The Ethical Life: Jewish Values in an Age of Choice
A Turnkey Curriculum in Jewish Ethics from JTS
From political and financial scandals to rapid progress in biomedical science and technology, the complex issues of modern society are, at their core, issues of ethical and moral concern. Now more than ever, we require a solid understanding of how Jewish ethics can inform our discussions and decisions about the critical questions of the day. Judaism has a long history of wrestling with moral questions, responding to them in a way that considers all sides of an issue.
This complete, turnkey course for adult learners gives rabbis and educators the resources to facilitate nuanced communal conversations grappling with today’s most pressing ethical dilemmas. It includes videos featuring JTS faculty, other expert scholars, and practitioners in the field; classical and contemporary texts; an extensive leader’s guide; and additional resources online.
What the Curriculum Includes
- Video Lectures: JTS faculty members and other expert scholars lecture for approximately 10–15 minutes, offering a reasoned position on an ethical dilemma.
- Sourcebook: The sourcebook includes primary texts for each lecture—in the original language and with English translation—and recommended background readings.
- Leader’s Guide: An extensive collection of resources for course leaders, including guidelines for conducting conversations about ethics; recommendations for how to structure each session; an outline of each video lecture; hevruta questions and explanatory notes for primary sources; illustrative case studies; suggested discussion questions; and recommended background resources.
- “Voices from the Field”: Videos 3–5 minutes long featuring individuals from the American Jewish community who, in their professions, grapple with ethical challenges on a daily basis.
All course materials are housed on a password-protected online platform. Video lectures are also provided on a USB drive. Textual sources are provided as PDFs, to be printed locally by each participating community or accessed on electronic devices for a paperless experience. The Leader’s Guide is provided both in print and online as a PDF.
Course Contents
I. Foundational Sessions
- Introduction:
- The Centrality of Ethics to Jewish Life: Chancellor Arnold Eisen
- Does Ethics Need God?: Dr. Alan Mittleman
- The Sources of Jewish Ethics:
- Ethics and Halakhah (Law): Rabbi Gordon Tucker, PhD and Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD
- Ethics and Aggadah (Narrative): Dr. Eitan Fishbane
- Ethics and the Lived Experience—A Feminist Approach: Dr. Michal Raucher
II. Ethics of Global Citizenship and the Public Good
- The Ethical Dimensions of Food Production: Dr. David Kraemer
- Fracking: A Case Study in the Ethics of Neighborly Relations: Rabbi Eliezer Diamond, PhD
- Is Teshuvah Possible? Rethinking Mass Incarceration: Rabbi Jill Jacobs
- Modern-Day Slavery and Our Ethical Responsibility: Rabbi Gordon Tucker, PhD
- The Ethics of Torture and Just War: Rabbi Melissa Weintraub
III. Personal and Interpersonal Ethics
- Advance Directives and the Ethics of End-of-Life Care: Rabbi Mychal Springer
- Disabilities and the Ethics of Inclusion: Rabbi Daniel Nevins
- Surrogacy and the Ethics of Relationships: Dr. Michal Raucher
- Better than Normal? The Ethics of Enhancement: Rabbi Leonard Sharzer, MD
- Is Lying Ever Ethical?: Rabbi David Hoffman, PhD
A Modular Framework
The videos and accompanying materials are designed to be used by clergy or educators as part of an ongoing study program, rather than as stand-alone sessions. However, each unit stands on its own, so course leaders may select which sessions they wish to include and in what order they wish to teach them.
How to Order
The price for this complete course is $500. This includes all video lectures on USB, and password-protected access to all course materials online.
Contact Us
To learn more about this course, please contact ethical.life@jtsa.edu.
This course is made possible through the generous support of the Hereld Institute for Jewish Studies of JTS.
