Rechtschaffen Institute of Judaic Studies | Evaluated Learning Experience
Jewish Marriage in Law and Tradition (SOC 307)
Varies; self-study format.
March 2021 - Present.
Upon successful completion of the learning experience, students will be able to: describe the fundamentally different view of women and marriage between Judaism and ancient Greece and Rome; explain how interpretation of the Biblical story of the creation of man led to fundamentally different views of marriage between Judaism and Christianity; explain the motivation for marriage in Judaism – divine commandment and ethical imperative; understand the nature of the marriage bond as viewed by the classical sources; identify the Biblical and Rabbinic sources for various prohibited marriages; identify the sources for the various traditional criteria for spouse selection; discuss the foundation of love in marriage; compare and contrast the traditional Jewish view of love with that of the secular world; and outline the division of roles and responsibilities in marriage; understand the nature of divorce in traditional Judaism.
Major topics include: perception of marriage in the ancient world, the Christian Church’s view on marriage, the biblical account of Adam as a basis for marriage, marriage as an obligation, the ethical imperative of marriage, marriage as a contract, the spouse selection process, the concept of love in general and in marriage, and the different roles of men and women in Jewish marriage.
In the upper division baccalaureate degree category, 6 semester hours in Sociology, Religious Studies, History, Judaic Studies, Anthropology, or Jewish History (8/21).
