JLI: Past Courses
Jewish Learning Institute Past Courses
THE KABBALAH OF MEANING
Jewish Wisdom For Finding The Purpose That Connects All Parts Of Life
Life is busy. What connects it all? Join this six-session course to discover Judaism’s timeless approach to meaning in life. You’ll hear answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions: What is meaning? Where does it come from? And if we have it all, why do we seek more? You’ll gain tools to see the meaning in the routines, relationships, and rhythms of time that shape your life. Discover the purpose in what you’ve achieved and in what lies ahead. (No previous Jewish learning required.)
LESSON ONE The Meaning We Seek
When we have it all, we still need something more: purpose. Discover four fundamental human qualities that provide lasting fulfillment.
LESSON TWO To Make or Not to Make Meaning
When life lacks luster, should we invent a more meaningful way of seeing things? Or is there already a purpose hiding in plain sight?
LESSON THREE Meaning in the Mundane
Even if it happens every day, daily life needn’t feel ordinary. See how every part of the day can be as significant as your highest aspirations.
LESSON FOUR Meaning in the Rhythms of Time
As time flies by, is it just more of the same? Discover the rich texture of Jewish time, and how attuning ourselves to each moment’s message enables profound spiritual purpose.
LESSON FIVE Meaning in the Unchosen
Some things are clearly meaningful, but what if everything is? Explore a vision of life where every event and circumstance catalyzes growth and leads to greater purpose.
LESSON SIX I Mean Something, Therefore I Am
Before you do anything, you are worthy. Discover Judaism’s empowering understanding of your inherent worth as an individual and as a Jew, and how it calls us to even greater achievement.
Lesson One Courageous Converts
A Roman prince outwits his uncle to study Torah, an Italian priest studies his way to a new life, and a Polish noble meets an old Jew studying Talmud on a Paris park bench—see their journey to Judaism and what came next.
Lesson Two Influential Jews
Spain’s top Torah scholar leads a Muslim Army, an Amsterdam rabbi with a printshop talks England into readmitting Jews, and a rabbi teaches a Catholic scholar and saves Central Europe’s Jewish books— how did they integrate Judaism into their influence?
Lesson Three Unsung Heroines
A businesswoman saves thousands from the Inquisition and rebuilds Jewish life across the Mediterranean, and a female Torah scholar shapes Halachic discourse while raising a family, feeding students, and caring for the sick—see the secret ways women shaped Jewish history.
Lesson Four Heroes and Hostages
Four rabbis are captured by 10th-century pirates, Germany’s foremost Jewish leader is held for ransom, and thousands of East European Jews languish in Ottoman slave markets—how did Jewish communities respond?
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 law’s 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 learning’s central role in Jewish practice and culture.
Lesson Two The Mishnah The origins, authors, and contents of Judaism’s first legal code.
See how Jewish law shifted from oral tradition to written code and encounter the Mishnah’s 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 Mishnah’s full practical implications.
Lesson Four To Create the Talmud How the sages shaped its structure and substance.
Meet the pivotal sages in the Talmud’s story—from Rav and Shmuel’s first academies to Rav Ashi and Ravina’s 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 Talmud’s 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.
NURTURING RELTIONSHIPS
Jewish Wisdom for Building Deeper, Richer Connection in All Your Relationships
Relationships don’t just happen—they’re nurtured. This course empowers you to enhance, enrich, and nurture all your interpersonal relationships—at home, at work, and beyond. Explore classic Jewish texts to uncover knowledge and skills for practicing empathy, active listening, agreeable disagreement, interpersonal optimism, and navigating constructive criticism and effective relationship repair.
Unlock the source of all great social connections and see how Judaism’s understanding of empathy enables deep, meaningful friendships that nourish your soul.
See how your attention shapes every relationship. Discover the power of attentive listening and why every word shared is worthwhile, and gain practical tools for effective, active listening.
Does love conquer all? Explore when direct communication on hard topics is healthy, and when it’s not, and see how to sidestep personal offense, maintain grace, and achieve growth while navigating conflict.
How can we stay connected to flawed people? Learn to identify biases that misconstrue our view of others, and unlock the tools Jewish thought offers for seeing the goodness hiding in plain sight.
Learn the limits of “live and let live.” See how Jewish texts chart a kind, considerate, and effective path for offering critique and guidance grounded in genuine love and respect.
How can we rebuild after hurt? Explore a realistic approach to forgiveness that addresses wrongs while overcoming resentment, rescuing connections, and rebuilding relationships.
THE WORLD OF KABBALAH Revealing how its mystical secrets relate to you
LESSON ONE The Evolution of Ego
Examine the three spiritual worlds linking G‑d’s initial plan to our physical universe and how they correspond to human thought, speech, and action. Plus, see how this insight helps us sidestep rash decisions and implement habits for intentional living.
LESSON TWO The Dawn of Limitation
Probe the Divine realm of G‑d’s ten sefirot and the corresponding powers of the soul. Discover how knowledge of our soul’s root can clarify individual purpose and provide guidance for maximizing strengths and managing weaknesses.
LESSON THREE The Infinite Light
Observe how G‑d’s infinite light unites diverse sefirot and how we can replicate this phenomenon to overcome human differences and create harmonious relationships. Plus, see how willpower mirrors infinity and enables us to overcome obstacles.
LESSON FOUR The World of Chaos
Study the primordial spiritual universe of Tohu , its purpose in creation, and its enduring impact on human nature. Discover the roots of inner moral conflict and the key to harnessing our negative natures to achieve fulfillment.
LESSON FIVE The Great Concealment
Explore the process of tzimtzum , or how G‑d conceals His infinity to create space for our reality. See how this translates into guidance for empowering others and seeking growth potential in life’s darkest moments.
LESSON SIX The Essence of Everything
Uncover the reality that precedes everything, the essence of the Divine Self, and the surprising purpose of our physical universe. Learn insights into the human self’s deepest motivation and purpose and our capacity to repair wrongs.
Advice for Life: The Rebbe’s Advice for Leading a More Purposeful Life
LESSON ONE Meaning at Work
Earning a living can provide meaning beyond the paycheck. Discover a unique understanding of how work and financial decisions connect to life’s purpose.
How can we create a warm and healthy home? Uncover a gold mine of clarity on family relationships, domestic harmony, education, and creating a healthy home environment.
LESSON THREE Wholesome Health
See how patients, physicians, and professors alike gained guidance on questions of health and treatment. Explore how physical health connects to emotional and spiritual well being.
LESSON FOUR Healthy at Heart
Discover a surprising and effective approach to overcoming anxiety and cultivating emotional health. See how sidestepping emotional distress to focus on life’s meaningful tasks empowers enduring well-being.
LESSON FIVE Above Adversity
When buckling under the struggles of health, livelihood, relationships, or raising children, thousands turned to the Rebbe for strength to continue. Discover how seeing the inner meaning of challenges can be the key to managing them.
LESSON SIX Spiritual Heights
Discover a unique approach to realizing our most profound potential and achieving real spiritual growth that combines lofty goals with remarkably practical guidance.
Decisions of Fate: Your Jewish Compass for Navigating Questions of Medical Ethics
LESSON ONE Experimental Treatments
When emerging treatments offer hope of recovery, when is the risk justified? Discover the Jewish ethics of risking your life in the hope of extending your long-term prospects.
LESSON TWO Extending Life
How does Judaism balance the desire to preserve life with concerns of reducing suffering? See how Jewish values inform a dignified approach to end-of-life care and advance medical directives.
LESSON THREE Pregnancy Questions
Explore questions of pregnancy through the lens of Jewish texts. Is a fetus a human life, or a part of the mother's body? When pregnancy endangers a woman's life, may she, in good conscience, carry the pregnancy to term?
LESSON FOUR A Body's Dignity
Might autopsy violate the dignity of the human body? Learn the Jewish view on the respect to which the deceased is entitled and how the sanctity of human life continues after death.
Lesson One Demystifying Death Why are humans so anxious about death and dying? For many, the abrupt finality of death makes life itself seem futile. By exploring how our life force—our immortal soul—never ends but merely shifts roles, we begin to view life and death as two harmonious steps on the same journey.
Lesson Two Taking Leave Is death painful for souls? Is my presence felt when I visit a grave? Judaism’s pre-burial and burial rituals accompany the soul’s gradual transition from a limiting physical life to a completely spiritual one. We discuss those rituals and how, once freed, the soul’s connection to the living continues in new and powerful ways.
Lesson Three The Mourning After What is the Jewish grieving process and what is the significance of its various traditions? This lesson provides a meaningful Jewish perspective on grief itself, as well as practical shiva etiquette both for mourners and for those who wish to comfort them.
Lesson Four Where We Go For centuries, human beings have been motivated by the promise of heaven and frightened by the threat of hell. Discover what Jews believe about where every soul goes and how Kaddish aids a soul in reaching true peace.
Lesson Five Where We Go Again Reincarnation: more than a fascinating topic, Judaism provides a practical way to imagine this mystical process, and explains why it is important both to departed souls and to our lives today.
Lesson Six Life Is Short(ish) By now we’ve come to appreciate death as the next phase in our ongoing personal missions. In our final lesson, we use what we’ve learned to revisit our priorities in this current phase and find ways to fill every moment with everlasting significance.
Judaism Decoded sheds light on the mysteries surrounding biblical interpretation. How do we know our interpretation is true? If it is true, why is it subject to differences of opinion? And with so many interpretations to choose from, how do we know which one reflects its original intent?
Discover the sheer elegance of the "source code" on which Torah law is built; enjoy the razor-sharp reasoning, intelligent debate, and compelling arguments of the Talmudic dialectic; and get a fascinating, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the most intellectually sophisticated religion in existence
If we have a written law, why do we need tradition? And if we have a tradition, what's the point of a written law? Discover the brilliance of this binary system, and how it has kept Jewish tradition intact for millennia.
2. A FORMULA FOR ETERNITY
Circumstances change, and, in most cases, so do the rules—unless, that is, the rules were created as principles with a unique formula to make them apply to any situation that may arise. Explore the systematic formula through which Jewish law is applied to solve new, modern-day dilemmas.
Is my rabbi allowed to change the law when he deems it necessary? When do rabbis have the power to legislate new laws? And what prevents a rabbi from unilaterally changing the face of Judaism?
The Talmud is filled with all kinds of debates. If the law is Divine, should there be any room for discussion? When there are differences of opinion, how do we determine the law? And why does the Talmud record opinions that were ultimately overruled?
While most Jewish practices are as relevant today as ever, some laws have reasons that no longer apply. When does a law expire? How is it revoked? And why might we choose to continue a practice even once its rationale is no longer relevant?
Judaism encourages us to question. How do we know the Torah is true? Why was Maimonides so convinced about the historic truth of the revelation at Sinai? Is there any empirical evidence to support his claim?
