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MA Studies

Beit Morasha’s Robert M. Beren College offers graduate courses in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy as part of a joint program with Bar-Ilan University. Studies are conducted both at the Beit Morasha campus in Jerusalem and at the Bar-Ilan campus in Ramat Gan.
 

The M.A. Program in Talmud
The M.A. program in Talmud serves as a window into the world of rabbinic life and lore. Students in this program explore the essence of the Oral Law, its history and literature, as they examine texts from the Mishnaic, Talmudic, and post-Talmudic periods.
 

The varied offerings of the M.A. program in Talmud include introductory courses, methodological workshops, and advanced seminars on rabbinic literature, exegesis, and Jewish legend. During the course of their studies, students explore principles of Jewish law, methods of rabbinic decision-making, and the nature of Jewish legal writings, and are equipped with skills and tools for in-depth, independent study in the future.
 

The unique approach of Beren College’s M.A. program in Talmud examines the culture, lifestyle, and ways of thinking reflected in the texts studied. In keeping with Beit Morasha’s approach, special emphasis is placed on current issues in today's society, and the program includes courses on Jewish law in the modern State of Israel.
 

M.A. Program in Jewish Philosophy
The M.A. program in Jewish Philosophy emphasizes the relevance of traditional Jewish thought to today's world. It employs an interdisciplinary, comparative approach that traces the development of Jewish philosophy from the rabbinic period, through the Kabbalistic and Hassidic thought that emerged in the Middle Ages, until modern times. Students in this program take courses on ethics, religion, and trends in philosophy, and explore contemporary issues such as Jewish attitudes towards the environment.
 

Studies in Beren College’s M.A. program in Jewish Philosophy focus on central issues and challenges that faced great Jewish thinkers, exploring them in the context of the philosophical trends of their times both in Jewish and Western philosophy. Students emerge from the program with thorough knowledge of Jewish philosophy, analytic skills, and the ability to engage in philosophical discourse using an approach that is both critical and personally involving at the same time.