RS101 – Rabbinic Seminar 1

Instructor: Rabbi Paul L. Saal
Dates: Oct 27th, 2024 – Dec 15th, 2024
Location: https://mjti.populiweb.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Successful spiritual leadership, whether within or outside the synagogue, does not depend solely on leadership gifts and skills but on the quality of personal relationships with God and others. Therefore, like all followers of Messiah, rabbis, and other spiritual leaders need to develop their personal life apart from their leadership roles and responsibilities. Consequently, this semester’s seminar focuses on the disciplines, challenges, and opportunities involved in leaders’ relationships with God and others. Participants will discuss the practices and strategies that strengthen these relationships and contribute to their inner life. Furthermore, this semester’s seminar will encourage the exploration of personal motivations and intentions that nourish a healthy spiritual life, as well as the specific challenges of rabbinic leadership, such as dealing effectively with the disappointments and frustrations experienced by rabbis and handling personal temptations, as well as strategies for physical and emotional well-being.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this course successfully, the student will be able to:

• Understand and develop healthy mentoring relationships.
• Articulate their roles within their various communities of reference.
• Understand their spiritual needs and develop a curriculum to meet these goals.
• Establish clear and healthy boundaries.
• Prioritize and manage time as a spiritual enterprise.

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CURRICULUM
This course is required for the Master of Rabbinic Studies Degree and the Madrikh Program and is limited to Rabbinical or Madrikh program students.

RELEVANCE
The subject matter of this seminar is relevant to leaders at all levels. What begins with the leader’s life carries over into the lives of those for whom he or she is responsible. Spiritual leadership should be regarded as the art of spiritual directorship and craftsmanship, starting with us and sharing with others. This seminar is an exercise in personal reflection and group processing, with the goal of personal development and change.

PREREQUISITES
None

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The student must have a computer, headset, and high-speed internet access. For assistance with Populi, please get in touch with Rabbi Michael at admin@mjti.org.

FORMAT
Video conferencing via Zoom. Written reflections via an asynchronous blog on Populi.

REQUIREMENTS
Attending all interactive lectures via Zoom, timely completion of pre-assigned reading before weekly class, weekly reflections on readings, and group interactions are to be posted on the asynchronous blog.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Morinis, Alan. Everyday Holiness: The Spiritual Path of Mussar. Boston: Trumpeter, 2008.
• Peterson, Eugene. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992.

RECOMMENDED READING

• Bloom, Jack H. The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar: By the Power Vested In Me. New York: Haworth Press, 2002.
• Cloud, Dr. Henry and Townsend, Dr. John. Boundaries. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
• Covey, Stephen. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1990. Dauermann, Stuart. The Rabbi as Surrogate Priest. Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2009.
• Friedman, Edwin H. From Generation to Generation. New York: The Guilford Press, 1985.
• Levinson, Daniel J. The Seasons of a Man’s Life. New York: Ballantine Books, 1978.
• Moore, Thomas. Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life. New York: Harper Perennial, 1994.
• Peck, M. Scott. The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988. Schaller, Lyle E. The Change Agent. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1972.
• Smedes, Lewis. B. Shame and Grace: Healing the Shame We Don’t Deserve. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1993
• Soloveitchik, Joseph B. The Lonely Man of Faith. New York: Doubleday, 1965.
• Telushkin, Joseph. Words That Hurt, Words That Heal: How to Choose Words Wisely and Well. New York, W. Morrow and Co., 1996.
• Tracy, Brian. Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007.