Surviving Halakhah (Jewish Law): A Look at Rabbinic Innovations

Four Tuesday Evenings
February 4, 11, 18, 25
Time: 7-8:30 PM ET
Instructor: Gideon Amir
Location: Zoom Classroom

Standard Class Rate: $120
Base Rate: $80
(Subsidized by Haberman Institute donors)

Join us for Tuesday night classes with Gideon Amir

This month we will focus on how rabbis throughout history have "adapted" Halakhah, Jewish law, into the “real” world, to allow for a sustainable and feasible lifestyle.

We will explore many examples including the use of electricity and working on Shabbat (e.g. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin's telephone, Senator Joe Lieberman's travel to the Capitol and Shabbat elevators), and the carrying of objects on Shabbat (e.g. an eruv, the allowance to carry within a closed area). And more, as time allows.

Haberman Institute courses are offered on a sliding payment scale.
Both tiers receive identical access to the program. Should the registration rates become a barrier to enrollment, please contact our Executive Director, Matthew Silverman.

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Gideon Amir was born in the Netherlands to Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel in 1947.  He grew up in Jerusalem and served in the IDF as a Paratrooper.

Gideon received his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rechovot. In 1980, he moved to the United States, where he worked as a manager in several companies including Sperry Univac, British Telecom, and Cisco Systems.

In 1999, he pursued his interest in Judaic Studies and enrolled in a full-time graduate program at Baltimore Hebrew University, where, in May 2001, he received his Master’s degree with honors. Redirecting his passion for teaching from computer science to Jewish and Bible studies, he became an adult Jewish educator for several education programs, including the Haberman Institute, where he continues to teach today.