JOIN US FOR A NEW, SIX-WEEK COURSE:
Decoding the talmud
What is the Talmud?
This question makes people freeze. Your child, friend, or coworker asks about the Talmud, and you’re stuck searching for words.
You know it’s a big part of Judaism. Talmud study is practically the definition of Jewish learning.
But who wrote it, what did they write, and why?
We are delighted to present a new course from JLI called Decoding the Talmud. It’s the crash course in Talmud for every thinking person.
Enrollment Below
No previous background in Jewish learning? Perfect.
This crash course breaks it down so you can understand each step.
Here’s a detailed look inside Decoding the Talmud’s six lessons:
1. The Jewish People and the Talmud
Why Jewish life orbits a book of law.
Jewish law’s ultimate record is the Talmud, but what is Jewish law? Explore its nature, scope, and roots in the written Torah and Oral Law—and see learning’s central role in Jewish practice and culture.
2. The Mishnah
The origins, authors, and contents of Judaism’s first legal code.
See how Jewish law shifted from oral tradition to written code and encounter the Mishnah’s precise style, tight structure, and tolerance for debate—and its spiritual significance in Jewish life.
3. Decrypting the Mishnah
How the sages studied, debated, and understood the Mishnah.
Discover the tools, methods, and principles the sages employed in the centuries-long effort to unpack the Mishnah’s full, practical implications.
4. To Create The Talmud
How the sages shaped its structure and substance.
Meet the pivotal sages in the Talmud’s story—from Rav and Shmuel’s first academies to Rav Ashi and Ravina’s final text—and see how they wove in stories as well as ethical and philosophical teachings.
5. How the Talmud Thinks
A unique method of logic—and why it matters.
Understand the Babylonian Talmud’s rigorous mode of legal reasoning, how it balances dueling principles to arrive at clear legal boundaries, and how its elegant logic fuels deeper learning.
6. The Talmud Until Today
Talmudic literature and fifteen centuries of constant study.
See how and why the Talmud became the core of Jewish law and discover the vast literature of responsa, legal codes, and commentaries that continue the conversation until today.
Join us, and treat your mind to an unforgettable journey into this classic Jewish text.
When you complete this course, you’ll get clear, confident knowledge of what the Talmud is, what it stands for, and why it remains deeply relevant today.
COURSE COST
$89, including a student textbook (couples $139, including one textbook)
CLASS DATES
Option 1: Six Tuesdays, starting Jan 28th at 7 PM
Option 2: Six Wednesdays, Starting Jan 29th at 11 AM
@ THE CHABAD JEWISH CENTER
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