In Partnership with

Exploring Genesis @ The Habura

The Jewish Wisdom Society is excited to partner with The Habura to offer in-person learning in New York, online groups, or help you start your group.

The Jewish Wisdom Society and The Habura share a deep love of Jewish learning — rooted in text and tradition, and explored through thoughtful conversation. Together, we’re looking to create a space where curious learners of every background and level can encounter Jewish wisdom in a serious, engaging, and deeply human way.

סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית

The Tanakh is the heart of the Jewish story — the Book of Books that has shaped civilization.
It is at once the story of humanity, the inheritance of the Jewish people,
and a book about who you are, what you struggle with, and what kind of life you are called to build.

New Groups Starting in November
Groups Meet Every Other Week

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Exceptional Teachers

Learn with excellent educators from the JWS & The Habura who bring the text alive through knowledge, curiosity, and interactive discussion.

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Immersive & Interactive

Real conversation around the table — not a lecture. Read closely, ask questions, and explore ideas together, with room for every voice.

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Text & Classical Sources

Each class has two parts:

First, a careful reading of the plain text. All questions, observations and comments are on the table.

Then, classical commentators — Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rambam, Ramban, Abarbanel, Sforno — and other rabbinic sources.

Key Details

Meets for 1 hour 50 minutes
(Online: 1 hour 20 minutes)
Groups Limited to 12 participants
Eight meetings per semester

New York in-person semester (8 classes) · $360

Online study group (8 classes) · $280

Private online one-on-one learning · $600/month

Request financial assistance

The Sessions

The Journey Through Genesis

Opening Semester

The First Day of Creation — Francisco de Holanda
Session 1 · 1:1 – 2:4
Creation
Light, order, and the first week
In this session we will explore the most famous and mysterious passage of the Torah. We will read carefully the surprisingly short – yet intriguingly complex – sequence of the seven days of creation.
The Garden of Eden — Lucas Cranach the Elder
Session 2 · 2:4 – 3:24
The Garden
Innocence, temptation, and choice
We will enter the Garden of Eden and read the story of the first human relationships, the forbidden fruit, and the choice that changes everything. What does this familiar story reveal about desire, responsibility, and what it means to be human?
The Murder of Abel — Tintoretto
Session 3 · 4:1 – 4:26
Cain and Abel
Brothers, jealousy, and responsibility
We will explore the Torah’s first story of sibling rivalry, from the brothers’ offerings to Cain’s unforgettable question: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ We will follow the aftermath and the beginnings of life beyond the Garden.
Building the Ark — James Tissot, c. 1896–1902
Session 4 · Chapters 5 & 6
Diluvian Prelude
A world on the brink
Between the first families and the Flood, the Torah sketches generations of human life and a world sliding into violence. We will look at the puzzling passages that introduce Noah and ask what has gone wrong — and what might still be saved.
Noah — Edward Burne-Jones (stained-glass design)
Session 5 · 6:9 – 7:24
Noah's Ark
Building, gathering, and surviving
We will read the instructions for the Ark and the unfolding account of the Flood, paying attention to Noah’s actions and silences. What does it mean to preserve life when the world around you is coming apart?
The Return of the Dove to the Ark — John Everett Millais, 1851
Session 6 · 8:1 – 9:7
The Great Flood Ends
The raven, the dove, and a new start
As the waters recede, Noah sends out a raven and a dove before stepping into a changed world. We will explore the first acts after the Flood and the responsibilities that come with humanity’s fresh beginning.
The Vintage and Drunkenness of Noah — Benozzo Gozzoli
Session 7 · 9:8 – 10:32
Rainbows, Vineyards, and the Children of Noah
Promise, family, and the nations
We will move from the promise of the rainbow to the unsettling story of Noah’s vineyard, then to the families and nations descended from his children. How do hope, family tensions, and the diversity of humanity fit together in this new world?
The Tower of Babel — Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1563
Session 8 · 11:1 – 12:1
From the Tower of Babel to the Birth of Abraham
Ambition, scattering, and a new beginning
We will explore a city united by language and ambition, and the scattering that follows its attempt to build a tower to the heavens. The story then narrows to one family and Abraham’s call to leave home — the beginning of a new chapter in the Jewish story.