Interested in deepening your Jewish learning and studying alongside our rabbinical students? Every semester, we invite members of the general public to take selected courses. We hope to see you in our virtual classrooms.
Upcoming Semester Courses
Piqqudin (Commandments), A Zoharic Chapter on Reasons for the Commandments
Instructor: Joel Hecker, Ph.D.
Meeting Details: 1.5 hours twice per week (Tuesday from 1:40 to 3 pm EST and Thursday from 1:40 to 3 pm EST).
Tuesday Class Meetings for 2026: Feb 3, 10, 17, 24; March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 14, 21, 28; May 5, 12
Thursday Class Meetings for 2026: Feb 5, 12, 19, 26; March 5, 19, 26; April 16, 23, 30; May 7,14 Plus one asynchronous class
Mode of Instruction: Hybrid. Instructor will be on campus.
Credit: 3 RRC credits; This course can fulfill either Jewish Mystical Text or Advanced Text credit or can be applied towards Elective credit.
Course Notes: Normally taken in Year 4 to 5.
Prerequisite: Midrash, Medieval Thought (or comparable Introduction to Jewish Mysticism)
Course Description: This course will center on the Zoharic section called Piqqudin which offers kabbalistic, spiritual, and ethical explanations for the commandments. It is a relatively short section, and we will branch off into other kabbalistic texts from the 13th through 16th centuries to deepen our understanding of a selection of those commandments (e.g., Unifying God; Loving & Fearing God; Offering Rebuke; and more). Among those other texts are selections by works by Moshe de Leon, Yosef of Hamadan (both 13th c. Castile), Meir ibn Gabbai (16th c. Turkey), and in the Tiqqunei Zohar literature (14th c. Castile).
Current Tuition Schedule
| Non-Matriculated Fees | |
| Non-Matriculated students (not for credit) | $350 per credit for total of $1,050 |
| RRC Alumni/RRA Member (not for credit) | $72 Per Credit for total of $216 |
| Member of affiliate Congregation (not for credit) | $250 Per Credit for total $750 |
| Jewish Professionals (not for credit) | $250 Per Credit for total of $750 |
* If interested in taking this course for credit, please refer to our course fees on our website.
Please reach out to Mary Buhring to get registered.
