HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: jewish thought

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: Hebrew

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Gershon Greenberg

Coordinator Email: greenbe@american.edu

Coordinator Office Hours: appointment in advance

Teaching Staff:
Prof Gershon Greenberg

Course/Module description:
Analysis of Jewish messianic responses to the Holocaust through the catastrophe (1938-1948) in Nazi-occupied Europe, the Land of Israel and the United States, in the overall context of modern messianism.

Course/Module aims:
To acquaint the student with messianic thought through the Holocaust, and the crisis it created for the Jewish religion in the aftermath.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1)
Analyze wartime texts on messianism, against broader patterns of Jewish messianic thinking.
2) Relate textual material about redemption to the respective author's overall thinking.
3) Analyze central terms, including Ikveta di'meshiha, Hevlei mashiah, Geulah, Athalta di'geulah.
4) Prepare Avodot or Avodot seminarioyot, comparing two messianic thinkers in terms of their writings and the potentially problematic legacies.

Attendance requirements(%):
85%

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Frontal lectures with student participation.

Course/Module Content:
List of subjects and required readings
1)Introduction: Characteristics of Jewish messianism
2)Passive expectation of redemption
Shelomoh Zalman Ehrenreich, Derashot lehem shelomoh, Brooklyn 1976
Hayim Yisrael Tsimrman, Tamim po'alo, Tel Aviv 1946
3) Activist participation in bringing redemption
Yissakhar Taykhtahl, Em ha'banim semehah, Budapest 1943
Menahem Rizikov, Palgei shemen, New York 1939
4) Changing the world from within
Bentsiyon Halberstam, "Igeret hakodesh...5699 Bobov"
5) Joining time and eternity
Yehezkel Sarna, Li'teshuvah u'litekumah, Jerusalem 1944
Yosef Yitshak Schneersohn, Ha'keriyah veha'kedushah, Brooklyn 1941-1943
6) Redemption through the Land of Israel
Mosheh Avigdor Amiel, Li'nevukhei hatekufah, Jerusalem 1943
Reuven Katz, Dudaei reuven, Jerusalem 1954
7) Redemption as Da'at torah
Elhanan Wasserman, New York 1938
8) Lurianic kabbalah
Aharon Roth, Shomer emunim, Jerusalem 1942
Ya'akov Mosheh Harlap, Mei merom: Mima'ayanei hayeshua, Jerusalem 1963
Mordekhai Atiyah, Mekor hayim, Mexico City 1953

Required Reading:
See list of subjects

Additional Reading Material:
Menahem M. Kasher, Hatekufah hagedolah, Jerusalem 1969.
Joseph Dan, Hameshihiyut hayehudit hamodernit, Erets yisrael 1999.
Yisrael Kolat,"Tsiynut umeshihiyut," in Meshihiyut ve'eskatologiah, ed. Tsevi Baras, Jerusalem 1984.
Shemuel Almog, "Hameshihiyut ke'etgar letsiyonut," in Meshihiyut ve'eskatologiah.
Rivkah Schatz-Uffenheimer, "Ma'amad hahistoriyah vehageulah haleumi," in Hara'ayon hameshihi me'az gerush sefarad, Jerusalem 2005.
Aviezer Ravitzky, Haketz hameguleh, Tel Aviv 1997.
Gershon Greenberg, "Historiyah ugeulah: Bituyim Limeshihiyut yehudit betom milhemet haolam hasheniyah," in Hashoah behistoriyah hayehudit, ed Dan Michman, Jerusalem 2005.
Gershon Greenberg, "From Holocaust to Redemption in Wartime Jewish Religious Thought," in The Impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Theology, ed. Steven T. Katz, New York 2005.
Gershon Greenberg, "Amalek bitekufat hashoah : Mahshavah yehudit ortodoksit," in Derekh haruah: Sefer hayovel li'eliezer Schweid, ed Yehoyada Amir, Jerusalem 2005.
Eliezer Schweid, Bein hurban li'yeshua, Tel Aviv 1994.
Mendel Piekaz, "Hara'ayon hameshihi bi'yemei tsemihat hahasidut be'aspaklariyat
sifrei derush vemusar," in Hara'ayon hameshihi beyisrael: Yom iyun leregel meleat shemonim shanah legershom shalom, 24-25 bekislev 1975.
David Sorotzkin, "Binyan erets shel matah vehurban erets shel ma'alah: Harabi mi'satmar veha'askolah ha'ortodoksit haradikalit," in Erets yisrael behagut hayehudit bemeah ha'esrim, ed. Aviezer Ravitzky, Jerualem 2005.

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 25 %
Project work 75 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information:
Submission of Avodah (about 12 pages) or Avodah seminaryonit (about 25 pages)