A Winter Course with Rabbi Chaim Cohen and Dr. Michael Leavitt

Listen in on the surprising, practical questions your ancestors asked rabbis across Jewish history.

Join this six-session course to discover the little-known world of rabbinic responsa, a vast archive of the real-life questions of ethics and practice Jews asked across history—and the scholarly answers rabbis wrote. 

Algiers is under siege: May I pray in a bathhouse? The Inquisition is watching: How will I celebrate Passover? Seventeen Jews are held hostage in faraway Regensburg after a blood libel: Must I help pay their ransom? See what enables Jewish tradition to offer relevant guidance in a rapidly changing world—and come face-to-face with raw Jewish history. (If you don’t know what a “rabbinic responsa” is, you’ll fit right in.)

Lesson 1: The people who asked the questions

What do these questions reveal about our ancestors? What did they think, feel, and value? Explore five fascinating stories to find out.

Lesson 2: The quest for facts

Do sages make assumptions about how reality works, or do they investigate the facts? Follow rabbis as they conduct five fascinating investigations worldwide.

Lesson 3: How the Torah stays relevant

See inside the process that enables the Torah’s ancient code to guide life in an ever-changing world. Witness the precise process of applying Talmudic precedent.

Lesson 4: When the exception is the law

Explore four unexpected rulings to uncover the hidden fallback mechanisms within Jewish law: these aren’t exceptions to the law. They’re the law revealing its quiet values (like human dignity, and peace in the home).

Lesson 5: Answering the whole person

Rules don’t always translate into reality easily. See how sages account for the practical, social, and emotional realities around a question to ensure their ruling leads to its intended outcome.

Lesson 6: Responsa from the future

Could Artificial Intelligence decide Jewish law? Is lab-grown meat kosher? See how Jewish law is addressing the questions posed by tomorrow’s cutting-edge technology.

The cost of the course, including the class textbook, is $99. The cost for chai club members and residents of the Lansdowne Woods community is $35 (the cost of the textbook).

All 6 lessons will be on Mondays from 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm from January 26th, 2026 - March 9th, 2026. Please note, we will not have class on March 2nd due to Purim.

All 6 lessons will be taught on Zoom. Please check your email confirmation for the Zoom link.