is study such an important value for the rabbis? (see the sayings in Mishnah Avot, and Segal, pp. 198-199)

Medieval Judaism – law and philosophy

Read Segal, pp. 60-80, 203-209, 217-221.

•    What does the “medieval” era in Judaism consist of – what kinds of learning and intellectual creativity were part of this era? (see Segal, pp. 60-64)
•    Ashkenaz, Sepharad – where were they and how did their Jewish communities differ from each other? (see Segal, pp. 65-68)
•    peshat exegesis – what is it and how does it differ from midrashic exegesis? (see Segal, pp. 203-204)
•    Mishneh Torah and Shulhan Aruch – who wrote these law codes, when, and for what purposes? How do they differ from each other? (see Segal, pp. 218-221) (see http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/Home/jewish-law-and-ethics on the Jewish law codes).
•    What is the most important difference between the goals of traditional rabbinic Judaism and philosophical Judaism? (see Segal, pp. 207-209)

Dates to know – why are these dates important?

For answers, see http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/Home/jewish-history and http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/Home/medieval-jewish-history. There you will find references to these dates.

586 BCE
332 BCE
167 and 164 BCE
66-73 CE
700s-1000
1492

Primary texts

There will be a choice of three on the midterm, and you’ll have to discuss one of them.

Mishnah Avot 1-5 (Course reader 20-22) – what do these sayings of the rabbis teach about study? Why is study so important to them?

Bet Midrash and Divine Law (Course reader 18-19, and for questions, see http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/Home/jewish-history/reading-rabbinic-texts for questions)

Mishneh Torah on relations with other people (Course reader, pp. 24-27). (See http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/Home/jewish-law-and-ethics for relevant biblical verses and questions; this was also handed out in class). A longer and more detailed discussion of the Mishneh Torah and the Kitzur Shulhan Aruch is to be found in the document attached to this page.

Mishneh Torah on the basic principles of the Torah (Course reader, pp. 32-35; for questions, see those handed out on Friday, February 20; they are also available as an attachment at the bottom of http://sites.google.com/a/ithaca.edu/judaism-2009/Home with the title “02-23-09 chevruta assignment”).