MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

REL210  2004 Spring – 2011 Summer II

Introduction to Judaism

1.

Trace the development from Hebrew to Israelite to "Jew". (I, IV)

2.

Trace the development from Temple Judaism to Rabbinic Judaism. (I, II, III, IV)

3.

Trace the development from medieval Judaism to modern Judaism. (I, VI)

4.

Describe the origins and nature of the basic Jewish scriptures. (II)

5.

Describe the core religious practices of modern Judaism. (III)

6.

Trace the development of basic Jewish thought from early biblical to modern times. (I, IV)

7.

Describe Jewish perspectives on a variety of ethical issues. (V)

8.

Describe the various branches of modern Jewish religious tradition. (VI)

9.

Describe the origins, nature and modern relevance of Kabbalah. (VII)

10.

Trace the establishment of the modern state of Israel and various Jewish perspectives on the state. (VIII)

11.

Describe the contributions of a variety of individuals to Jewish religion, western philosophy, and western culture. (I, II, IV, VI, VII, IX)

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

REL210  2004 Spring – 2011 Summer II

Introduction to Judaism

I. History

A. Hebrews in Canaan

B. Israel as United Monarchy

1. The role of the first Temple

2. The role of the prophets

3. The "people of the land" (Jews and Canaanites)

4. The place of Israel in the wider world

C. Israel and Judah

D. Exiles and Return

E. Second-Temple Judaism

1. Subjugation: Persia, Greece and Syria

2. The Macabbean and Hasmonean Period

3. Judea under Rome

4. The role of the Second Temple

5. Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes

6. Second Temple "Judaism" outside Judea

F. The Diaspora

1. Ashkenazi Judaism

2. Judaism and Christianity

3. Judaism and Islam

G. Reform, Orthodox, Hasidic and Zionist Judaism

H. Pogroms and Holocaust

I. Modern Judaism

II. Scriptures

A. Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible)

1. The Dead Sea Scrolls

2. The Masoretic Tradition

3. The Hebrew Bible in Translation

4. Non-canonical Jewish works of the Second-Temple era

5. Jewish biblical commentary: Rashi and Chumash

B. Mishnah

1. Rabbinic thought patterns

2. Mishnah as the core of Talmud v. Mishnah as independent scripture

C. The Talmuds

D. Midrash

III. Rituals

A. Circumcision

B. Shabbat

C. Pesach

D. High Holy Days: Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur

E. Other Festivals: Sukkot / Purim / Simchat Torah

F. Shul and Siddur

IV. Jewish Religious Thought

A. Jews as a Chosen People

B. Ethical Monotheism

C. Redemption and Justice

D. The Age to Come

E. The Concept of "Messiah"

F. Jews and non-Jews

V. Jewish Ethics and Lifestlye

A. Halakhah and Justice

B. Kashrut

C. Marriage, Sexuality and Family

D. The Changing Role of Women

VI. Modern Branches of Judaism

A. Reform

B. Orthodox

C. Conservative

D. Reconstructionist

E. Hasidism and Chabad Lubavitch

F. Or Adam

VII. Kabbalistic Judaism

A. Zohar and the Book of the Chariot

B. Ein Sof and the 10 Sefirot

VIII. The Modern State of Israel

A. The Zionist movement

B. Relationship of Judaism and Government in Israel

C. Relationship of Judaism outside Israel to the State

IX. Significant Jewish Figures

A. Religious Scholars and Leaders

1. Akiva

2. Hillel and Gamliel

3. Judah HaNasi

4. Rashi

5. Maimonides

6. Joseph Caro

7. Baruch Spinoza

8. Israel ben Eliezer

9. Martin Buber

10. Franz Rosenzweig

11. Abraham Heschel

12. Mordecai Kaplan

13. Elie Wiesel

14. Jacob Neusner

B. Secular Figures

1. Israel ben Yehudah

2. Karl Marx

3. Franz Kafka

4. Leon Trotsky

5. Sigmund Freud

6. Albert Einstein

C. Judaism and American Culture

1. Jewish writers

2. Jews and Film

3. Jewish Performers

4. Jews and American Sport