Or Zarua Talmud Class

The Or Zarua Talmud Class, which completed its eighteenth consecutive year in May 2007, meets from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm on Wednesday nights beginning on October 17, 2007, and ending on the Wednesday prior to Shavuot. This class, led by Rabbi Wechsler, always attracts a crowd and is a highlight of Or Zarua's Adult Education program.

In June 2003 we completed an eight-year study of Masekhet Berakhot, the first tractate in the Talmud; in the 2003/2004 class we studied Masekhet Bava Kamma, the first tractate of the Talmud dealing with civil law.

In the 2004/2005 class we studied Chapter 3 of Masekhet Shabbat, known as "Perek Kirah", which deals with the laws of cooking on Shabbat. You may know what ingredients you like to include in your cholent, but if you had taken this class you'd know HOW to make your cholent so it conforms to the laws of Shabbat!

In the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 classes we studied Masekhet Mo'ed Katan, dealing with the laws of mourning. Studying this tractate has given us a great deal of insight into the origins of many of the practices and rituals associated with the mourning period and its practical applications made it an ideal tractate for study.

In 2007-2008 we will be studying the first chapter of Masekhet Kiddushin, dealing with the topics of betrothal and marriage, as well as respect for parents and treatment of the elderly.

No Hebrew or Aramaic knowledge is required for the class, nor is previous study of Talmud. While we do review the original text with the Rabbi, our discussion is in English and covers a variety of topics - as does the Talmud!

If you miss a class, or if you'd like to hear what our classes are like, feel free to use the following links to listen to classes from the 2007-2008 season:

October   17, 2007
October   24, 2007
October   31, 2007
November   7, 2007
November   14, 2007
November   21, 2007 - No Class
November   28, 2007
December   5, 2007
December   12, 2007
December   19, 2007
December   26, 2007 - No Class
January   2, 2008
January   9, 2008
January   16, 2008
January   23, 2008
January   30, 2008
February   6, 2008 - No Class
February   13, 2008
February   20, 2008
February   27, 2008
March   5, 2008
March  12, 2008 - No Class
March   19, 2008
March   26, 2008