JC Jewish Studies study plan

Map the Tanakh's three divisions (Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim) onto a one-page timeline and label each book's approximate historical setting from memory

Read Genesis 12-22 in Hebrew with a parallel translation, and write a 200-word summary of the Abraham cycle's narrative arc using at least eight Hebrew terms

Identify and define 15 core narrative terms (toledot, brit, akedah, berakhah, makhloket) and use each in an original sentence

Annotate three classical commentaries (Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra) on one Genesis passage, distinguishing peshat from derash

Trace the Exodus narrative from slavery to Sinai, listing five major plot turning points and the covenant language attached to each

Compare the Decalogue in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, and write 150 words on the differences and what they imply

Analyze the prophetic call narratives of Isaiah 6 and Jeremiah 1, identifying recurring formulaic elements

Read one Psalm and one wisdom passage (Proverbs or Job) and classify each by genre and probable setting

Build a timeline from 586 BCE to 70 CE covering Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Roman rule, with at least ten dated anchor events

Summarize the causes and outcomes of the Maccabean revolt in 200 words, distinguishing political, religious, and cultural factors

Compare the sectarian profiles of Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the Qumran community in a four-column table

Explain in 150 words how the destruction of the Second Temple reshaped Jewish religious authority

Outline the development of rabbinic literature from Mishnah through Talmud, noting the role of the Geonim and the major codes

Trace Jewish demographic and intellectual centers from Babylonia to Sepharad, Ashkenaz, and the Ottoman lands

Describe the structure of a page of Talmud (mishnah, gemara, commentary margins) and identify five standard layout components

Explain the distinction between d'Oraita and d'Rabbanan, and give two examples of each

Map the daily, weekly, and annual liturgical cycle, listing the core prayers of a weekday service in order

Define the categories of mitzvot (biblical vs. rabbinic, positive vs. negative) and apply them to ten concrete examples

Trace the life-cycle milestones (brit milah, bar/bat mitzvah, marriage, mourning) and the key halakhic obligations at each

Explain the structure and laws of Shabbat and one festival (Pesach or Sukkot) in 250 words, including melakhah categories

Compare the theological positions of Saadia Gaon, Maimonides, and Judah Halevi on revelation and reason in 250 words

Summarize three modern Jewish thinkers (e.g., Buber, Heschel, Soloveitchik) and the core concept each is known for

Explain the major fast days and their historical referents, and place them correctly in the calendar

Analyze one ethical passage (e.g., Leviticus 19 or Pirkei Avot) and connect it to a contemporary moral question

Chart the emergence of modern movements (Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist) with founding context and core principles for each

Trace the major waves of Jewish immigration to Israel and the sequence of key events from 1948 to the present

Describe the structure of Israel's political system and the religion-state debates around personal status

Explain one contemporary diaspora issue (e.g., assimilation, intermarriage, or antisemitism data) using two sources

Take two timed full-length practice exams and log every missed item by domain

Re-analyze the five weakest Tanakh passages using classical commentary and write 100 words on each

Review the 40 highest-yield Hebrew terms and test recall without notes

Build a one-page error log identifying recurring mistake patterns and the correction for each