Dedicated to those held hostage
Why do we drink four cups of wine at the Passover Seder? Why do we eat while reclining? Is dipping twice really such a big deal?
The Passover Seder commemorates one of the pivotal moments in Jewish history, the redemption from Slavery. Although the Bible provides the origins for it, the talmudic rabbis filled in the details, creating step by step guidelines for this timeless ritual. The result is the Seder, a unique blend of study, remembrance and re-enactment.
In this course we will examine these guidelines which comprise the tenth chapter of tractate Pesachim. Beginning with the Mishnah and continuing with the analysis in the Babylonian Talmud and its medieval and early modern commentators, we will examine how various rituals comprising the Seder developed and the theological and conceptual issues surrounding them. At the same time, students will gain skills in reading, deciphering, and analyzing this often enigmatic text.
May our learning be a merit for those being held hostage to experience another redemption.
Nobody is turned away for inability to pay; contact inquiry@drisha.org to inquire about financial aid.
Dr. Shana Strauch Schick is a lecturer in Rabbinic Literature in the Multidisciplinary Department of Jewish Studies at Bar Ilan University and teaches Talmud and Jewish Law at Drisha Institute, NY. She has a PhD in Talmud from Bernard Revel Graduate School, Yeshiva University and studied in Stern College’s GPATS, from 2002-2007. She’s the author of Intention in Talmudic Law: Between Thought and Deed (Brill, 2021). Her upcoming monograph is entitled Women in Rabbinic Law and Narrative: Vying Currents in Babylonian and Palestinian Texts.
