Class Description
The Book of Jonah is one of the Bible’s shortest yet most layered narratives, opening profound questions about human nature, divine compassion, and the relationship between humanity and the divine. Through close reading of the text in English alongside key Hebrew words and phrases, this course approaches Jonah as a literary, theological, and psychological work.
Through prophetic, mystical, literary, contemporary, and artistic lenses, we will explore Jonah’s enduring themes of calling and refusal, mercy and anger, exile and return, and the complexities of the human psyche, encountering the text as both a prophetic narrative and an exploration of the inner life.
Open to participants of all faiths and backgrounds; no prior experience with biblical studies or Hebrew is required. Through close reading and discussion, we will encounter Jonah as a living text that continues to generate meaning across cultures and centuries.
Hadar Cohen is an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic, and artist whose work focuses on multi-religious spirituality, justice and community building. She is the founder of Malchut, a spiritual skill-building school teaching Jewish mysticism and direct experience of God.
All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.
What to Expect
Format: Virtual
Class Capacity: 30
Class Style: Mostly discussion; participation-based
Materials List
Required
- Instructor-Distributed Materials
No required reading for the first day.
A Brief Syllabus
- Flight, Storm, and Descent
- Nineveh, Empire, and Interpretation
- Anger, Mercy, and the Open Ending
Cost and Registration
3 Sessions, $135 ($121.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($135), Community Supported ($125), and Sponsor ($145).Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.
RegisterThe views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.
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