INTRODUCTION TO JEWISH RITUAL (PR-1100)

This course will introduce the history, form, and function of ritual in traditional and contemporary Jewish practice. Jewish ritual spans the gamut from hastily muttered blessings before eating to elaborate rites of passage at liminal life moments: transitioning from infant to child, child to adult, single to married, and life to death. Many rituals arise from the need to sanctify peak moments, to form memory, or elevate the mundane to a spiritual level. Some of these rituals were innovated from scriptural injunctions regarding specified time, places, and behaviors. In this class we will explore the origins and evolutions of rituals that mark time, designate space, honor the body, and celebrate food. Through the lens of these Jewish sacraments, ceremonies, and customs we will consider the impact ritual has in our lives and spiritual practices. In addition to an academic survey there will be a practical component to this class in which students will write, design, and share new ritual ideas as informed by their life experience and inspired, hopefully, by this course.