Printed fromJewishArlingtonBelmont.com
Ask the Rabbi
Contact
Home
About
Sign In
Center for Jewish Life Arlington - Belmont
About Us Our Team FAQ's Security Fund Planned Giving Chai Club
Why Giving Matters Ways To Give Gratitude Resources Contact
Welcome
Shabbat Services Kiddush Sponsorship Shul Wish List
Synagogue
Programs Photos Parents Contact Us
SPARKS Hebrew SPARKS Hebrew High Bar/Bat Mitzvah Conversational Hebrew SPARKS of Art & Jewish Exploration
SPARKS End of Year Sparks Shabbat Family Dinner
Registration Parent Handbook Homework SPARKS Calendar 2025 - 2026
About Us
SPARKS
Shavuot Lag Ba'Omer 2026 Sparks Shabbat Dinner 2026 Spring: For All Humankind Whiskey and Wise Words Torah Studies
Programming
McLean
Hospital
Donate
About Search Contact
ב"ה
ARCHIVE Adult Education

Winter: Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa

Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa

Listen in on the surprising, practical questions your ancestors asked rabbis across Jewish history.

Join this six-session course to discover the little-known world of rabbinic responsa, a vast archive of the real-life questions of ethics and practice Jews asked across history—and the scholarly answers rabbis wrote.

Algiers is under siege: May I pray in a bathhouse? The Inquisition is watching: How will I celebrate Passover? Seventeen Jews are held hostage in faraway Regensburg after a blood libel: Must I help pay their ransom?

See what enables Jewish tradition to offer relevant guidance in a rapidly changing world—and come face-to-face with raw Jewish history.

(If you don’t know what a “rabbinic responsa” is, you’ll fit right in.)

6 Thursdays,
12:00-1:15PM.
Jan 29 - March 5

Center for Jewish Life

129 Lake St, Arlington MA

Instructor: Rabbi Avi Bukiet

This course is being offered for in-person attendees only.

JOIN NOW

More Info

www.jewishab.com
[email protected]
617.909.8653
Fee: $175

Lesson 1
The people who asked the questions

What do these questions reveal about our ancestors? What did they think, feel, and value? Explore five fascinating stories to find out.
Cases / Barcelona, 1300; Algiers, 1450; Modena, 1530; Spain, 1450; Auschwitz, 1944

 

Lesson 2
The quest for facts

Do sages make assumptions about how reality works, or do they investigate the facts? Follow rabbis as they conduct five fascinating investigations worldwide.
Cases / Cairo, 1548; Altona, 1709; Hamburg, 1772; Jerusalem, 1866; Brooklyn, 1958

 

Lesson 3
How the Torah stays relevant

See inside the process that enables the Torah’s ancient code to guide life in an ever-changing world. Witness the precise process of applying Talmudic precedent.
Cases / Barcelona, 1300; Valencia, 1380; Pavia, 1478; Berezhany, 1908

 

Lesson 4
When the exception is the law

Explore four unexpected rulings to uncover the hidden fallback mechanisms within Jewish law: these aren’t exceptions to the law. They’re the law revealing its quiet values (like human dignity, and peace in the home).
Cases / Pavia, 1450; Salonika, 1550; Krakow, 1570; Liozna, 1790

 

Lesson 5
Answering the whole person

Rules don’t always translate into reality easily. See how sages account for the practical, social, and emotional realities around a question to ensure their ruling leads to its intended outcome.
Cases / Cairo, 1173; Barcelona, 1300; Lodmir, 1615; Lubavitch, 1871; Brooklyn, 1954; Manchester, 1963

 

Lesson 6
Responsa from the future

Could Artificial Intelligence decide Jewish law? Is lab-grown meat kosher? See how Jewish law is addressing the questions posed by tomorrow’s cutting-edge technology.
Cases / Jerusalem, 2003; Maaleh Adumim, 2009; New York, 2015; Beit Shemesh, 2022; worldwide, 2026


 
 
ARCHIVE
CKids
Tu B’Shvat Shabbat Dinner
Adult Education
Past Course: Decoding The Talmud
Past Course: Colorful Profiles
Winter: Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa
Pesach
Quick Links
Contact
Donate
Programs
Synagogue Services
Adult Education

#1 Jewish Website

Youth Programs

#1 Jewish Website

Holiday Celebrations

#1 Jewish Website

McLean Hospitality

#1 Jewish Website

Community Services

#1 Jewish Website



Center for Jewish Life Arlington - Belmont
129 Lake Street Arlington, MA 02474
617-909-8653

Powered by Chabad.org © 1993-2026 Privacy Policy