Parshanut: An Intro to Jewish Commentary

Wednesdays at 6:00-7:30 PM EST October 21st - November 25th

Asynchronous option available

This six session class will introduce students to the world of Jewish Torah commentary, known as parshanut. We'll study the weekly Torah portion with some of the most foundational commentators, exploring the approaches of these medieval and early modern rabbis to interpreting Tanakh. The course will explore questions such as: What do we mean when we say "pshat"? Do we assume omnisignificance--total intentionality--in the Torah text? What are our goals when elucidating Torah? And what's bothering Rashi? By learning the approaches and assumptions these traditional exegetes bring to Jewish text, students will have the opportunity to compare and explore their own processes of meaning-making, and deepen their familiarity with our tradition's rich multivocality.

Parshanut: An Intro to Jewish Commentary

With Rabbi Lexie Botzum