Deena Aranoff · Talmud Circle

What does it mean to wrestle with a text that has shaped Jewish life for nearly two thousand years? Deena Aranoff's Talmud Circle is a growing, welcoming community of adult learners engaged in serious, lively, and accessible Talmud study. Each session brings participants together  for close reading, vigorous conversation, and the kind of open-ended inquiry that has defined Jewish learning since the rabbis first gathered to debate. No prior experience with Talmud is required. All you need is curiosity, openness, and a genuine interest in engaging with others. While many participants return year after year, new students are always welcome. No prior experience with Talmud is required. All you need is curiosity, openness, and a genuine interest in engaging with others. While many participants return year after year, new students are always welcome.

The Circle meets monthly on Wedndesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30pm, at the East Bay Jewish Community Campus in Oakland, with a Zoom option available at every session. The year concludes with a celebratory Siyum on Sunday, June 6.

• Adult learners at any level who want to engage seriously with Talmud in a welcoming, non-judgmental community.
• Returning students who want to continue their Talmud study and deepen their connection to the text and to each other.
• Anyone who attended the introductory session and is ready to commit to a year of monthly learning.
• Jews and non-Jews alike who are curious about rabbinic literature, Jewish law, and the tradition of communal text study.

What you'll leave with

• Meaningful engagement with the Talmud as a living, dynamic text.
• A community of fellow learners with whom to wrestle with difficult questions across the year.
• Growing familiarity with the structure, language, and argumentative style of rabbinic literature.
• A sense of continuity with generations of Jewish learners who have studied these same texts.

Eight Wednesdays: October 14, November 4, December 2, January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5 6:30–8:30pm Pacific Time
The Siyyum will take place on Sunday, June 6 at 10am–noon, Pacific Time