Summer Torah Courses

Dates: July 11-30, 2021

This summer, we are thrilled to offer a selection of exciting Torah courses taught by the CY’s renowned faculty of scholars and guest lecturers. All Torah track classes will be open to those enrolled in ANY of the three tracks, but we will ask you which classes you’re hoping to attend for planning purposes.

Early-Bird Price: $120*

*Once again, Summer Torah Courses are included when you register for the Ulpan and/or Nusach Intensive. But students may also choose to register solely for the Summer Torah Courses for the set price specified above.

Course Catalog

Virtual Israel Tours With Licensed Tour Guide, Jonty Blackman

Duration: Tours will be on Zoom and run for 60-90 minutes

Tour 1: The entry of Vespasian via Acre and the destruction of the Galilee and Golan

Date: Sunday, July 11, 2021

Time: 12:30pm Pacific / 15:30 Eastern/ 21:30 Europe / 22:30 Israel

Description: The Roman destruction of Ancient Jerusalem began with a rebellion. Vespasian, the formidable Roman general sails into the city of Acre and from there devises a plan of how to put down the Jewish rebellion. He moves through the Galilee, and onto the Golan destroying communities as he goes. He makes his way towards Jerusalem and suddenly stops. The tension is high and yet he does not move toward the Holy City. Join Jonty Blackman as we travel the roads of Ancient Judea in an attempt to unravel the twists and turns of those last few years before Jerusalem is destroyed in 70CE.

Tour 2: Dying Embers of Ancient Jerusalem

Date: Sunday, July 18, 2021 - Tisha B'Av

Time: 7am Pacific/ 10am Eastern / 4pm Europe / 5pm Israel

Description: The year is 69CE and chaos reigns in Jerusalem. The various Jewish factions are at loggerheads with one another. The Roman juggernaut comes in full force and on the 9th day of Av (Tisha B'av), Rome destroys the Second Jewish Temple and the city of Jerusalem . Jews are exiled to Rome, an upheaval that will begin a long and painful history in lands that are not their own. But how exactly did the Romans take over Jerusalem? Are there archeological remains and written sources that allow us to piece the steps that lead to destruction? Come walk the streets of the Holy City together with Jonty Blackman as we bear witness to the blazing embers of Ancient Jerusalem.

An Introduction to Piyyut (Liturgical Poetry) from Around the Jewish World

Instructor: Hazzanit and Paytanit Yahala Lachmish

Dates: Mondays & Wednesdays (July 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28)

Time: 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 3pm Europe / 4pm Israel

Duration: 90 minutes

Description: Piyyutim are invitations to communal prayer. Join us for an uplifting journey through diverse Jewish liturgical traditions and learn the tunes of Piyyutim from communities all over the world! 6 musical meetings with Israeli Paytanit and Chazanit, Yahala Lachmish.

Talmud Daf Shevui (Weekly Daf of Talmud)

Instructor: Dr. Joshua Kulp

Duration: 60 minutes

Description: Jump into the sea of Talmud with Dr. Joshua Kulp in a live, weekly Zoom class, during which the Daf Shevui (Talmud page of the week) will be translated and explained while students have a chance to ask questions and discuss. Take advantage of this special opportunity for Talmud study with a renowned scholar, together with peers from around the world.

Note: Daf Shevui is available on both Sundays and Tuesdays. Attend the class that works best for your schedule.

Option 1: Sundays (July 11, 18, 25)

Time: 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 15pm Europe / 16pm Israel

Option 2: Tuesdays (July 13, 20, 27)

Time: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern /4pm Europe / 5pm Israel

An Overview of Zionist Thought

Instructor: Dr. Eliora Peretz

Dates: Tuesdays (July 13, 20, 27)

Time: 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern / 8pm Europe / 9pm Israel

Duration: 90 minutes

Description: "At Basel I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, l would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will perceive it."
(Theodor Herzl, 3 September 1897)

Join Dr. Eliora Peretz for a journey into key Zionist thinkers and theories. We will explore what David Ben Gurion, Rav Kook and Theodor Herzl have in common. We will also discuss how their practical approach to Zionism differs and what is their legacy to modern Zionism.

Shmitah - An Alternate Socio-Economic Consciousness

Instructor: Vered Hollander-Goldfarb

Date: Mondays & Wednesdays (July 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28)

Time: 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern / 8pm Europe / 9pm Israel

Duration: 60 minutes

Description: How does land ownership work? The Torah proposes a model that seems to fly in the face of our socio-economic foundations. Shmita – the agricultural Sabbatical year – is a unique concept that is back in practice. How can it alter the lives of people living in the 21st century?

The Life and Work of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, known as The Kedushas Levi

Instructor: Rabbi Daniel Silverstein

Dates: Thursdays (July 15, 22, 29)

Time: 11am Pacific/ 2pm Eastern/ 8pm Europe/ 9pm Israel

Duration: 60 minutes

Description: R' Levi Yitzchak was a key leader in the third generation of Chasidic rebbes, who brought the radical spiritual revival of their revolutionary movement to tens of thousands of people across Eastern Europe. He was famous during his lifetime for his impassioned love of every Jew, no matter how they behaved, and his tremendous self-sacrifice to help and advocate for his beloved people. His teachings offer us some of the most powerful articulations of a Chasidism strongly centered around the cultivation and expression of love.

Be’Ur Tefillah: Explanation of Prayers

Instructor: Rabbi Joel Levy

Dates: Tuesdays (July 13, 20, 27)

Time: 10:30am Pacific/ 1:30pm Eastern/ 7:30pm Europe/ 8:30pm Israel

Duration: 90 minutes

Description: Only a tiny minority of Jews ever had the luxury of devoting time to immerse themselves in the complex oral traditions of Judaism. For the vast majority of Jews, the text of Jewish prayer, the language of the siddur, was always their pathway into a deep relationship with the rabbinic tradition. In this class we will be exploring the precise language of our shabbat liturgy to see how the rabbis carved a shabbat prayer experience out of primary biblical sources in order to express their own poetic and philosophical understandings of shabbat. We will be doing a close reading of the shabbat liturgy with the aid of the Abudraham, one of the earliest and most beautiful commentaries on the siddur.

Parashat HaShavua

Instructor: Bex Stern Rosenblatt

Dates: Fridays (July 16, 23, 30)

Time: 7:30am Pacific / 10:30am Eastern / 16:30 Europe / 17:30 Israel

Duration: 60 minutes

Description: In this chavruta-based class, we will read a section of the weekly parasha together, paying close attention to each word. Our text demands such attention - we will be reading the final orations of Moses to the nation of Israel at the start of Deuteronomy, speeches crafted from equal parts inspiration and heartbreak.

Note: Students who wish to can opt to continue in this class during the year for a monthly subscription.

The Book of Lamentations

Instructor: Bex Stern Rosenblatt

Dates: Tuesdays & Wednesdays (July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28)

Time: 7:30am Pacific / 10:30am Eastern / 16:30 Europe / 17:30 Israel

Duration: 90 minutes

Description: How do we respond to the unimaginable? In this course, we'll do a close reading of the Book of Lamentations, written in the wake of the total destruction of Jerusalem. We will sit with the wrathful, weeping personifications of Lady Jerusalem, confront those who refuse to give up hope, and consider the responsibilities of the bystander. By immersing ourselves in one of the most complex works of biblical poetry, we will search for what still resonates with each of us more than 2500 years after this response to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Note: The Book of Lamentations is traditionally read on the Fast of the Tisha B’Av (the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av) which this year falls on Sunday July 18.

“Who Is a Jew?” An exploration into the history of conversion and current controversies in Israel

Instructor: Rabbi Alan Iser

Dates: Mondays & Wednesdays (July 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28)

Time: 4:30pm Pacific / 7:30pm Eastern

Duration: 60–90 minutes

Description: For generations, the question of how Jewish lineage and identity are defined has been the subject of controversy across the Jewish community and its denominational spectrum. This controversy has assumed a unique form in Israel as much of Israeli policy regarding immigration, ritual observance, etc stems from particular answers to these questions. In this class we will explore some of the Biblical, ancient non-rabbinic and rabbinic definitions of who is a Jew and the origin of the halakhic principle of matrilineal descent, the evolution of conversion to Judaism, and the question of whether you can lose your Jewishness by converting to another religion. We will also delve into how these issues play out in current Israeli discourse.

A Journey to Heaven: Studies in the Mystical Zohar

Instructor: Rabbi David Greenstein

Dates: Tuesdays & Wednesdays (July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28)

Time: 9:30am Pacific / 12:30pm Eastern / 6:30pm Europe / 7:30pm Israel

Duration: 60 minutes

Description: The section of the Zohar called “Rav Metivta” tells of a wondrous visit to the heavenly world by the sages of the Zohar. Who do they meet? What do they see and learn? What can we take away from our celestial travels? We will study parts of this marvelous text through the English translation by Danny Matt, The Pritzker Edition.

Click to view full program schedule.