Making Sense of Jewish Practice: An Introduction to Practical Halakhah

We will take a tour of some of the core elements of Jewish ritual law, particularly laws of kashrut, and explore the processes through which legal rulings developed. We will also consider the tensions and disputes that get at the heart of what each area of law is about.

This class is designed for students who are comfortable working through Hebrew at a Beginner/Intermediate level with a havruta, dictionaries, and faculty assistance. Translations will not be made available and students should be excited to work through the text for a significant amount of time independently or with a havruta.