Start Here
Welcome to Judaism
Welcome to Judaism.
Judaism is one of the world’s oldest living religions, and the root from which Christianity and Islam grew. Yet there are only about fifteen million Jews in the world, and many people know Judaism mainly through what Christians have said about it. In this course you will learn about Judaism from Jewish sources and Jewish voices.
You will study the history of the Jewish people, the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, Jewish belief and practice, the holy days and life-cycle ceremonies, centuries of persecution and the Holocaust, the modern movements, and the State of Israel. You will meet Jews of every background, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and American Jews of color. And you will look closely at how Judaism has treated women, from the matriarchs of Genesis to today’s women rabbis.
How This Course Works
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite | None. Titles and degrees begin with ordination through the Ordination Orientation. |
| Pace | Self-paced. Most students finish in four to six weeks, studying about four to five hours a week. There are no deadlines. |
| Structure | Eight modules. Each module has a lesson, a reading assignment, and a ten-question quiz. |
| Book report | Read one of the books offered, pass its ten-question quiz, and write a one-paragraph summary, after Module 8. |
| Final exam | Fifteen multiple-choice questions and one essay of 1,500 to 2,000 words, taken after Module 8. |
| Credit | 3 credit hours toward further titles and degrees. |
Grading
| Part | To pass |
|---|---|
| Module quizzes (8) | Pass each with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report quiz (10 questions) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report summary (one paragraph) | Approved by the school |
| Final exam, Part 1 (multiple choice) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Final exam, Part 2 (one essay, 1,500 to 2,000 words) | Approved by the school |
Required texts
- JPS Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (or any English Tanakh)
- Judaism: A Very Short Introduction, Norman Solomon
- Living a Jewish Life, Anita Diamant with Howard Cooper
Many of these books are available from public libraries, used bookstores, and as ebooks.
What you will study
Module 1: Who Are the Jews? Module 2: Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible Module 3: The Rabbis and the Talmud Module 4: Belief and Practice Module 5: The Jewish Year and Life Cycle Module 6: Diaspora, Persecution, and the Holocaust Module 7: Modern Movements and Israel Module 8: Women in Judaism and Jewish Life Today
Book report choices
Judaism: A Very Short Introduction, Norman Solomon; Living a Jewish Life, Anita Diamant with Howard Cooper
Academic honesty
All written work must be your own. You may quote and discuss the course readings and other sources, but you must say where the words and ideas came from. Submitting work written by someone else, including work generated entirely by AI tools, is not permitted.