Toward a Moral-Imaginative Pedagogy of Talmudic Narratives

Abstract

This article proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the possibility of Talmudic stories (as well as other narratives and scenes of interactions among two or more characters) to nurture the growth of the moral imagination as it is expressed in two related but distinct ways. At the intersection of work by educators, literary critics, and Talumdists, the approach suggested in this article offers a foundation for a Talmud pedagogy that provides a sophisticated, nuanced, and morally imaginative engagement with the text that is not restricted to technically or linguistically advanced students, and is independent of the subject matter of the text and other curricular goals.

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Notes on contributors

Joshua Gutoff

Joshua Gutoff is Director of the MA program in Jewish Education and Assistant Professor of Jewish Education at Gratz College.