PROGRAMS OF STUDY & COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Jewish Philosophy (JPH)

Major: Yeshiva College
Jewish studies majors at these schools may concentrate in Jewish philosophy. See the description of the Jewish studies major.

Minor: Yeshiva College
Eighteen credits (including six in general philosophy), to be determined in consultation with the faculty.

Qualified upperclassmen may receive permission to take courses in Jewish philosophy at Bernard Revel Graduate School. JPH 5011 (Survey of Medieval Jewish Philosophy) and JPH 5012 (Survey of Modern and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy) are open to students with averages of 3.0 or higher; other courses require prior permission of the instructor. Consult the schedule for offerings.

1131; 1132 Introduction to Jewish Philosophy. 3 credits.
Philosophical foundations of Judaism; readings from classical and contemporary writers; major religious and national issues and philosophical concepts; first semester: basic beliefs; second semester: contemporary issues.

1133; 1134 Introduction to Jewish Philosophy. 3 credits.
Same as 1131; 1132, but for advanced students in Jewish studies.

1204 Jewish Ethics. 3 credits.
The moral philosophy of Judaism; individual and social problems in light of Jewish ethical norms and values; readings from selected texts, both medieval and modern.

1214 or 1214H Theories of Evil. 3 credits.
The problem and definition of evil as understood in Talmudic literature and medieval and modern Jewish philosophy.

1309 Jewish Eschatology. 3 credits.
Analysis of textual sources—ancient, medieval, and modern—dealing with eschatology in Judaism.

1441; 1442 History of Jewish Philosophy. 3 credits.
Problems and concerns of the major Jewish thinkers; role of philosophy within Judaism. First semester: through the medieval period; second semester: modern thought.
Prerequisite: JPH 1131 or 1132 or 1133 or 1134.

1611, 1612 Medieval Jewish Philosophy. 2–3 credits.
Selected topics and readings from Albo, Bahya, Crescas, Yehudah Halevi, Maimonides, Saadiah, and relevant background study (Neo-Platonism, Kalam, Aristotelianism).

1626 Philosophy of Saadiah Gaon. 3 credits.
Analysis of the Hebrew text of the Emunot ve-De’ot, emphasizing Saadiah’s treatment of philosophical problems; comprehensive study of Saadiah’s philosophy from the historical perspective.
Prerequisite: JPH 1131 or 1132 or 1133 or 1134.
Recommended: JPH 1441.

1640 Philosophy of Yehudah Halevi. 3 credits.
Analysis of the Hebrew text of the Kuzari, emphasizing Halevi’s views on the Jewish religion, Jewish history, the people of Israel, and preeminence of the Land of Israel; Halevi’s philosophy and its relevance to contemporary Jewish life and thought. For intermediate and advanced students in Jewish studies.

1650 or 1650H Philosophy of Maimonides. 3 credits.
Selections from the philosophical works of Maimonides: Sefer Ha-Mada of Mishneh Torah, the Eight Chapters, the Guide for the Perplexed.

1804 Jewish Thinkers of the Nineteenth Century. 3 credits.
Leading exponents of Jewish thought in the 19th century, with emphasis on the works of Moses Mendelssohn, N. H. Wessely, S. D. Luzzatto, and S. R. Hirsch.
Prerequisite:  JPH 1131 or 1132 or 1133 or 1134.

1813 Modern Jewish Thought. 3 credits.
Introduction to the philosophical works of the great Jewish thinkers of the past two centuries. Selected readings.

1815, 1816 Lithuanian Jewish Thought. 3 credits.
Selections of representative religious thought from the writings of: the Tanya, the Gaon of Vilna, R. Hayyim of Volozhin, R. Israel Salanter and the Mussar movement, the Hazon Ish, Rav Kook, and R. Eliyahu Dessler.

1825, 1826 Hasidic Thought. 3 credits.
Selections from the writings of Baal Shem Tov, R. Yakov Yosef of Polonoye, the Maggid of Miezrich, R. Shnuer Zalman of Liadi, and R. Nahman of Brazlav.

1843 Contemporary Jewish Thought. 3 credits.
History and development of major currents in contemporary Jewish thought including Orthodoxy, Reform, Conservatism, and Reconstructionism.

1903 Belief and Religious Commitment. 3 credits.
Role of philosophy and the liberal arts (particularly literature) within a religious intellectual world view; medieval views of Jewish philosophers (Albo, Bahya, Saadiah); modern criticisms of medieval positions; reworkings of the relation between faith and reason in modern thought (Barth, Kierkegaard, Newman); Jewish critiques and defenses of secular studies in the modern world (Hirsch, Lamm, Lichtenstein, B. B. Liebowitz, Soloveitchik, Wasserman); literature and religious belief (Jewish and non-Jewish texts).

1905 Philosophy of Prayer. 3 credits.
Analysis of the philosophy of prayer and of the Jewish prayer book.

1907, 1908 Philosophy of Biblical Laws. 3 credits.
Examination of classical and modern sources for their conception of selected mitzvot relative to the Halakhah, their Biblical origins, and their root meanings in Jewish philosophy. For intermediate and advanced students in Jewish studies.

1909, 1910 Topics in Jewish Theology. 3 credits.
Mizvot, prayer, God and the soul.

1917 Problems in Jewish Philosophy. 3 credits.
Selected topics including faith and doubt, dogma, free will, Providence, the Holocaust, the State of Israel. Guided research in addition to classroom meetings.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in JPH courses.

1921; 1922 Judaism and Culture. 3 credits.
Analysis of the concept of Torah im Derekh Eretz and comparison to other views on the relation of Torah and general culture.
Sponsored by Jacques Schwalbe.

4901, 4902 Independent Study.
Meet with the Yeshiva College academic dean.

4931 or 4931H; 4932 or 4932H Selected Topics. 3 credits.
Analytical study of special topics, issues, and movements in Jewish philosophy.
Prerequisite:  JPH 1131 or 1132 or 1133 or 1134.

4933, 4934 Seminar. 3 credits.
Extensive reading, discussion of current issues in Jewish philosophy, and preparation of papers. For students considering graduate study in Jewish philosophy.
Prerequisite: senior status.

4950 Bachelor’s Thesis. Nine hours. 3 credits.
Independent work, under faculty guidance, in an area of philosophical study. An acceptable thesis will show diligent research in primary sources, scholarly organization, and clear exposition of material.
Prerequisite: Jewish philosophy major and senior status.