The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) has been created in the tradition of teachers establishing bonds with students pursuing intellectual and spiritual growth in their adult years. JLI courses are designed for students ranging from first-time learners to those with years of prior study. The Institute follows a powerful path of discovery and depth, touching the Jewish souls of its learners. Participants in JLI courses share an experience of such magnitude that many form lasting ties of close friendship and community.
JLI is the largest institute of adult learning of its kind, teaching in over 300 cities around the world. Its professionally conceived courses are taught through interactive dialogue accompanied by dynamic textbooks and dramatic audio-visual presentations.
A JLI teacher leads students toward fresh thinking about the world in an environment that inspires feelings of hope, purpose, meaning, and value. JLI’s teaching is authentic and real. And it is all conveyed in a safe environment that embraces every student.
SEE BELOW FOR CURRENT & UPCOMING COURSES
CURRENT FLAGSHIP COURSE
May/June 2025 Series
|
Colourful ProfilesShort Stories of Extraordinary Lives from Jewish History Join this four-week journey to encounter twelve stories of Jewish history's most fascinating men and women. Discover the incredible Jewish lives of converts, captives, royal advisors, philosophers, philanthropists, and more. You'll be fascinated by their sacrifices, adventures, and achievements and get a vivid look at our people's rich heritage and history. Mornings
4 Wednesdays,
Chabad Longevity Club Instructor: Rabbi Ari Kievman This course is being offered for both online and in-person attendees Evenings
4 Wednesdays,
Location in Atholl Instructor: Rabbi Ari Kievman This course is being offered for both online and in-person attendees More Info jli@chabad.org.za  
Lesson One A Roman prince outwits his uncle to study Torah, an Italian priest studies his way to a new life, and a Polish noble meets an old Jew studying Talmud on a Paris park bench see their journey to Judaism and what came next. 
Lesson Two Spain's top Torah scholar leads a Muslim Army, an Amsterdam rabbi with a printshop talks England into readmitting Jews, and a rabbi teaches a Catholic scholar and saves Central Europe's Jewish books how did they integrate Judaism into their influence? 
Lesson Three A businesswoman saves thousands from the Inquisition and rebuilds Jewish life across the Mediterranean, and a female Torah scholar shapes Halachic discourse while raising a family, feeding students, and caring for the sick - see the secret ways women shaped Jewish history. 
Lesson Four Four rabbis are captured by 10th-century pirates, Germany's foremost Jewish leader is held for ransom, and thousands of East European Jews languish in Ottoman slave markets how did Jewish communities respond? |
|
February/March 2025 Series |
 DECODING THE TALMUDInside the Story, Substance, and Significance of the Book That Defines Judaism
Enter the intricate world of the Talmud: the monumental classic that has defined Jewish learning for centuries. Join this six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute to discover the Talmud, its history, authors, and significance and experience it for yourself. 
Lesson One Jewish law's ultimate record is the Talmud, but what is Jewish law? Explore its nature, scope, and roots in the written Torah and Oral Law and see learnings central role in Jewish practice and culture. 
Lesson Two See how Jewish law shifted from oral tradition to written code and encounter the Mishnaha's precise style, tight structure, and tolerance for debate and its spiritual significance in Jewish life. 
Lesson Three Discover the tools, methods, and principles the sages employed in the centuries-long effort to unpack the Mishnah's full practical implications. 
Lesson Four Meet the pivotal sages in the Talmud's story from Rav and Shmuel's first academies to Rav Ashi and Ravina's final text and see how they wove in stories as well as ethical and philosophical teachings. 
Lesson Five Understand the Babylonian Talmud's rigorous mode of legal reasoning, how it balances dueling principles to arrive at clear legal boundaries, and how its elegant logic fuels deeper learning. 
Lesson Six See how and why the Talmud became the core of Jewish law and discover the vast literature of responsa, legal codes, and commentaries that continue the conversation until today. |
