This class focuses on one of the main texts/textual traditions of religious piety, miraculous tales and daily life of Jews of medieval German-speaking lands, Sefer Ḥasidim/ Book of the Pious. Students will have the opportunity to read a version of this text in the original Hebrew and to study its structure, major themes, and impact. The course is designed to assist students make the transition from reading biblical, vocalized Hebrew, to post-biblical, non-vocalized Hebrew sources. Students must have reading knowledge of Hebrew to take this class, however, how much we read and how fast will depend on students’ skill and reading level. Students will not be expected to turn in formal translations, however, we will go through the Hebrew readings in class.
Requirements for the Course:
Participation/Teilnehmer CPs:
1) Students must read and prepare the assigned readings - in both Hebrew and European languages – for each meeting.
2) Come to class prepared to discuss those readings
3) Comment or fill in questions about the scholarly articles during the weeks they are assigned on the online moodle discussion board. Due Wednesday no later than midnight. Students may post questions or comments about the Hebrew readings as well.
4) Note, that you will be evaluated on the quality of both your oral and your online participation. Students may have no more than 3 unexcused absences or classes/inputs before it begins to affect your chances of passing your Teilnehmer CPs. Those who miss half or more of either the in-person discussions or the online discussion will not pass the class.
For BA students wishing to obtain the full, graded credit, they must write a Hausarbeit/Research paper which makes use of Sefer Ḥasidim in the original language. It should be approximately 16 pages in length , not including the bibliography Guidelines for a good research paper will be posted on Moodle. Due: October 1, 2026. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of AI will result in failure of the paper and the class.
For MA students wishing to obtain the full, graded credit for the course must write a Hausarbeit/Research paper which makes use of Sefer Ḥasidim in the original language. It should be approximately 32 pages in length, not including the bibliography. Guidelines for a good research paper will be posted on Moodle. Due: October 1, 2026. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of AI will result in failure of the paper and the class.
- Kursleiter/in: Alexandra Cuffel