Jewish History 10
This class presents an overview of major events, personalities, and ideologies in Jewish History from the Renaissancethrough the Yeshiva Movement, 1500 – late 1800’s. Students are encouraged to analyze events, understanding their causes, effects, and historical significance. Patterns of behavior are noted and discussed. Events in secular history are discussed as well, in terms of their relevance to and in influence on Jewish History.
It is a historical principle that history repeats itself, and in Judaism we believe that we are obligated to learn about the past and from it. As the Torah tells us in Deuteronomy 32, “Remember the days of old; reflect upon the years of [other] generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will inform you.” Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, a German Orthodox rabbi explains these words as a command for each Jew to delve deeply into the meaning of the past.
1. Learning about the past allows us to understand the present. 2. Learn to see God’s Hand throughout history and in our daily lives. 3. It is a mitzvah (biblical commandment) to learn our nation’s history and its inherent lessons. 4. Be inspired by great personalities in our past.
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