Adult Education at Twinsburg Chabad is dedicated by the Flexer Family,
in memory of Dave & Libby Steinberg

winter course: decoding the talmud

Inside the Story, Substance, and Significance of the Book that Defines Judaism

Enter the intricate world of the Talmud: the monumental classic that has defined Jewish learning for centuries. Join this six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute to discover the Talmud, its history, authors, and significance—and experience it for yourself.

You'll learn the key terms, logical principles, and historical context required to decode every part of the Talmudic page. Plus, see how it became central to Jewish life and why it inspires fascination, debate, and study today.

To watch the course intro video, click here.

Six Wednesday Evenings
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Beginning February 5th

Dinner served each evening

Price: $89 per person
20% Early Bird Discount
10% Family Discount

First night is free and open to the public (Please click below to RSVP)

Lesson Outline

Lesson One
The Jewish People and the Talmud
Why Jewish life orbits a book of law.

Jewish law’s ultimate record is the Talmud, but what is Jewish law? Explore its nature, scope, and roots in the written Torah and Oral Law—and see learning’s central role in Jewish practice and culture.

Lesson Two
The Mishnah
The origins, authors, and contents of Judaism’s first legal code.

See how Jewish law shifted from oral tradition to written code and encounter the Mishnah’s precise style, tight structure, and tolerance for debate—and its spiritual significance in Jewish life.

Lesson Three
Decrypting the Mishnah
How the sages studied, debated, and understood the Mishnah.

Discover the tools, methods, and principles the sages employed in the centuries-long effort to unpack the Mishnah’s full practical implications.

Lesson Four
To Create the Talmud
How the sages shaped its structure and substance.

Meet the pivotal sages in the Talmud’s story—from Rav and Shmuel’s first academies to Rav Ashi and Ravina’s final text—and see how they wove in stories as well as ethical and philosophical teachings.

Lesson Five
How the Talmud Thinks
A unique method of logic—and why it matters.

Understand the Babylonian Talmud’s rigorous mode of legal reasoning, how it balances dueling principles to arrive at clear legal boundaries, and how its elegant logic fuels deeper learning.

Lesson Six
The Talmud until Today
Talmudic literature and fifteen centuries of constant study.

See how and why the Talmud became the core of Jewish law and discover the vast literature of responsa, legal codes, and commentaries that continue the conversation until today.

The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute

JLI's mission is to make Jewish learning accessible and personally meaningful to every person, regardless of background or affiliation. JLI's insightful curricula utilizes cutting-edge pedagogic techniques, embracing the multiple intelligence model and utilizing multimedia and an array of approaches to engage, educate, and inspire all kinds of minds in a dynamic Jewish learning experience.

Serving learning centers in over 1000 communities and on the internet, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) is the world's preeminent provider of Jewish learning. The Twinsburg affiliate of JLI opened in 2022.

This course is made possible in part by the Fund for the Jewish Future of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.