Schedule of Topics: 2012-13

Introduction – 1st Two Sessions

  • Basic outline of Gaguine's life
  • Sample sengif from Keter Shem Tob to know what it's like
  • Selected readings from his Introduction to Volume III

Lifecycles

  • 11.01.12:  Bar Mitsvah
  • 11.08.12:  Sickness and Death
  • 12.27.12:  Weddings

Hanukkah

  • 11.15.12:  Hanukah blessings
  • 11.22.12:  Lighting in synagogue
  • 11.29.12:  Number of days, and Torah readings

Shabbat

  • 12.06.12:  Kidush and Hamotsi
  • 12.13.12:  Honors and blessings of the Torah
  • 12.27.12:  Poem for remembering the Seder HaParashiyot
  • 01.01.13:  Reading Haftarot from printed texts versus Kelaf
  • 01.08.13:  The Kedushah of Keter at Musaf
  • 01.15.13:  Special verses at Minhah in the London tradition

Weekdays

  • 01.22.13:  The surprising case of Mishnah Pe'ah 1:1
  • 01.29.13:  Liturgical variants of Barukh SheAmar

Purim

  • 02.07.13:  drunkenness and masquerading
  • 02.13.13:  Megillah blessings, and verses recited aloud

Pesah

  • 02.20.13:  matsot and the seder plate
  • 02.28.13:  textual variants of the Kadesh Urhats poem
  • 03.05.13:  Korekh and Haroset
  • 03.07.13:  Torah readings, and multiple sefarim
  • 03.13.13:  Haggadah and Hallel at night

Shabungot

  • 04.11.13:  Tikkun Lel Shabungot
  • 04.18.13:  counting the Ngomer Biblically or Rabbinically

Tishngah BeAb

  • 04.25.13:  The "pageantry of mourning" among Sephardim

Fall Holidays

  • 05.02.13:  Rosh HaShanah – personal attire, gifts to poor
  • 05.08.13:  Kippur – blessing the Hatanim and the people
  • 10.18.12:  Sukkot – decorating the Sukkah

Guest Speaker

  • 05.30.13:  Rev. Salomon Vaz Diaz on Spanish and Portuguese Jewry in the big picture