What is Jewish Thinking?

Understanding the Classical Jewish Worldview

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In the year 167 BCE, a small band of Judean priests sparked a conflict against the Seleucid Empire that would last a quarter of a century that we know today as the Maccabean struggle Jews celebrate during Chanukah.


The Seleucids had no issues with Jews as a people. Judaism was monotheistic, and this presented a problem. Their problem was the unwillingness of many Jews to change their understanding of Judaism. Hence, the real war was one of ideas. This confrontation between the Greek world and the Jewish one continues to exist to this today. This leads us to the question, what are the differences between Hellenistic and Jewish thought. What is Jewish Thinking?

This course explains the differences between Jewish and Greek thought.

It provides an understanding of the Greek emphasis on definition as opposed to a Jewish emphasis on description. This course surveys the following topics:

1) Differences between Jewish and Greek Thinking
2) Polarity in Jewish Thought
3) The Rabbinic Mind
4) Thinking about Judaism in Non-Jewish Ways

The course includes videos, audio, and supplementary PDFs. It also includes a bonus copy of Against the Greeks: Understanding the Classical Jewish World View.


Your Instructor


Rabbi Dr. Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez
Rabbi Dr. Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez

El rabino Dr. Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutiérrez se graduó de la Universidad de Texas en Dallas, donde obtuvo una licenciatura en ingeniería eléctrica. Trabaja a tiempo completo como ingeniero, pero ha dedicado gran parte de su tiempo a los estudios judíos. Estudió en el Colegio Siegal de Estudios Judaicos en Cleveland y recibió una Maestría en Artes en Estudios Judaicos. Completó sus estudios de doctorado en el Instituto Spertus de Chicago en 2015. Estudió en el Seminario Americano para el judaísmo contemporáneo y recibió la ordenación rabínica en 2011 de Yeshiva Mesilat Yesharim.

El rabino Dr. Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutiérrez fue miembro de la junta de la Sociedad de Estudios Criptojudaicos de 2011 a 2013. Ha publicado varios artículos en HaLapid, The Journal for Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian Crypto-Jews, and Apuntes-Theological Reflections from a Hispanic-Latino Context, y es el autor de What is Kosher? and What is Jewish Prayer?, Who is a Jew?, Secret Jews: The Complex Identity of Crypto-Jews and Crypto-Judaism, Against the Greeks, y muchos otros títulos centrados en la educación judía.

Actualmente es el director del Centro de Educación B’nai Anusim en CryptoJewishEducation.com.


Course Curriculum


  First Section
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

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