So much of modern Jewish life has been influenced by the contributions of Sephardic Jewry.  From Lecha Dodi to the Shulchan Aruch, Sephardic Jewry has woven a complex and beautiful tapestry of philosophy, theology, poetry, and Jewish law which has been carried forward to almost every Jewish community around the world.  During this four-week course, we will study the lives and legacies of several Gedolim (“Giants”) of Sephardic culture, including:

• Rif (Rabbi Isaac al-Fasi) (1013-1103)
• Solomon Ibn Gabriol (1021-1070)
• Yehuda HaLevi (1075-1141)
• Abraham Ibn Ezra  (c.1090 – c.1165)
• RaMBaM (Maimonides) (1135-1204)
• RaMBaN (Nachmanides) (1194-1270)
• Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437 – 1508)
• Yosef Caro (1488-1575)
• Shlomo Alkabetz (1505 – 1584)

During each class session, we will focus on one or two of these personalities to understand the context in which they lived and selections from their primary contributions to Jewish life.  All sources will be made available in English.  This is a hybrid class, both in-person and on Zoom.