Course Objectives

• To familiarize the student with the classical foundations of Jewish belief
• To present applications of these philosophical principles for everyday life

Course Schedule

• 8 week duration. Monday, October 27, 2008 - Sunday, December 21, 2008. Each Monday, new course material will be posted on-line and remain available for the duration of the course.
• Self-Paced Study: Students can read the material and correspond at their own pace.

Interactive Feature

• Optional Question & Comments: Students may submit questions and comments on the current week's lesson  or on previous weeks' lessons, via E-mail.
• Personal Responses: Students will receive personal responses to their letters, via E-mail.
• On Line Posting: Select teacher-student correspondences will be posted on-line for viewing and comments by the entire class. 

Confidentiality of student correspondence will be respected  

Classical Sources

• Midrashic Literature (1st - 6th centuries Israel & Babylon) - The repository of the Oral Law
• "The Kuzari" (Rabbi Yehudah Ha'levy, 1080-1145, Spain) - Examines the fundamentals of Judaism based on the philosophical dialogue between the Khazar king and a Jewish scholar.
• The Writings of Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe, son of Maimon, 1135-1204, Egypt) - From the comprehensive works of one of the great codifiers of Jewish knowledge. 
• "The Book of Fundamentals" (Rabbi Yosef Albo, 1380-1444, Spain) - A systematic presentation of Jewish belief, from general principles to precise details.