Introduction to Judaism Syllabus/Reading List
5786 - 2025-6
Rabbi David J.B. Krishef
Synagogue phone:  616-949-2840
Text and messages: 616-929-0459
(I do not use my devices on Shabbat or Jewish Holidays)
Email:  Rabbi@AhavasIsraelGR.org

Class will be held on Monday evenings in the synagogue meeting room from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.  Due to the occasionally unpredictable nature of the rabbi’s schedule, it may be necessary to cancel some scheduled dates.  Every effort will be made to cover the missed material during the semester.

Suggested reading list:
The books can be purchased online or ordered through local bookstores.  If you have trouble finding any of them, the synagogue will place an order from the publisher and sell them to you at cost.  The prices listed are approximate, based on previous years’ prices.

The Book of Jewish Practice, Rabbi Louis Jacobs; Behrman House, $13.50
The Book of Jewish Belief, Rabbi Louis Jacobs; Behrman House, $13.50

Reading list - for further enrichment:

Jewish Thought
Sacred Fragments, Rabbi Neil Gillman
Conservative Judaism, Rabbi Neil Gillman; Behrman House
The Death of Death, Rabbi Neil Gillman
A Jewish Theology, Rabbi Louis Jacobs
Healer of Shattered Hearts, Rabbi David Wolpe
Judaism as a Civilization, Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan
God and the Big Bang, by Rabbi Daniel Matt

Jewish History
Understanding Jewish History (two volumes), Sol Scharfstein
Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Robert Seltzer
Wanderings, Chaim Potok
A History of the Jewish People, Solomon Grayzel
History of the Jewish People, Max Margolis and Alexander Marx
A History of the Jewish People, edited by H. H. Ben-Sasson
Jews, God, and History, Max Dimont
Jewish Literacy, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
A History of the Jewish Experience, Leo Trepp
A History of Zionism, Walter Laqueur

Prayer/Liturgy
To Pray as a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin
Service of the Heart, Evelyn Garfiel
Entering Jewish Prayer, Reuven Hammer

General Judaica, Jewish calendar, life cycle, mitzvot
It’s a Mitzvah, Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson; Behrman House
The Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld; Harper and Row
This is My Beloved, This is My Friend: A Rabbinic Letter on Intimate Relations, Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, Rabbinical Assembly
The Passover Seder, The Art of Jewish Living series, Dr. Ron Wolfson
A Time to Mourn, A Time to Comfort, Dr. Ron Wolfson
The Jewish Dietary Laws, James M. Lebeau
Jewish Dietary Laws, by Samuel Dresner and Seymour Siegel
Shabbat:  The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath, 2nd edition, Dr. Ron Wolfson; Jewish Lights
The Sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel
Jewish Literacy, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Jewish Wisdom, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
The First Jewish Book of Why, Alfred Kolatch
The Second Jewish Book of Why, Alfred Kolatch
The First Jewish Catalog, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
The Second Jewish Catalog, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
The Complete Book of Jewish Observance, Leo Trepp

Bible
Tanakh, Jewish Publication Society
 The Jewish Study Bible, Oxford University Press
The Five Books of Moses, translated by Everett Fox, Schocken
Etz Hayim, Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
The JPS Bible Commentary series (includes all five books of Torah, Jonah, and Esther)

About the Course and the Syllabus

The course and syllabus have been designed with multiple audiences in mind.  Some students might be serious Jews, involved with Temple or Synagogue, who would like to fill in a few gaps in their basic Jewish education.  Some might be totally unfamiliar with Judaism, may or may not be Jewish, but have heard or read something about Judaism and want to learn more.  Others might be committed Christians, interested in learning the Jewish background against which Christianity developed.  Still others might be working on conversion to Judaism.  All are welcome.

Because of our limited time and the vastness of the material that I would like to cover, we need to begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.  I will set aside a few minutes to address questions that have come up in the course of the week, whether from past lessons or from current events.  My lectures are designed to be responsive to questions, keeping in mind the Rabbinic admonition, “One who is embarrassed [to ask questions], does not learn.”

Occasionally, I have included “special assignments,” involving areas of Jewish practice and home rituals.  These assignments are primarily for those students looking to deepen their own Jewish commitment or for those seeking conversion.  All students, however, should feel free to engage in the special assignments.

By the way, all services and programs of the synagogue are open to guests.  You may wish to subscribe to the synagogue monthly newsletter, the Voice ($25/year), to keep track of everything that it happening.  Also, feel free to visit our Shabbat services, 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. (approximately) each Saturday.

Now, in the immortal words of the 1st century Rabbinic sage Hillel, Tzei u’lmad, “Go and learn!”

An overview of the class dates and topics:

Session 1 - Introduction/Ideas in Jewish Theology	5
December 1, 2025	5
Session 2 - Biblical Civilization/How Jews Read the Bible	6
December 8, 2025	6
Session 3 - Shabbat - Sacred Rest	7
December 15, 2025	7
December 22 - no class
Session 4 - Kashrut	8
December 29, 2025	8
Session 5 - Post-Biblical and Pre-Rabbinic Civilization	9
January 5, 2026	9
January 12, 2026 - no class
Session 6 - Introduction to the Jewish Calendar and the Three Pilgrimage Festivals	10
January 19, 2026	10
Session 7 - The Rabbinic Period - Talmud Midrash, and Argument for the Sake of Heaven	11
January 26, 2026	11
Session 8 - Life cycle I - Birth/B’nai Mitzvah	12
February 2, 2026	12
Session 9 - The Days of Awe	13
February 9, 2026	13
Session 10 - Life cycle II - Marriage/Sexuality/Divorce	14
February 16, 2026	14
Session 11 - Medieval Jewish Civilization - Philosophy and Mysticism/Purim	15
February 23, 2026	15
March 2, 2026 - no class, Purim
Session 12 - Life cycle III - Illness and Death 	16
March 9, 2026	16
Session 13 - The Holocaust/Fast Days	17
March 16, 2026	17
Session 14 - Pesah - The story that Brought Forth Torah 	18
March 23, 2026	18
Session 15 - Zionism and the Modern State of Israel	19
March 30, 2026	19

Session 1 - Introduction/Ideas in Jewish Theology
December 1, 2025

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Belief in Action	pp. 1-3
	Study of the Torah	pp. 4-11

The Book of Jewish Belief
	What is Judaism	pp. 1-9
	Belief in God	pp. 10-18
	Torah	pp. 19-28
	The Mitzvot	pp. 29-37
	The Chosen People	pp. 38-45
	The Messianic Idea	pp. 221-229
	The Hereafter	pp. 230-238

Topics to be covered:

•What is Judaism?	•What is a Jewish life?
•Torah and mitzvot	•Religious Authority
•Chosen people	•Revelation
•Encountering God	•Sensing God’s presence
•Proving God’s existence	•Suffering:  Why does God allow it?
•The End of Days:  What will be?

Note:  For the next class, write two or three short paragraphs on your own personal theology of God and revelation.  If you did not receive the syllabus in advance and prepare the reading, please review this reading before the second class session.

Session 2 - Biblical Civilization/How Jews Read the Bible
December 8, 2025

Hand in Personal Theology Papers.

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Belief
	The Bible	pp. 46-55

Topics to be covered:

•Torah/Tanakh	•Biblical scholarship and criticism
•The Patriarchs and Matriarchs	•Slavery, exodus, and conquest
•Prophecy	•Destruction and exile

Session 3 - Shabbat - Sacred Rest
December 15, 2025

Reading assignment:

Handout from The Sabbath, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Book of Jewish Practice
	The Sabbath, pp. 74-80

The Book of Jewish Belief
	The Sabbath, pp. 96-104

Topics to be covered:

•The Meaning of Shabbat	•How to observe Shabbat
•Friday night Shabbat celebration

Note: No class December 22 - Rabbi out of town

Session 4 - Kashrut
December 29, 2025

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	The Dietary Laws	pp. 66-73

The Book of Jewish Belief
	The Dietary Laws	pp. 132-139

Topics to be covered:

•What is kashrut?	•Why keep kosher?
•Kashrut in the home and outside	•Purim:  Celebrating powerlessness

Special assignment:  Using the steps in It’s a Mitzvah, advance your observance of the mitzvah of kashrut by at least one step.  If you do not keep kosher at all, begin with steps 1-3.  If you keep kosher only partly, begin keeping kosher more fully using the more advanced steps. 

Session 5 - Post-Biblical and Pre-Rabbinic Civilization
January 5, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Hanukkah and Purim	pp. 118-122

Topics to be covered:

•Post Biblical History	•The Historical Hanukkah
•The Rabbinic Hanukkah

Note: No class January 12 - Rabbi out of town

Session 6 - Introduction to the Jewish Calendar and the Three Pilgrimage Festivals
January 19, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Sukkot	pp. 98-106
	Shavuot and Sefirat Ha-Omer	pp. 92-95

Topics to be covered:

•The lunar-solar calendar 	•Pesah, Shavuot, and Sukkot
•Sukkot and the Sukkah	•Shemini Atzeret
•Simhat Torah	•Reenacting the giving of the Torah
•Tikkun Leil Shavuot	•The Book of Ruth

Session 7 - The Rabbinic Period - Talmud Midrash, and Argument for the Sake of Heaven
January 26, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Belief
	Talmud and Midrash	pp. 56-66
	Rabbinic Literature	pp. 67-76

Topics to be covered:

•Post Biblical History 	•Who were the Rabbis?
•Halakha and Aggadah	•Oral Torah:  Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash

Session 8 - Life cycle I - Birth/B’nai Mitzvah
February 2, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Birth and Education	pp. 47-53
	Honoring Parents	pp. 54-59

The Book of Jewish Belief
	Marriage and the Family	pp. 215-220

Booklets from Congregation Ahavas Israel
	“Pregnancy and Birth Rituals in Jewish Tradition”
	“Brit Milah Ceremony”

Topics to be covered:

•Pregnancy traditions and rituals	•Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah
•Birth ceremonies:  Brit Milah and Simhat Bat

Session 9 - The Days of Awe
February 9, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Rosh Hashanah	pp. 107-112
	Yom Kippur	pp. 113-117

Topics to be covered:

•Sin and Teshuvah - the month of Elul and Selihot
•Rosh Hashanah	•Yom Kippur
•The Mahzor	•Shofar

Session 10 - Life cycle II - Marriage/Sexuality/Divorce
February 16, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Marriage	pp. 41-46

The Book of Jewish Belief
	Marriage and the Family	pp. 212-215

Topics to be covered:

•The marriage ceremony	•Mikvah and sexuality
•The get - a Jewish divorce

Session 11 - Medieval Jewish Civilization - Philosophy and Mysticism/Purim
February 23, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Belief
	Jewish Philosophy	pp. 77-82
	Jewish Mysticism	pp. 86-95
	Jewish Movements	pp. 140-148
	The Holocaust	pp. 149-156

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Hanukkah and Purim	pp. 122-125

Topics to be covered:

•Exiles and wanderings	•Inquisitions and expulsions
•Pogroms	•Expulsions and wandering
•Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewry
•Jewish philosophers - Sa’adia Gaon, Maimonides	
•Rashi	•Hasidism
•False Messianism	•Mysticism
•Jewish movements	
•The pleasures and pitfalls of entering modernity

Note: No class March 2 - Purim celebration

Session 12 - Life cycle III - Illness and Death 
March 9, 2026

Reading assignment:

Handout:  Ahavas Israel guide to mourners

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Death and Mourning	pp. 60-65

Topics to be covered:

•Visiting the Sick	•Jewish laws on death and mourning

Session 13 - The Holocaust/Fast Days
March 16, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Belief
	The Holocaust	pp. 149-156

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Fast Days	pp. 126-129

Topics to be covered:

•Fasts of mourning	•Destruction of the Temple
•Exiles and wanderings	•Inquisitions and expulsions
•Pogroms	•The meaning of the Holocaust
•Asarah b’Tevet, Shiva Asar b’Tammuz, and Tisha B’av

Note:  I will pass out 100 Basic Judaism review questions at the end of class today.  At the end of the final two class sessions there will be time to go over some of the answers.

Session 14 - Pesah - The story that Brought Forth Torah 
March 23, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Practice
	Passover	pp. 81-85

Topics to be covered:

•The meaning of Pesah	•The Song of Songs
•Kashrut on Pesah

Note:  There will be time to ask questions about the 100 Basic Judaism review questions.

Session 15 - Zionism and the Modern State of Israel
March 30, 2026

Reading assignment:

The Book of Jewish Belief
	The State of Israel	pp. 157-165

Topics to be covered:

•Emancipation	•Theodor Herzl
•History of Zionism and the foundation of the State of Israel
•Israel as a haven - Yemenite, Soviet, and Ethiopian immigration
•Contemporary history and culture of the State of Israel 

Note:  There will be time to ask questions about the 100 Basic Judaism review questions.