Jews are called “the People of the Book” – but which book/s? This course will familiarize participants with the different and distinctive texts that shaped Jewish culture from late antiquity through the early Middle Ages. It will address questions such as: Which Jewish texts may be called canonical? What are the processes whereby texts achieve hallowed and authoritative status? How did the legacy of the Bible and the Talmudic sages impact the creation of Jewish texts in medieval and modern times? In addition to studying the works themselves, we will learn about the times and places in which they were written, the circumstances of their composition, and the identities and personalities of their authors. We will also examine the reception history of these texts, aiming both to appreciate and to question their inclusion in “the Jewish bookshelf.”
Dr. Rachel Furst is a scholar of Jewish law and Jewish history, whose research and teaching focus on Jewish-Christian relations in medieval Europe, as well as on women and gender. She holds academic degrees from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Columbia University of New York, and she has held fellowships and lectured widely in Israel, Europe, and the United States. This year, she will be teaching at Ben Gurion University and David Yellin Teacher’s College in Israel and at Paideia Institute of Jewish Studies in Sweden.
Rachel currently resides in Zikhron Yaakov, Israel with her family.
