​                       Rabbi Klein teaches each year September- May
                  in the Federation's JLearn Adult Education Program.
                                  Max M. Fisher Jewish Federation Building, 
                                       6735 Telegraph Rd. Bloomfield Hills MI 48301. 
                              For registration information and course fees 
           (248) 205-2557 • E-MAIL: JLearn@jccdet.org or go to www.jccdet.org/JLearn

                                                              


                                                                    Fall 2021
Reading Genesis Again For The First Time
A very different take on Genesis. Rabbi Klein will argue: there is a reason there are two Creation stories, and neither one is meant to explain how the world was created; the serpent is not evil, he’s God's agent; Adam and Eve did not sin, in fact God needed them to eat the fruit to get them out of the garden; Cain did not murder his brother, and should be seen as a "tragic hero"; Isaac, far from being a "patriarch," is a weak and seriously damaged child-man; Esau is not the evil twin of Jacob, but a very sympathetic character to be pitied; the Joseph narrative is essentially a story about the rivalry between Reuven and Judah for leadership of the clan. And the narratives themselves are hiding a very sophisticated literary structure, rivaling the complexity of a Dickens' novel. Students should bring a Bible translation of their choice. 
(Eight weeks, 11:30-1 pm Fridays, beginning October 15, 2021)
 
                                                                   Winter 2022
Text and Texture of the Book of Exodus
This eight-week course will be a close and careful reading of the better-known narratives in the Book of Exodus, looking for messages and meaning beneath the surface, with presented commentaries from Rabbinic and occasional Christian sources, and evidence from archaeology. The class will incorporate a discussion of the Documentary Hypothesis as a means of better understanding the history, development and message of this foundational text of Torah. Students should bring a Bible translation of their choice.
(Eight weeks, 11:30 - 1 pm Fridays, beginning January 14, 2022)

                                                                  Spring 2022
Sing a New Psalm
This course will closely examine selections from the Book of Psalms with a focus on their structure, wordplay and literary sophistication. The poetry and theology of the Psalms transcend their almost 3000-year history. It is significant that the Psalter (the Book of Psalms) was the first book ever printed in the American colonies--The Bay Psalm Book. Though the Hebrew text of the Psalms will be referenced and examined, Hebrew skills are not required. Students should bring their own Bible.
(Six weeks, 11:30 - 1 pm Fridays, beginning March 25, 2022)




​                                                                                     Grosse Pointe Jewish Council
                             2021 Fall and 2022 Spring Adult Education Series TBA

                                             

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​Rabbi Klein is Adjunct Professor at Oakland University and Rochester University  
Introduction to Judaism, Oakland University, Fall Semester 2021
The Book of Exodus, Rochester University, Fall Semester 2021
Introduction to Judaism, Oakland University, Winter Semester 2022
The Book of Genesis, Oakland University, Winter Semester 2022
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