By tracing the halachic use of two verses, we will find out what makes a minhag (custom), and what its force is in the halachic system, and when minhagim continue or cease to obligate us.

The laws of bal tashchit, the prohibition of wasteful destruction, are of broad application in protecting the environment. We will examine rabbinic sources from the days of the Mishna through contemporary authorities in order to determine what is halachically permitted and what is prohibited. PLEASE NOTE: This class requires a minimum of 10 paying students in order to ensure its continuation this zman.

The Mishna course is concerned with imparting to the students a basic understanding of the nature of Torah shebaal Peh (oral law) and Mishna - the first text of Oral Law in particular. The two focal points of the course are: firstly helping the student to achieve a mastery of the reading of the text and secondly an introduction to conceptual analysis. The units to be studied will read more

The Pesach Haggada is not just a series of stories and verses strung together - it contains a precise logic and order. Each element is there for a reason and plays a very specific role in the structure and flow of the Haggada.  In this class we will examine all of the particular aspects of the Haggada and try to answer the questions, "why is it there?" and "what does read more

In this class we will follow the path of the modern-day posek and discover, through the texts that he would have used, the modern application of our previously established halachic rulings. Averaging a new question every two classes, we will learn through the relevant texts, understand the principle to be gleaned from each of them and then apply them, step-by-step, to our halachic query. PLEASE NOTE: This class read more

We will aim to enrich the Seder experience by carefully studying its structure and underlying symbolism. We will weave together study of the mishna and select sugyot in Pesachim with analysis of the Torah and Haggada text.

Students will learn the Gemara through analysis of various Rishonim (medieval commentaries) and their relationship to the Gemara and the role they play in learning the text. Conceptual issues of the Gemara will be examined including a basic introduction to the role the Achronim (latter commentaries) play in the Halachic system.  Questions such as, “Who are the Achronim, what do they do, and who do they comment on?” will be read more

A basic-level gemara shiur that aims primarily to improve the student's ability to logically parse a gemara sugya. For the first months of the zman, the emphasis is almost exclusively on reading the gemara text, and using parallel gemara sources for understanding specific concepts. Rashi's commentary is used only sparingly, for informational purposes. Later on in the zman, the shiur will begin to focus more on understanding Rashi's approach as read more

This class is for students who are already skilled in analyzing a page of Gemara with Rishonim. In-depth conceptual development will be the focus. PLEASE NOTE: This class requires a minimum of 10 paying students in order to ensure its continuation this zman. read more

This shiur is for advanced, capable learners with a broad, in-depth knowledge of Torah She-Baal Peh.

The essay "Ish HaHalakha" (Halakhic Man) is Rav Soloveitchik's most systematic statement of a philosophy of Halakha. The essay provides readers with insight into the ways in which a rich and ongoing attachment to Gemara and its commentaries as well as a commitment to halakhic practice creates a particular kind of religious experience, one that is profoundly cerebral but touched with emotion and love. This class will read the essay read more

Among the topics to be covered: benefiting from the violation of Shabbat and profiting from legitimate work on Shabbat; asking non-Jews to do work; use of solar or chemical heaters for cooking; and brushing teeth on Shabbat.

Participants are encouraged to suggest other topics of interest to them.  For each topic we will focus on the opinions read more

Using Rambam's introduciton to the Mishna as our guide, we'll explore how the Oral Law came to be from the moment Moshe came down from the mountain, through the Talmud, and beyond. PLEASE NOTE: This class requires a minimum of 10 paying students in order to ensure its continuation this zman.

This class will investigate the fundamentals of Jewish Business Ethics and present the Jewish approach to resolving the ethical dilemmas in the modern marketplace. The following are some of the topics that will be discussed:
Basic principles and values of Jewish Business Ethics
Marketing -- projecting a positive image without misleading the consumer
Worker relations -- ethical practices for employers in hiring and firing, and for employees in presenting themselves and quitting.
Fair competition read more

An overview of major topics in Modern Jewish history, including Emancipation and Enlightenment, and their impacts on Jewish life, culture, and observance; Zionism and the State; Modern anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. This ambitious agenda will be pursued through an encounter with primary sources, and with thinking about how our lives as contemporary, religious Jews are affected by the events of the past 250 years.

This course is intended both for beginners and for those with some prior textual experience.  The object of this course is to continue building an infrastructure of both grammar and textual skills for independent study. In this course you will learn more about how to discover the roots of Hebrew words; learn vowel patterns, word constructions, and grammar fundamentals. The course of study brings the learning of Hebrew texts down read more

Written by Rebbe Nosson of Breslov, Rebbe Nachman's leading disciple, Likkutei Halachot explores the deeper meaning and connection between the laws of the Shulchan Aruch and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman's great work of hassidic thought, the Likkutei Moharan. read more

Along with the Golem, the Maharal of Prague was a seminal influence on Modern Chasidut, and the philosophy of Rav Kook. His novel approach to Jewish learning and his understanding of the nature of Torah, are as compelling as they are provocative. We will be using his text Nativ Torah (Pathway of Torah) which outlines what the nature of Torah is and how it manifests itself in the world. PLEASE read more

This shiur is open to serious students with a solid foundation in gemara learning and a high level of commitment and motivation in their studies. Students will be expected to prepare materiel for shiurim in advance and to attend classes regularly. The regular gemara shiur will take place three days a week. In addition, twice a week, Rabbi Brovender will meet with a pre-selected group of three read more

This shiur is open to students with little background in gemara learning but who have a high level of commitment and motivation in their studies. Students will be expected to prepare materiel for shiurim in advance and to attend classes regularly. The regular gemara shiur will take place three days a week. In addition, once a week, Rabbi Pransky will meet with a pre-selected group of three read more

This shiur is open to students with little background in gemara learning but who have a high level of commitment and motivation in their studies. Students will be expected to prepare materiel for shiurim in advance and to attend classes regularly. The regular gemara shiur will take placethree days a week. In addition, twice a week, Rabbi Meyers will meet with a pre-selected group of three read more

In this class we will continue our reading of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), begun last semester and then move on to Megillat Esther, traditionally read at Purim. New students who were not in this class last semester are welcome to join. We will look into the text and explore both the simple and the deeper levels of the words, using Midrash and other commentaries, and attempt to uncover the read more

This class will study Maimonides' major philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed. It is considered to be the most influential book of medieval Jewish philosophy.

Parshat Kedoshim, the 19th Chapter of Vayikra contains over 30 mitzvot. We will aim to look at one mitzva each week, the verse from the Torah, the Mishna, Gemara, and other sources. This is an opportunity to learn about mitzvot that are generally considered obscure or are harder to understand in practice. Our ultimate goal will be to understand the connecting thread in the list of all these mitzvot. Some read more

This class will study the Parshat HaShavua (weekly Torah portion) using Chassidic meforshim (commentators) as well as others to convey an interesting and deep understanding of our times through the study of the weekly Torah parsha. PLEASE NOTE: This class requires a minimum of 10 paying students in order to ensure its continuation this zman.

Pirkei Avot ("The Ethics of Our Fathers") is one of the best known and most cited of Jewish texts. This beloved tractate of the Mishna composed of ethical maxims of the Rabbis is familiar for such maxims as "If I am only for myself, who am I?" (1:14) and "Say little and do much" (1:15). Rabbi Brovender will examine and teach a different chapter of Pirkei Avot each week, following the read more

This class will study the story of Joseph with the commentaries of Rashi, Ibn - Ezra, Ramban and further Rishonim (medieval commentaries).  Skills in exegesis (critical interpretation of different approaches to Pshat - the simple interpretation of the text) will be developed and students will learn to decipher the limits to determining Pshat.  Additional references will include Achronim (latter commentaries), Netziv, Meshech Chochmah, and others. read more

This class will study Sefer Shmuel (Samuel), with relevant commentaries. Students will learn to think about the text themselves, and what the narratives mean, as well as hone their skills in exegesis. Where relevant we will take a more b'iyun (in depth) approach to some of the subjects, looking at a broader range of sources including Talmud, Rishonim and Achronim.

One way to make Daily tefila as meaningful as possible is to not only understand what we are praying, but why are these the things we pray for. We will investigate the concepts behind the words and seek out meaning through various commentaries and sources. PLEASE NOTE: This class requires a minimum of 10 paying students in order to ensure its continuation this zman.

This semester we will explore the concept of Divine Providence, hashgacha pratit, through the eyes of the sages of Kabbala and chassidut. Our goal will be to expand our understanding of this primary idea in Jewish thinking, how the hand of God is revealed in our personal lives. We will offer principles and guidelines for understanding read more

R. Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook was a prolific writer and creative thinker with a literary output which includes halachic responsa, letters, short philosophical pieces and poetry. In this course, we shall investigate different facets of R. Kook's writings with careful analysis of some of the most important passages. Among other issues, we shall address Zionism, the balance between universalism and particularism, combining different perspectives, and R. Kook's response to the read more

Continuing our study of individualism in Tanach we will take a close look at the behaviors of Korach and his company. Was he justified? Was he evil? We will also examine cases in the Torah when Moshe is stumped and needs to ask God for help in determining practice. Finally we will look at individuals who outright sin - the Curser of God, the Gatherer of Sticks. read more