2010–2011 Curriculum

The Rabbinical School curriculum engages the head, heart, and hands of our students, introducing them to a broad array of Jewish ideas and practices, and training them to become skilled interpreters of our ancient tradition for the contemporary Jewish community.

Our students arrive with diverse skill sets. The first stage of our program, called Beit Midrash, aims to develop in all students strong skills in Hebrew language and textual interpretation as well as an opportunity to integrate their studies along broad themes of faith, family, community, and social justice. This stage takes one or two years to complete, depending on the initial skills of each student.

After Beit Midrash, our students proceed to Israel for our mandatory year of study in Jerusalem. JTS students study in Hebrew in the Israeli environment of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary and also take courses at the JTS-owned Shocken Library in central Jerusalem.

The third stage of our program, known as "Iyun" (focus), consists of three years in New York. During these years students take a broad distribution of Jewish Studies courses and a rich sequence of professional and pastoral skills courses, and earn an MA degree from either The Graduate School at JTS or our William Davidson School of Jewish Education. Students also have the opportunity to earn a certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling, and JTS is establishing a new dual-degree program with the Hunter College School of Social Work. During the Iyun stage, students also complete field rotations and an internship, and are prepared for transition to their careers as ordained rabbis.

Stage 1: Beit Midrash (1–2 years in New York, followed by a year in Jerusalem)

Stage 2: Heller Israel Program (1 year)

Stage 3: Iyun Program in New York (3 years, leading to the degrees of MA and Rabbinic Ordination)

Stage 1: Beit Midrash (1–2 years in New York)

The first stage of our curriculum is designed to help students learn the skills, content and context required to explore Judaism with depth and meaning. This stage takes two to three years to complete, depending upon the student's skill set with Hebrew language and the interpretation of biblical and rabbinic text upon enrollment, and on his or her rate of progress.

Some students enter with Level 1 skills in Hebrew, Bible, and Talmud, while others enter with Level 2 skills; yet others have an uneven mix of skill sets. Students must complete the Skill Level 2 courses in all of these areas before proceeding to the final Beit Midrash year in Israel. Upon admission students will be assessed for placement in either Skill Level 1 or Skill Level 2 in the areas of Hebrew, Bible and Talmud. The faculty and dean will also assess students through grades and other benchmarks for their academic and religious development in order to determine their readiness to progress to the Skill Level 3 courses in Israel.

Beit Midrash Themes

First Semester: Avodat Haborei.

The first semester studies the relationship between the individual and God through the practice of prayer. What does it mean to show devotion to God? How did the rabbis formulate the "service of the heart?" What mechanisms today can make Jewish liturgy a vehicle for awe and transformation of the individual and congregation?

Second Semester: Kedushat Hamishpachah

Next we study the role of families in expanding the experience of kedushah in Jewish life. How do rabbinic rituals mark the formation, and dissolution of families? What are the protocols for admitting outsiders into the Jewish covenant? What psychological developments are essential to understand these and other moments of transformation in which rabbis are expected to play a positive role? What is the changing nature of Jewish families, and how can the rabbi infuse a spirit of holiness into the diverse lives of contemporary Jews?

Third Semester: Am Yisrael u-Moadav (The Jewish People and its Festivals) In Jerusalem

Jewish peoplehood is tightly bound to the festival calendar. Studying in Jerusalem, our students consider the formulation of the festivals from the Talmud and Midrash to halakhah. The beginnings of Zionism and birth of Israel are placed within the context of marking time according the Jewish calendar, which was the first step in the Exodus. This theme challenges students to consider their own Jewish identities within the context of peoplehood.

Fourth Semester: Brit Yisrael V'Ha'Amim (The Covenant of Israel and Other Peoples) In Jerusalem

This term our theme is that which is distinctive about Jewish and Israeli culture, and that which it shares with its neighbors. Nezikin is presented with the perspective of Mishpat Ivri, a source of civic law to govern the modern Jewish State and its non-Jewish citizens. Distinctive Jewish rituals such as kashrut, milah and aveilut are also placed within the larger civic context of the intersection of personal practice and public policy. Sacred Sites and Scriptures of Christianity and Islam teaches students about the religious traditions and cultures of Christian and Muslim communities in Israel, and exploring the blessings and challenges of close proximity in the modern state.

Course Descriptions

A. Hebrew Language

Skill Level 1 (B1/B2, HEB 2201/2, 5203 R&G). Year course designed to develop basic skills in Hebrew reading, focusing on vocabulary, verb structures, and written comprehension. Meets four times per week.

Skill Level 2 (C1/2, 5301/3R, G, O, and 5009). Year course designed to develop advanced skills in Hebrew reading, focusing on vocabulary, biblical grammar, and also on oral comprehension and expression. Meets four times per week.

B. Jewish Literatures and Their Interpretation

Bible

Skill Level 1 Academic Introductions

A fall course, BIB 6563 "Reading the Hebrew Bible with Rabbinic Commentaries," introduces the classical rabbinical commentaries, while the spring course, BIB 6060 "Introduction to Biblical Hebrew," focuses on understanding the distinctive structures of the biblical text. Meets two times per week.

Skill Level 2

Year-long course surveying the Hebrew Bible with attention to text, context and meaning; advanced use of modern works of exegesis. This course also establishes the historical context of biblical religion, focusing on the theology of ancient Israel and addressing the religious implications for the contemporary student of Bible. In the fall, the course BIB 6106 surveys the Torah and early prophets; in the spring, the course BIB 6105 establishes the Ancient Near Eastern context and religious content of the Hebrew Bible, with emphasis on the later prophets and writings. Meets two times per week.

Talmud and Halakhah

Skill Level 1

Students entering the Rabbinical School without extensive prior study of Talmud begin their studies at this level. Four weekly study sessions help them to establish comprehension of the language, structure and content of the Talmudic sugya (lesson) with the commentary of Rashi. Each semester includes two Talmud classes, one focusing on Halakhic (legal) texts, while the other focuses on Aggadic (moral and theological) texts.

Fall

• TAL 6111 Introductory Talmud: Halakhic Sugyot from Tractate Sukkah
• TAL 6112 Introductory Talmud: Aggadic Sugyot: Tractates Rosh HaShanah & Yoma

Spring

• TAL 6121 Introductory Talmud: Halakhic Sugyot from Tractate Pesachim
• TAL 6122 Introductory Talmud: Aggadic Sugyot from Regarding Revelation

Skill Level 2

Students who are able to demonstrate significant facility with the Talmud text begin their studies on the second skill level, whose purpose is strengthen textual skills and to expand analytical abilities with the assistance of Rashi, Tosfot, and other medieval commentators. Each semester includes two Talmud classes, one focusing on Halakhic (legal) texts, while the other focuses on Aggadic (moral and theological) texts. The Halakhic courses will include instruction on how to follow topics from the Talmud page to cross references in the Mishneh Torah and Shulhan Arukh. Talmud Skill Level 2 (Intermediate) courses are generally taught in two or more sections leveled by skill.

Fall

• TAL 6211a Intermediate Talmud: Halakhic Sugyot, Brakhot, Megillah & Ta'anit
• TAL 6212a Intermediate Talmud: Aggadic Sugyot from Brakhot

Spring

• TAL 6221a Intermediate Talmud: Halakhic Sugyot from Seder Nashim
• TAL 6222a Intermediate Talmud: Aggadic Sugyot from Seder Nashim
• CDE 6112 Family Law: An introduction to the laws of marriage and divorce

Beit Midrash Chevruta Time: The Beit Midrash is an integrated feature of our Talmud program. During three designated slots on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, teaching assistants will be present to assist students in their preparation for Talmud classes.

C. Subject Courses and Seminars

HIS 6117. Jews and Judaism in the Ancient World: Fall semester course designed to introduce students to the transition from Temple-based religion to rabbinic culture within its Greco-Roman context. Sources drawn from the Apocrypha, Philo and Josephus, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Roman writings, et al provide context for the early development of a rabbinic class in Palestine and the seeding of rabbinic-led communities in the diaspora. Great themes to be explored include the ancient synagogue, gender, worship and study, economic and cultural integration into broader society, and the varied genres of ancient Jewish literature. Meets once per week in the fall.

PRO 6102. Human Development and the Jewish Family: Spring semester course intended to introduce students to stages in psychological development, cultivating self-awareness, and considering the role of Jewish ritual and community in the development of gender identity and maturation, and transitions such as partnering, parenting, separation, disability, aging, and loss. (Not meeting in Spring 2011)

PRO 7101/2. Integrating Seminar: Each semester students participate in small discussion groups that allow them to discuss in confidence with peers and a faculty facilitator matters of religious development, drawing upon their academic, personal and religious lives. The fall curricular theme of prayer and the spring theme of family will be points of departure for considering the moral and religious qualities needed to develop one's religious identity as a human, a Jew, and a future rabbi.

Course Schedule

Stage 2: Heller Israel Program (1 Year)

JTS has long required rabbinical students to spend a year of their course of studies in Jerusalem. The goals of this year include improved proficiency in the use of Modern Hebrew, strengthening of textual skills in Jewish studies, building a connection to the Masorti movement, and developing a sophisticated personal and professional relationship to the State of Israel.

Our Israel program is headquartered at our sister school, the Schechter Rabbinical School in Jerusalem. There our students study a core curriculum of Hebrew, Talmud, Halakhah, and two courses related to the history of Israel. These courses explore the second two themes of the Beit Midrash curriculum: Am Yisrael U-Mo'adav, The People of Israel and its Calendar; and Brit Yisrael V'Ha-Amim, Israel's Covenant and the Nations. As such, the fall Talmud classes focus on chapters from Seder Mo'ed, whereas the spring Talmud classes draw from chapters in Seder Nezikin. Fall Halakhah classes focus on topics from Hilkhot Shabbat V'Yom Tov, while spring halakhah classes focus on Hilkhot Kashrut. One Israel courses focus on Zionism and the State while the other considers the sacred sites and scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam related to Jerusalem.

Additionally, our students take two elective courses in Jewish studies each semester. These courses are offered at the Schocken Library, a JTS-owned property in central Jerusalem. Our students also participate in an Israel seminar that includes lectures at Schocken and extended tiyulim to the north and south of the country with rabbinical students from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.

Here is a sample schedule for the Israel year (students take two electives per semester):

Red box signifies a program at Schocken Library.

Synagogue Skills: In Israel our students are expected to lead tefillot at the daily minyan, and they are able to receive individual tutoring from Rabbis Tucker, Silberschein, and Elad-Applebaum at the Schechter Rabbinical School.

Stage 3: Iyun Program (3 years)

The Rabbinical School's professional skills courses are designed to be taken in order, but students have flexibility in scheduling them. Synergy between our three professional schools and partnership with our neighbors at Union Theological Seminary make this track a model for future partnerships between our graduates and other professionals.

By the fall of their Israel year students apply for an MA program within The Graduate School, H. L. Miller Cantorial School, or The Davidson School and complete that program's requirements (30 credits) in years 3–5 (if they took 3 years to complete Beit Midrash, then years 4–6). No more than 15 credits toward the MA (Concentration) may overlap with The Rabbinical School's distribution and Professional and Pastoral Skills courses. Students who have previously earned an MA at JTS or a recognized peer institution in one of the fields below may have the MA requirement waived, and may be able to eliminate one or more semesters of requirements as a result.

Distribution courses (DIS) include 39 credits (thirteen courses) from the academic departments of JTS. Of these, two each are to be from the fields of history, literature, and Jewish thought. Three courses are required in Bible (one on medieval exegesis, and two electives). Four are to be in Rabbinics (one in Midrash, one in Codes, one in Talmud, and one elective). See the departmental listings below for more detail.

Concentration courses (CON) include 15 non-overlapping credits in one of the schools, academic departments or programs that offers a Masters degree at JTS. Degrees may also require a senior thesis or comprehensive exams. Any Masters degree offered by JTS will satisfy the concentration requirement of the Rabbinical School.

• The Davidson School offers an MA in Jewish Education.
• The H. L. Miller Cantorial School offers an MA in Sacred Music.
• The Graduate School offers MA degrees in: Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, Jewish History, Jewish Literature, Jewish Thought, Talmud and Rabbinics, Ancient Judaism, Jewish Art and Visual Culture, Jewish Women's Studies, Liturgy, Medieval Jewish Studies, Midrash, and Modern Jewish Studies.

Students who declare a concentration in pastoral care and counseling fulfill the requirements for the MA in Interdepartmental Studies with a certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling. There is no dual-enrollment fee charged for these Masters degrees.

Professional and Pastoral skills courses (PRO) include 13 courses (39 credits) designed to equip our students for professional work as rabbis in different fields. PRO courses generally meet on Wednesdays at 10:20 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. in order to allow adjunct faculty to convene for lunch meetings and participate when needed in community time (Wednesday lunch). Course requirements appear below. Students use years 3–4 to complete their rotations and internships.

Field Education is a significant component of a rabbinic education at JTS. Rotations are intended to introduce students to the wide range of work opportunities in the rabbinate. We have identified five professional areas of rabbinic engagement that we feel are important for students to experience and understand. In year 3, students are required to complete field rotations in an educational setting (with PRO5), in chaplaincy (with PRO6), in congregational work, and in youth engagement through one of the Conservative movement's summer youth programs (Camp Ramah; or USY).

In addition, students are required to engage in one agency rotation that is either domestic or international in nature (e.g. with AJWS, Joint Distribution Committee, METNY-USY, Project Judaica, or Jewish Funds for Justice). The two rotations (congregational and agency) are not attached to a specific course, and need to be approved by the Coordinator of Field Education (COFE) in order for students to receive credit.

Upon completion of each rotation, students are asked to submit to the COFE a 2–3 page written reflection about each of their experiences in the field. Guidelines for reflections are available on line. Once all of the five rotation requirements have been completed students register for PRO 6401 to receive rotation credit. In addition, students are invited to meet with the COFE to discuss one of their rotation experiences.

In year 4, students intern with a mentor for 400 hours by selecting one the five above mentioned professional areas of rabbinic engagement. In the spring semester of year 3, students make an appointment with the COFE to identify the skills they would like to further develop with the support of a mentor. The COFE will work with students in securing the best placement to meet their professional goals and aspirations. While serving in their internships students participate in the Resnick Internship Seminar. Alternatively, they may complete a summer internship, such as a unit of clinical Pastoral Education, as part of the Kaplan Internship. Students need complete only a Resnick or Kaplan internship, but they may choose to do both. For students pursing a masters degree in Jewish education, arrangements may be made to complete their Resnick internship over a summer allowing students to complete their Davidson School practicum over the course of an academic year. Students may not enroll in a Resnick and Davidson internship simultaneously.

Synagogue Skills
JTS is blessed with a large community of students, faculty and alumni who are skilled in leading prayer and chanting from the Torah, prophets and megillot. Some students commence our program with established proficiency in these areas, while others need to learn some or all of them. By the third year of study, all students should be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following areas: Leading prayers in the daily, Shabbat and festival modes of nusach; chanting Torah, Haftarah, and the megillot. Students should also be able to blow shofar, tie tzitzit and adjust tefillin knots as well as use the luach beit haknesset. It is the responsibility of students to develop their synagogue skills either by taking workshops, elective classes or by arranging for a tutor.

Iyun Course Requirements for Academic distribution and Professional and Pastoral Skills

Academic Distribution Requirements (39 Credits)

Bible: Three courses are required.

• Medieval Exegesis (Mikraot Gedolot) BIB 6563
• Bible elective
• Bible elective

Jewish History: Two courses are required.

• History Elective. Recommended: Medieval Jewish History HIS 6313
• History Elective. Recommended: Modern Jewish History HIS 6406

Jewish Literature and Culture: Two courses are required.

• Elective (Recommended: Medieval Literature)
• Elective (Recommended: Modern Literature)

Jewish Thought: Two courses are required.

• Jewish Thought Elective. Recommended in Pre-Modern Jewish Thought
• Jewish Thought Elective. Recommended in Modern Jewish Thought.

Talmud and Rabbinics: Four courses are required in Talmud and Rabbinics, one in Midrash, one in Talmud, one in Codes, and one elective:

• Introduction to Midrash (MID 6101)
• Living Law: The Theory and Practice of Halakhah
• Talmud Elective
• Elective from Talmud, Midrash, or Codes

Professional and Pastoral Skills Courses (39 Credits)

Skills for Teaching (EDU 5031)
Helps students create effective and engaging lessons for learners of all ages, using student-centered techniques and diverse methods of assessment. Students are required to be teaching in a classroom at least one hour a week to fulfill the course requirement. The practicum component affords students the opportunity for structured supervision. This course is offered jointly with The Davidson School.

Methods of Pastoral Care and Counseling (PAS 7431)
Teaches techniques of compassionate listening, professional codes of confidentiality, mandatory reporting, the establishment of proper boundaries, the identification of serious issues requiring referral to appropriate mental health professionals, self-care, etc. May be co-offered with Union Theological Seminary. Includes practicum (40 hours of hospital chaplaincy).

Rabbinic Roles at Life-cycle Rituals (PRO 7301)
This practicum focuses on the liturgy, dinim, and rabbinic role from intake to ceremony in the following rituals: brit milah, simchat bat, pidyon haben, giur, kiddushin, gerushin, funeral, and unveiling.

Communication (PRO 7206)
An integrated approach to public speaking, writing and electronic communication. Challenges students to identify their message, research their topic, and articulate their ideas with wit, punch, and lasting impact. Students prepare sample presentations of different formats, e.g. sermons, invocations, life-cycle speeches, bulletin articles, op-eds, blogs, web pages etc.

Leading and Managing Jewish Non-Profit Organizations (EDU 5609 or PRO 8610 Executive Leadership)
Examines the structure of non-profit organizations, their legal status, governance, and diverse purposes. Basic principles of budgeting and accounting, human resources and fund-raising. Prepares students for establishing healthy lay-professional cooperation as well as teamwork within the professional team. Explores partnerships beyond the institutional and denominational boundaries of the congregation, school or agency.

Field Education Rotations (PRO 6401)
This course code indicates completion of the five field rotations as attested by the coordinator of Field Education.

Resnick Internship Seminar (PRO 7401)
Students enrolled in the Resnick Internship Program take part in the Internship Seminar. By coming together with peers and a trained clinical supervisor, students have the opportunity to reflect further on what they are learning in their placements, and to integrate it within the context of the formation of a rabbinic identity. An alternative is the Kaplan Pastoral Internship.

Resnick Internship Seminar (PRO 7402)
Continuation of fall course. The second semester addresses different models of excellence and recent research on vibrant congregations and agencies.

Conservative Judaism Today and Tomorrow
What is the intellectual and spiritual mandate of Conservative Judaism? In what areas are we excelling, and in what areas are we most challenged? What initiatives can strengthen our role in formulating vibrant Jewish communities in North America and beyond? This couse is taught by Chancellor Eisen.

The Art of Public Worship
A course dedicated to the planning and implementation of Jewish worship services, using workshop techniques and expert practitioners.

Senior Seminar: Preparing for Placement (PRO 7409)
Developed together with the Rabbinical Assembly, this course prepares students to identify their goals, present themselves professionally, interview and negotiate their first jobs. In addition to practical skills it examines case studies of various expressions of rabbinic leadership in the field. Includes simulated interviews. Students use open-space planning to help develop their syllabus with instructor.

Senior Seminar: Transition to the Rabbinate (PRO 7410)
Developed together with the Rabbinical Assembly, this course focuses on: professional ethics; maintaining records; establishing patterns of life-long learning and spiritual growth; the responsible use and potential for abuse of authority; community organizing; and working within the context of both the Conservative Movement and the broader Jewish and general community. Students use open-space planning to help develop their syllabus with instructor.

Professional or Pastoral Skills Elective. Choose an elective from the PRO and PAS offerings or an advisor-approved course at one of our consortium partners, HUC, and UTS.

Concentration Courses for the MA Degree (15 non-overlapping credits plus required thesis, comprehensive exams or field work)

These are determined by each academic department.