University of Pennsylvania
Sponsoring Agency: Lubavitch House at Penn
|
University of Pennsylvania Lubavitch House at Penn 4032 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA Office: 215-746-6115 Email: [email protected] Web: www.LubavitchHouse.com |
Current Courses
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| About the Course |
A Jewish Educational Experience Do you want to challenge the status quo? Do you have questions about Judaism that are important to discuss? Do you want to discover how Judaism is relevant and forward-thinking? Do you want to join a warm community? Then join the club! Sinai Scholars is for you! This learning experience is different from any class you have ever attended! Sinai Scholars is not a series of lectures; it is a series of interactive discussions. It is not a repeat of what you experienced in Hebrew school; it is fun, stimulating, deep, and relevant. It is not a time to listen; it’s a time to question. It is not geared to tell you what to think; it provides an opportunity to explore Judaism’s rich heritage at your own pace with you in the driver’s seat. Sinai Scholars is a platform upon which participants explore central elements of Judaism that are relevant, interesting, and empowering for all Jews, irrespective of background, education, and level of commitment. By the end of this journey, you will have a richer appreciation for some of the core elements of Jewish heritage and Jewish identity, along with a deeper understanding about how these interface with modern life. Session One You meet a Jewish person who says, “You know, I don’t know why people consider me Jewish. I do not support Israel; I do not ever visit a synagogue; and I do not celebrate any Jewish holidays.” How would you respond? What does it mean to be a Jew? Is Judaism a religion, culture, nationality, or some combination thereof? Since the dawn of time, individuals and groups sought to define and explain their identities, and Jews throughout the ages questioned the meaning of their Jewish identity. Today, the shifting sands of Jewish life require that this conversation persist but with newer insights and profounder definitions. Session Two If you were G-d and you were going to address a once-for-all-time message to all of humanity, what would you say? What messages does humankind need to hear today? Mark Twain noted that while many nations filled the planet with sound and splendor, all of them soon faded and vanished. But the Jews are different, he noted. “All things are mortal,” he wrote, “but the Jew.” For Jews, survival is not celebrated for survival’s sake; survival is seen as a call to a purpose. A dialogue about the nature of this purpose is one crucial step in making this world a better place. Session Three In medieval times, a despotic ruler once agreed to release a Jew from jail for one day each year to practice religion. The Jew was now in a quandary. Should that day be Yom Kippur? Passover? Rosh Hashanah? Some other day? How to choose? What would you choose? This leads into a broader discussion about Jewish rituals, which often seem foreign and archaic. In what ways can we find meaning and value in some of these observances? Session Four Life is continuous and unrelenting. Might there be some benefit in a creative pause? Enter the Jewish Sabbath. It is difficult to imagine a society functioning without a weekend, but this institution was unheard of in the ancient world. What meaning did Jews find in their Sabbath that allowed them to shrug off their cultural isolation? Examining this question is relevant to those who are troubled that today’s society is insufficiently happy and inadequately connected in meaningful ways.
|
| Date |
Course dates to be determined. Upon acceptance of this program, all students are required to attend 8 mandatory learning sessions, in addition to a field-trip, Shabbaton, and Chesed project/community service. |
| Availability | Apply Now |
This course will run via zoom or another platform. If deemed safe there will be a field trip and a 5 page research paper submission online. Please send your questions to [email protected] |
|
Past Courses
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| About the Course |
Course Overview The Ten Commandments are one of the most well-known passages of the Bible, and are 1. What, if anything, is Jewish about the Ten Commandments? Aren’t these ethical
2. Why these ten? There are many possible ways to articulate a foundational manifesto of purpose. Yet the Ten Commandments select only ten of hundreds of possible commandments to be conveyed by G-d directly to the Jewish people. What is special about these ten? In what way do each of them represent a sphere 3. How does this commandment make a difference to your life? Most of us don’t
Course Syllabus Orientation Session In this session, you will review the goals and requirements of the program. Lesson One: If You Were G-d In this lesson, you will examine the structure and order of the ten commandments, Lesson Two: Who Am I? In this lesson, you will examine the Jewish concept of G-d and the nature of Lesson Three: To Be or Not to Be This lesson concentrates on the Jewish idea of the Sabbath and sanctity in time. Field Trip One You will have the opportunity to observe and participate in a Shabbat dinner with Lesson Four: The Creators This lesson looks at how Jewish law codifies the requirement to honor and respect parents, and invites you to consider the significance of this commandment to our spiritual development.
Lesson Five: The Breath of Life This lesson examines Jewish life ethics governing such issues as murder, suicide, Lesson Six: Born To Marry This lesson focuses on the Jewish ethics concerning love and marriage. Field Trip Two Lesson Seven: For Love or Money ( Do Not Steal; Do Not Covet) This lesson will explore the relationship between material wealth and how it can Lesson Eight: The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth This lesson focuses on the spiritual meaning of human communication and the
|
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Shabbaton - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL 
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| There is a possibility for an alternate date, so you can apply even if your Tuesdays are not free. Please indicate in your application what evenings are not open. | |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Shabbaton - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Field Trip - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| -1 | |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation - Lesson 1 - Shabbaton - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Field Trip - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| -1 | |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Course dates to be determined. |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Pre-Registration is now open for the Spring 2009 Semester, using the Fall semester application form. Please be sure to include in your application that you are registering for the spring semester. | |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Shabbaton - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Field Trip - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Shabbaton - Lesson 2 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| -1 | |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Shabbaton - Field Trip - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Shabbaton - Field Trip - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| -1 | |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Shabbaton - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Field Trip - Lesson 7 - Shabbaton - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
There will be a symposium on April 3rd. Students are expected to attend 3 hours of the symposium. |
|
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Field Trip - Lesson 5 - Shabbaton - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
Classes are scheduled for Monday nights. There might also be an alternate group meeting on another night of the week, so feel free to apply even if the Monday schedule does not work for you. There will also be a Shabbat Dinner with Rabbi Eyal Rav-Noy and field trip to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. |
|
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Field Trip - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
There are several tracks available. 1) novice. 2) advanced. 3) Sinai 2. Sign up here for 1 & 2. Contact us at [email protected] for Sinai 2 |
|
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Shabbaton - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Field Trip - Field Trip - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation/Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Shabbaton - Field Trip - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Shabbaton - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Field Trip - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Shabbaton - Lesson 7 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Shabbaton - Orientation - Lesson 1 - Field Trip - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Shabbaton 2 - Lesson 7 - Graduation - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
If you want to learn more about the program. Please email Sophia Valner ([email protected]) or Rabbi Levi ([email protected]) to discuss the program. |
|
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Shabbaton2 - Lesson 6 - Shabbaton1 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Wisdom From Sinai: Revolutionary Ideas that Judaism Introduced to the World | |
| Date |
Orientation - Field Trip - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Shabbaton1 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
For more information contact Margaux at: [email protected] |
|
| Fascinating Facts: Exploring Myths and Mysteries of Judaism | |
| About the Course |
Fascinating Facts is a four-lesson series in which four major components that sustain and shape Jewish life are explored: our book, our food, our bodies, and the cycle of life. Rather than thoroughly exploring one component of each of these themes, each class surveys various elements within the given topic. This will provide an opportunity to learn many new concepts while simultaneously developing an appreciation for a single larger idea. |
| Date |
Course dates to be determined. |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Fascinating Facts: Exploring Myths and Mysteries of Judaism | |
| Date |
Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Shabbaton - Lesson 5 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 6 - Graduation - Graduation - Graduation - Graduation - Graduation - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
Join us for Sinai Plus on Tuesday nights (starting October 21). To learn more about Sinai Plus go to www.LubavitchHouse.com/sinaiplus If combined with partner study and advanced field trip, students who are accepted will be eligible for a $250 stipend at the end of the program. For more information contact Alexandra Krushell [email protected] |
|
| Fascinating Facts: Exploring Myths and Mysteries of Judaism | |
| Date |
Orientation - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Fascinating Facts: Exploring Myths and Mysteries of Judaism | |
| Date |
Orientation - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| About the Course |
A Jewish Educational Experience Do you want to challenge the status quo? Do you have questions about Judaism that are important to discuss? Do you want to discover how Judaism is relevant and forward-thinking? Do you want to join a warm community? Then join the club! Sinai Scholars is for you! This learning experience is different from any class you have ever attended! Sinai Scholars is not a series of lectures; it is a series of interactive discussions. It is not a repeat of what you experienced in Hebrew school; it is fun, stimulating, deep, and relevant. It is not a time to listen; it’s a time to question. It is not geared to tell you what to think; it provides an opportunity to explore Judaism’s rich heritage at your own pace with you in the driver’s seat. Sinai Scholars is a platform upon which participants explore central elements of Judaism that are relevant, interesting, and empowering for all Jews, irrespective of background, education, and level of commitment. By the end of this journey, you will have a richer appreciation for some of the core elements of Jewish heritage and Jewish identity, along with a deeper understanding about how these interface with modern life. Session One You meet a Jewish person who says, “You know, I don’t know why people consider me Jewish. I do not support Israel; I do not ever visit a synagogue; and I do not celebrate any Jewish holidays.” How would you respond? What does it mean to be a Jew? Is Judaism a religion, culture, nationality, or some combination thereof? Since the dawn of time, individuals and groups sought to define and explain their identities, and Jews throughout the ages questioned the meaning of their Jewish identity. Today, the shifting sands of Jewish life require that this conversation persist but with newer insights and profounder definitions. Session Two If you were G-d and you were going to address a once-for-all-time message to all of humanity, what would you say? What messages does humankind need to hear today? Mark Twain noted that while many nations filled the planet with sound and splendor, all of them soon faded and vanished. But the Jews are different, he noted. “All things are mortal,” he wrote, “but the Jew.” For Jews, survival is not celebrated for survival’s sake; survival is seen as a call to a purpose. A dialogue about the nature of this purpose is one crucial step in making this world a better place. Session Three In medieval times, a despotic ruler once agreed to release a Jew from jail for one day each year to practice religion. The Jew was now in a quandary. Should that day be Yom Kippur? Passover? Rosh Hashanah? Some other day? How to choose? What would you choose? This leads into a broader discussion about Jewish rituals, which often seem foreign and archaic. In what ways can we find meaning and value in some of these observances? Session Four Life is continuous and unrelenting. Might there be some benefit in a creative pause? Enter the Jewish Sabbath. It is difficult to imagine a society functioning without a weekend, but this institution was unheard of in the ancient world. What meaning did Jews find in their Sabbath that allowed them to shrug off their cultural isolation? Examining this question is relevant to those who are troubled that today’s society is insufficiently happy and inadequately connected in meaningful ways.
|
| Date |
Field Trip - Orientation - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Graduation - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
Some of these dates are subject to change. For more information contact our student coordinator David Freed at: [email protected] |
|
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| Date |
Orientation / Lesson 1 - Tikun Olam - Shabbaton1 - Lesson 2 - Field Trip - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| Date |
Orientation / Lesson 1 - Tikun Olam - Lesson 2 - Field Trip - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Shabbaton1 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Intern | |
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| Date |
Orientation / Lesson 1 - Tikun Olam - Lesson 2 - Field Trip - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Shabbaton1 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Graduation - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
|
|
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| Date |
Orientation / Lesson 1 - Field Trip - Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
SPRING 2018 class meets on Wednesdays The group meets weekly for 2 hour dinner and discussion. There are texts to read and dicusss, a field trip, a 5 page research paper and fun people to meet. NEW: There's also a optional carrer mentoring option as well! If you have any questions please email Rabbi Levi at [email protected] |
|
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| Date |
Lesson 1 - Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Shabbos 1 - Field Trip - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Shabbos 2 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
Apply now for the Fall Semester. Feel free to reach out to our student coordintor Jesse Berliner-Sachs at Jesse Berliner-Sachs [email protected] or contact Rabbi Levi at [email protected] for more information or to set up a coffee date to discuss the program.
|
|
| Think Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life | |
| Date |
Orientation - Tikun Olam - Lesson 1 - Shabbos 1 - Field Trip - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Lesson 8 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
For more information contact student coordinator Annabel Singer at [email protected] Some of the dates are flexible so feel free to sign up even if the dates do not exactly work for you. |
|
| You Be the Judge: Behind the Steering Wheel of Jewish Law | |
| About the Course |
For over a thousand years, our mostimportant cultural activity has been the study of Talmud. It has sustained us through persecution and exile, shaping the discourse of our people and serving as the crowning achievement of our intellectual tradition. Perhaps you have been curious about the Talmud, but thought it was complex and inaccessible to anyone lacking extensive training. Not anymore. This fall, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute is proud to launch "You Be the Judge," an innovative introduction to this magnificent work. You need no prior knowledge of the Talmud and no formal legal training. There are no prerequisites other than an open mind. "You Be the Judge" presents you with real cases brought before Beit Din, the court system of Jewish law. We provide the primary source texts from Talmud and put you in the driver's seat. You will have the opportunity to question, discuss, and argue, based on principle and precedent. You will experience firsthand the exhilarating mental exploration that characterizes traditional Talmud study. Join us this fall in the ancient study halls of Jerusalem and Babylonia. Add your voice to other voices that span the millennia. You take the lead. You Be the Judge. |
| Date |
Orientation / Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Shabbaton1 - Lesson 6 - Calendar URL
help
|
| Availability | Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information. |
Apply as Intern: Intern Application
Faculty
Photo Gallery
More locations in Philadelphia
- I have learned a lot about the basic but complex parts of Judaism; my culture, religion, and lifestyle...
USC, Los Angeles, California - This course was by far one of the most important things that I have studied and I will never forget it.
USC, Los Angeles, California - If I had to point to one aspect ... it made us think of Judaism as something that's part of our everyday lives & not just a Friday & High Holidays affair.
USC, Los Angeles, California - I feel like Judaism is more part of who I am after participating in Sinai Scholars because I understand much more of the "why" of Judaism.
USC, Los Angeles, California - ...I am no longer the kid who simply accepts Judaism because I am Jewish, but rather I can see the true value & importance of Judaism in living a just & moral life.
USC, Los Angeles, California - All in all, I now have a completely new understanding of my religion.
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts - There are so many things that I could have gone my whole life not knowing that I know now, and I’m very thankful that I took this class.
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts - I’m definitely now much more proud of my religion than I ever was before.
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts - ...Each class made me leave with a new perspective on the way I live my life. I enjoyed being challenged to think how the 10 Commandments are a part of my life
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
a joint project of Chabad on Campus and the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute.