A Menu of Orientations to the Teaching of Rabbinic Literature

Abstract

and the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript all contributed to this research, along with many other anonymous instructors of rabbinic literature in various settings. Support for the project was provided by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University. The errors and omissions are, of course, mine.

Media Studies Orientations for Israel Education: Lessons fromIn Treatment,Homeland, andZ-Cars

“…Given the unique opportunities, how might one arrive at what Levisohn (2010) refers to as a "menu" of media studies orientations? The notion of a menu allows for the idea of using a mix of orientations in teaching, and also suggests that only a selections of possible orientations appear on the menu.…”

“…Holtz (2003) expands this to a menu of nine orientations for teaching the Bible, including the literary criticism orientation, the moralistic-didactic orientation, parshanut, and the Jewish interpretative orientation. Levisohn (2010) develops a menu of ten orientations for teaching rabbinic literature including the halakhic orientation, the historical orientation, the beki'ut (coverage) orientation, and the skills orientation. Media studies orientations are manifold.…”

“…On television, Home Box Office's (HBO) acclaimed hit In Treatment (2008-2010 was adapted from the Israeli cable company HOT's series BeTipul (2005BeTipul ( , 2008. The scripts for the first two seasons of the HBO series often hew closely to the original Israeli scripts; the first five episodes of Season 1 are adapted nearly word for word (Ginsburg et al, 2009).…”

“…"Orientations" refer to Pamela Grossman's (1990Grossman's ( , 1991 term as applied to Jewish education by Barry Holtz (2003) and John Levisohn (2010). Orientations encompass a teacher's "organizing framework for knowledge" in their particular subject matter (Grossman, 1991 as cited by Holtz, 2003, p. 47).…”

Reading between the Strata: Teaching Rabbinic Literature with Material Culture

“…The first approach to incorporating material culture into teaching rabbinics draws upon what Levisohn (, 2013) calls the “contextual orientation,” whereby sources external to the rabbinic corpus are used to illuminate the late‐antique settings in which these texts were shaped. These non‐ or extra‐rabbinic sources include Greek, Roman, and Christian writings, and archaeology (Levisohn , 19–20; 2013, 62). Here, I elaborate upon the role of material culture, mentioned briefly by Levisohn.…”