The four year goal of the Rabbinics curriculum is to initiate the novice and to immerse the day school graduate in the study of rabbinic texts so that they both can and want to study these texts and their historical context.

The terms of achievement that we use to think about this goal are access, exposure, depth, and erudition.

Access is mastery of the language and thinking skills necessary to derive some meaning from a text in its original language. Exposure is an encounter with a text to show the student how the text works, how it fits in with the corpus of classical Jewish literature, and its place in Jewish history. Erudition is a familiarity with the breadth of a particular text gained through extensive reading of it either in its original language or in translation. Depth is an understanding that results from erudition, close reading of the text in its original language, and the study of the commentary on it.

The destruction of the Temple in the year 70 C.E. was a turning point in Jewish history. In the wake of the destruction, the early rabbis created a new culture of learning and developed new models of leadership. Ninth grade classes explore some of the classical texts relating to how Rabbinic culture managed new power structures and tolerated certain kinds of dissent. Students primarily study tractate Berakhot which addresses the creation of sacred time and behavior through prayer and blessings, but also deals with other values when they conflict with religious goals. Students study the third chapter of Berakhot which discusses how the Rabbis sought to balance religious requirements against the demands of human dignity, particular in the context of death and mourning. Other materials from tractate Berakhot are determined based on teacher interest and student ability. Students study these texts in different versions in order to provide appropriately challenging materials. In advanced sections, this includes studying from the traditional Vilna edition with the support of Rashi’s commentary. Other classes will also use traditional editions, but may focus primarily on the Tannaitic stratum of the Talmudic text, i.e., the Hebrew text of the Mishnah and literature from the same period as the Mishnah. Students who enter Gann with little or no facility with Hebrew use the Kehati Bilingual edition of the Mishnah. All 9th grade students study texts from Talmud Berakhot 19a and 19b which respectively address the topic of excommunication and when or if human dignity overrides the performance of mitzvot.  

Tenth grade students deal with several issues of interpersonal ethics. They begin with the theme of Tzedakah, which they explore using texts from Talmud tractate Berakhot and Tosefta Peah. They then study laws of honoring and revering parents from tractate Kiddushin. They conclude the year with materials relating to the interactions of Jews and non-Jews, beginning with materials from tractate Bava Kamma. During the tenth grade, students will begin to explore Halakhic literature, including Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, the Shulhan Arukh and various responsa. Skills acquired include exposure to the rhetoric of Talmudic texts in translation, to decoding the Mishnah with a sensitivity to its underlying legal reasoning, to using the commentary of Rashi to the Talmud and gaining access Halakhic texts. Classes are differentiated according to the students' backgrounds and skills.  

The year-long theme in the eleventh grade is the Land of Israel. The beginning of the year is focused on learning midrash (homiletical and exegetical responses to the Bible) about the land of Israel; students explore a variety of genres of midrash, and address issues of the relationship between the diaspora and the land of Israel, as well as concerns about security and prosperity in the land as expressed in these midrashim. During the second trimester, students study the end of tractate Ketubot which compares the bond of the Jew to the Land of Israel with the bond between married spouses. This text expands more upon the relationship of Israel and the diaspora. During the third trimester, students may explore various different topics including how modern Israelis have dealt with relevant issues of Halakhah including ethics of war, territorial compromise, the Sabbatical year, or responses to terror. Students are exposed to Talmudic narratives (Aggadah) as well as classical and modern works of Responsa. Skills vary from engagement with the text of the Talmud using translations (into English or into Hebrew using the Steinsaltz ed. of the Talmud), to learning Responsa literature, to analyzing the medieval Talmudic commentaries (Rishonim).  

Students in the 12th grade choose from a variety of elective topics. This year, students have chosen from “Halakhic Thinking,” “Midrash and Aggadah: a literary study,” “Bioethics,” “Chasidism,” and "Beit Midrash."  

We will focus on issues relating to the beginning and end of life while discussing broad philosophic topics such as whether human beings own their bodies, quality vs. length of life as values, and the definition of human life. We will study the traditional sources relevant to these issues intensely, ranging from the Bible and Talmud through contemporary responsa and essays, while simultaneously exploring the intuitions and responses of general society and Western ethical tradition. Jewish sources will be available both in the original and in translation. Students will: a) identify the roots of their own assumptions with regard to these issues; b) understand the similarities and divergences between Jewish and Western thought, both in detail and in process; c) develop the capacity to think seriously about these issues [as] both as Americans and as Jews.  

Over the last two centuries, Chasidism has come to play an important role in Jewish life. Every single branch of Judaism including the famous ‘mitnagdim’ (opponents of Chasidism), have by now adapted elements of this movement's approach to Jewish life. In this course we will explore how this movement started, learn about the personalities and study selections from classical Chasidic texts, and become familiar with the basic principles of Chasidic philosophy and thought. Students will be given the opportunity to engage in discussions about the relevance of these ideas to the contemporary Jewish experience and explore the convergence of Chasidism with the philosophies of the different branches of the Jewish community.  

How does the Talmud derive law from the Torah? How did the medieval halachists determine the law from the Talmud? How does Jewish Law change over time? How does this process work in modern times? This course will look at several topics in Jewish law that have changed over time and continue to be in flux in our times, including women's role in prayer, commandments that women do/don't have to do, blessings for commandments one need not perform, and the laws of menstrual “purity.” Sources (pesukim, midrash, mishnah, gemara, medievals, and moderns) will be provided in the original. For most of these texts, that original language is Hebrew or Aramaic. Some of the modern texts are in English. Assistance will be provided to students who cannot prepare on their own from the original text.  

The goal of midrash is not to learn what TaNaKh meant, but what TaNaKh means. We will explore how the rabbis and how contemporary American and Israeli writers read and retell TaNaKh in order to create contemporary meaning. We will also discuss how these midrashim work, both as literature and as theology. And then we will try to enter into the conversation of midrash by trying to emulate classical midrashic forms or through art. The second half of the course will focus on the very best stories from the Talmud, again focusing on these texts as a complex literature. What do these stories tell us about Jewish culture? In what ways are these stories compelling? How do the various stories relate to each other? How have Jews, both medieval and modern, responded and interpreted these stories. In both parts of the class, texts will be discussed in Hebrew, but students will have access to translations of every text (translations are interpretations, of course, and the translations are required texts for the course).