TALMUDIC STUDIES

Master of Arts in Talmudic Studies (M.A.)

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Talmudic Studies is an advanced two-year program designed to cultivate deep expertise in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, classical commentaries, and the intellectual, legal, and cultural worlds that produced them. The program integrates rigorous textual study with historical, philological, philosophical, and hermeneutical approaches, preparing students for doctoral research, rabbinic scholarship, or academic careers in Jewish Studies.

Program Duration

• 2 years (4 semesters)
• Total credits: 48–54, depending on thesis option

Program Objectives

Graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate mastery of key tractates and commentaries of the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds.
2. Employ critical and historical methods in the study of rabbinic literature.
3. Analyze Talmudic discourse through linguistic, legal, and philosophical frameworks.
4. Contextualize Talmudic thought within late antique, medieval, and modern intellectual history.
5. Conduct independent scholarly research with methodological rigor.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, or related field
• Proficiency in Hebrew; basic knowledge of Aramaic
• Academic writing sample (in English or Hebrew)
• Personal statement and academic references

Program Structure

Core Courses (24 credits)

1. Introduction to Talmudic Hermeneutics (3 credits)
   • Methodologies of interpretation; sugyah structure; halakhic vs. aggadic discourse.
2. Philology and the Rabbinic Textual Tradition (3 credits)
   • Manuscripts, textual variants, and critical editions.
3. Babylonian Talmud: Selected Tractate Seminar I (3 credits)
   • Intensive close reading of one tractate (e.g., Berakhot, Bava Metzia).
4. Babylonian Talmud: Selected Tractate Seminar II (3 credits)
   • Continued study emphasizing hermeneutics and legal theory.
5. Jerusalem Talmud: Texts and Traditions (3 credits)
   • Comparative analysis of Yerushalmi and Bavli.
6. History and Culture of Late Antique Babylonia and Israel (3 credits)
   • Sociopolitical contexts of rabbinic academies.
7. Modern Academic Approaches to Talmudic Literature (3 credits)
   • Research trends, feminist readings, post-structuralist and historical-critical approaches.
8. Rabbinic Law and Legal Theory (3 credits)
   • Talmudic jurisprudence in conversation with general legal philosophy.

Elective Seminars (12 credits)

Choose from:

• Talmud and Midrash: Comparative Genres
• Gender and the Rabbinic Imagination
• Mystical and Theological Themes in the Talmud
• Digital Humanities and Talmudic Research
• The Reception of the Talmud in Medieval Jewish Thought
• The Talmud in Christian and Islamic Contexts

Language and Research Requirements (6 credits)

• Advanced Aramaic for Talmudic Studies (3 credits)
• Research Methods in Jewish Studies (3 credits)

Capstone Requirement

Option A – Master’s Thesis (6 credits):

Original research thesis (approx. 80–120 pages) under faculty supervision.

Option B – Comprehensive Examination (6 credits):

Written and oral exams covering core tractates, commentaries, and methodologies.

Sample Two-Year Plan

Semester	Courses	Credits
Fall Year 1	Talmudic Hermeneutics, Selected Tractate I, Research Methods	9
Spring Year 1	Philology, Yerushalmi Seminar, Late Antique Contexts	9
Fall Year 2	Selected Tractate II, Legal Theory, Elective	9
Spring Year 2	Advanced Aramaic, Electives, Thesis or Exam	9–12

Faculty Expertise

• Talmudic Philology and Manuscript Studies
• Rabbinic Legal Thought and Comparative Jurisprudence
• Gender and Narrative in Rabbinic Texts
• Cultural History of Late Antiquity
• Digital Talmudics

Career Paths

• Doctoral research in Jewish Studies or Religious Studies
• Academic teaching in universities or seminaries
• Rabbinic education and leadership
• Cultural preservation and textual editing projects
• Interfaith scholarship and comparative law research