University of Minnesota

Department of Ancient Near Eastern and Jewish Studies

University of Minnesota

178 Klaeber Court

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

612-376-4866

Hebrew 3112, Rabbinic Texts

Spring, 1986

Professor Tzvee Zahavy

Syllabus

This course teaches the student how to undertake the critical study of selected rabbinic texts. This quarter the course focuses on selected medieval rabbinic texts out of the works of Maimonides (1135-1204). The course examines the content of several major works and traces the sources of authority and the history of ideas in the materials back to Scripture, the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud and other rabbinic sources. The course introduces the student to the tools necessary for the study of these texts and guides the student in the explanation and analysis of selected pericopae.

Each student will be assigned specific texts from the selected materials and prepare an explanation of the selection to be presented first in class and later in writing to the instructor.

Grading: ABC/NC or S/N. S=C or better. No incompletes.

Texts:

Moses Maimonides

1. Treatise on Resurrection

2. Epistle to Yemen

3. Responsa

Selections from the texts will be available for duplication atKinko's.

Hebrew Editions:

"Letters of Rabbenu Moshe Ben Maimon", ed. M.D. Rabinovitch

"Letters of Rabbenu Moshe Ben Maimon", ed. Y. Kapah

"Rabbenu Moshe Ben Maimon: Responsa", ed. Y. Blau

Selected Secondary Readings:

J. I. Dienstag, "Eschatology in Maimonidean Thought"

F. Rosner, "Moses Maimonides' Treatise on Resurrection"

L. Stitskin, "Letters of Maimonides"

I. Twersky, "A Maimonides Reader"