As a religion, culture, and civilization, Judaism has evolved in surprising ways during its long and remarkable history. In this series of 24 lectures, Professor Cherry explores this rich religious heritage from biblical times to today. The many topics you will learn about include: the oral Torah (the Mishnah) and its commentary (the Gemarahow), which constitute the Talmud; the three pillars of the world defined more than 2,000 years ago by Shimon the Righteous: Torah, worship, and deeds of loving kindness; the calendar of Jewish holidays, from the most important, the Sabbath, to the key holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, and Pentecost (Shavuot); and to historically minor celebrations such as Chanukah, which is now a more visible holiday; and the many mysteries of Jewish thought and ritual, such as why the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) is the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). In addition, Professor Cherry devotes several lectures to complex issues such as the problem of evil and suffering, the Zionist movement, the role and status of women in the Jewish world, and how Judaism understands Christianity. From the first lecture on the Torah to the last on the Jews as the Chosen People, this course is packed with truly fascinating information.
Introduction to Judaism
01: Torah, Old Testament, and Hebrew Bible
Professor Cherry introduces the themes of the course and examines the relationship between the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, the TaNaKH, and the Old Testament - and these are not simply different terms for the same text.
02: From Israelite to Jew
This lecture surveys ancient Jewish history from the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. to the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and other Jewish sects of the period are also covered.
03: Repentance
"Teshuvah," or sincere repentance, became the central concept of Rabbinic Jews - the successors to the Pharisees after the destruction of the Second Temple. This lecture examines the growth and elaboration of this powerful religious idea.
04: Study
The ancient High Priest Shimon the Righteous said that the world stands on three things: on Torah, on worship, and on deeds of loving kindness. This lecture covers the first of these and introduces Rabbinic texts such as the Mishnah, Talmud, and Gemara, as well as Midrash.
05: Prayer
The second of Shimon the Righteous's pillars of the world is prayer. Professor Cherry traces the development of prayer from the biblical period to the 20th century, and discusses the rise of the "prayer house," or synagogue.
06: Deeds of Loving Kindness
The third of Shimon the Righteous's pillars of the "deeds of loving kindness" is an outgrowth of the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." This lecture traces the Jewish struggle to live up to this duty.
07: Messianism
Professor Cherry examines the different concepts of the Messiah within the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, and profiles a 17th-century false Messiah and the most recent candidate, a Chassidic leader in New York who died in 1994.
08: The Coming World
The Hebrew Bible says surprisingly little about what happens after we die. This lecture explores concepts of the afterlife, resurrection, and the immortality of the soul that developed in post-biblical Judaism.
09: Sabbath
Professor Cherry introduces the notion of holiness in time by examining the weekly Sabbath, arguably the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Commemorating God's day of rest after the six days of creation, the Sabbath has evolved a complex system of rituals.
10: Law and Spirit
This lecture probes deeper into the connection between law and spirit exemplified by the Sabbath by exploring different kinds of laws within the Torah, and by tracing their development in the Talmud and the writings of medieval commentators.
11: Fall Holidays
Continuing the study of holiness in time, Professor Cherry looks at the fall cycle of holidays, beginning with the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and continuing with Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah.
12: Spring Holidays
The exodus from Egypt is the paradigm of Jewish existence, celebrated in the most important spring holiday, Passover. Seven weeks later comes Pentecost (Shavuot), commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
13: Minor Holidays—Then and Now
Though not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, Channukah and Purim have become two of the most celebrated days in the Jewish year. This lecture suggests reasons for their popularity and looks at several other historically minor holidays.
14: Medieval Jewish Philosophy—Maimonides
This lecture examines the ideas of the great medieval Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides, focusing on his Guide of the Perplexed, which deals with such issues as the creation of the world, prayer, and the commandments.
15: Medieval Jewish Mysticism—Kabbalah
The same issues addressed by Maimonides received very different responses from the Jewish mystics who produced the Kabbalah, which combines Neo-Platonic philosophy with ancient Near Eastern mythology.
16: Evil and Suffering—Biblical and Rabbinic
Why do the innocent suffer? And why do the guilty go unpunished? This is known as the problem of theodicy, which received haunting expression in biblical texts such as Job and searching analysis by Rabbinic commentators.
17: Evil and Suffering—Medieval and Modern
Continuing the study of evil, Professor Cherry examines different explanations for evil by Jewish thinkers from the Middle Ages to the present, concluding with a discussion of the Holocaust, which Jews call the Shoah (catastrophe).
18: Emancipation, Enlightenment, and Reform
Traditional Jewish life began to break down in Western Europe at the end of the 18th century with Emancipation, the movement to assimilate Jews by granting them fuller political rights and educational opportunities. Reform Judaism was one response to this liberalized climate.
19: Orthodox Judaisms
In the 19th century, several varieties of Orthodox Judaism emerged as a response to Emancipation and Reform Judaism. While Modern Orthodoxy struggled to balance traditional Judaism and an open posture toward Western European culture, Ultra-Orthodoxy rejected secular studies, Western dress, and European languages.
20: Israel and Zionism
The longing to return to the land of Israel goes back to the Babylonian exile in antiquity and achieved its modern fulfillment in Zionism, which saw the establishment of a Jewish state in the 20th century.
21: American Judaisms
America's appeal to rugged individualism attracted Reform-minded Jews, mostly from Germany, in the pre-Civil War waves of Jewish migration. Later immigrants came from a range of countries and tended to be more traditional, seeding America with a diversity of Jewish beliefs and practices.
22: Women and Jewish Law
This lecture highlights three Jewish legal issues of particular concern to women: the laws of marriage and divorce, the plight of the "agunah" (a woman bound to a husband who is either missing or refuses to divorce her), and the question of abortion, which in Jewish law defies categorization as either pro-life or pro-choice.
23: Judaism and the Other
Like most ancient law codes, the Hebrew Bible distinguishes between insiders and outsiders. This lecture looks at the Jewish struggle with interreligious accommodation, especially as it relates to Christianity. The talk concludes with recent developments in Jewish-Christian relations.
24: The Chosen People?
The claim of being chosen by God has been both a source of pride and puzzlement to Jews. This final lecture examines the origin of this claim, its mixed blessings throughout history, and the surprising nuances of its interpretation by Jewish thinkers.
About
Rabbi Shai Cherry, PhD, is currently affiliated with Congregation Adath Jeshurun, Elkins Park, PA. Previously he was the Executive Director of Shaar Hamayim: A Jewish Learning Center in Solana Beach, CA. He earned his B.A. (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Claremont McKenna College, and his Ph.D. in Jewish Thought from Brandeis University. Professor Cherry has received several awards for his work in community education. As he pursued his doctorate, he served as family educator at a Reform temple in the Boston area and taught Rabbinics and Modern Jewish Thought at Hebrew College. He taught Jewish Thought at Vanderbilt University from 2001 to 2005, and subsequently taught at the University of California, Los Angeles and at American Jewish University. Professor Cherry's research focuses on biblical interpretation and the nexus between science and Judaism. His essay Three Twentieth-Century Jewish Responses to Evolutionary Theory appeared in the 2003 volume of Aleph: Historical Studies in Science and Judaism. His most recent book is Torah through Time: Understanding Bible Commentary from the Rabbinic Period to Modern Times.
