Presented by The Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Chair in Jewish Studies in partnership with the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, and the Jewish studies program at UC Berkeley 

The Bay Area Community Talmud Circle is a growing, dynamic and welcoming community of adult participants engaged in modern Talmud study and active conversation. While the majority of participants are continuing students, anyone may join!  No prior experience with Talmud Study is required.  Curiosity, openness, and unconditional mutual regard are all one needs.

In partnership with Temple Isaiah, Congregation Beth El and the Oshman Family JCC – Palo Alto

The Bay Area Community Talmud Circle is a growing, dynamic and welcoming community of adult participants engaged in modern Talmud study and active conversation. While the majority of participants are continuing students, anyone may join!  No prior experience with Talmud Study is required.  Curiosity, openness, and unconditional mutual regard are all one needs.

There will be a siyum at the last class meeting.

Nine Sunday mornings: 10/... Read more

The Bay Area Community Talmud Circle is a growing, dynamic and welcoming community of adult participants engaged in modern Talmud study and active conversation. While the majority of participants are continuing students, anyone may join!  No prior experience with Talmud Study is required.  Curiosity, openness, and unconditional mutual regard are all one needs.

There will be a siyum at the last class meeting.

Nine Sunday mornings: 10/... Read more

Every year at Tisha B’Av, we commemorate the loss of Jerusalem and its Temple, first in 586 BCE and over six centuries later in 70 CE. Witnessing these two tragedies were the Prophet Jeremiah and the Jewish noble Flavius Josephus. In their time, both tried to save Jerusalem but both were later considered traitors by many. Beginning with a vivid historical/archaeological introduction to the topic, our class will translate key texts from the Book of Jeremiah and other references describing the fate of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Working from that base, we’ll explore how Josephus covered the second fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and to what extent the writings of Jeremiah influenced him.

The third course of the Prayerbook/Biblical Hebrew sequence introduces:

This course starts from the beginning and covers the following:

For ten years the Bay Area Talmud Circles have been a safe place to engage in open conversations with teachers and students, all learning together, over a page of Talmud. The Circles are inspired by the late Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who said, “Let my people learn”. Bring your curiosity and questions to this hour of dialogue. No previous knowledge of texts, languages, or history is required, only your own life experience and a sense of adventure.