Decoding the Talmud - Winter 2025
6 Sundays, 12:30 - 2:00 P.M. Jan 26 - March 9 (There will not be class on March 2)
This course is being offered for both online and in-person attendees
1571 Lemonwood Rd, 32259 And online via zoom
Rabbi @JewishSJohnsCounty.com 904.701.4422 Fee: $89.99 (textbook included) Promotion: $79.99 Until January 10
DECODING THE TALMUD
Inside the Story, Substance, and Significance of the Book that Defines Judaism
Enter the intricate world of the Talmud: the monumental classic that has defined Jewish learning for centuries. Join this six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute to discover the Talmud, its history, authors, and significance and experience it for yourself. You'll learn the key terms, logical principles, and historical context required to decode every part of the Talmudic page. Plus, see how it became central to Jewish life and why it inspires fascination, debate, and study today.
Lesson One The Jewish People and the Talmud Why Jewish life orbits a book of law.
Jewish laws ultimate record is the Talmud, but what is Jewish law? Explore its nature, scope, and roots in the written Torah and Oral Law and see learnings central role in Jewish practice and culture.
Lesson Two The Mishnah The origins, authors, and contents of Judaisms first legal code.
See how Jewish law shifted from oral tradition to written code and encounter the Mishnahs precise style, tight structure, and tolerance for debate and its spiritual significance in Jewish life.
Lesson Three Decrypting the Mishnah How the sages studied, debated, and understood the Mishnah.
Discover the tools, methods, and principles the sages employed in the centuries-long effort to unpack the Mishnahs full practical implications.
Lesson Four To Create the Talmud How the sages shaped its structure and substance.
Meet the pivotal sages in the Talmuds story from Rav and Shmuels first academies to Rav Ashi and Ravinas final text and see how they wove in stories as well as ethical and philosophical teachings.
Lesson Five How the Talmud Thinks A unique method of logic and why it matters.
Understand the Babylonian Talmuds rigorous mode of legal reasoning, how it balances dueling principles to arrive at clear legal boundaries, and how its elegant logic fuels deeper learning.
Lesson Six The Talmud until Today Talmudic literature and fifteen centuries of constant study.
See how and why the Talmud became the core of Jewish law and discover the vast literature of responsa, legal codes, and commentaries that continue the conversation until today.
