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Student and Faculty Quotes

In developing the pastoral counseling program at YCT, I am able to fuse my experience in psychiatry and my passion for the Jewish community.  The more my students come to know themselves, the more open they can be with their own congregants, and, ultimately, they will represent a compassionate and halakhic Judaism. 

Dr. Michelle Friedman, Chair, Department of Pastoral Counseling 

 
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Academic Requirements PDF Print E-mail

A. MORNING SEDER and SHIUR (8:30 AM – 1:00 PM)

1.        2-year cycle: Gemara – traditional meseketh and Gemara/Hilkhot Shabbat (1st and 2nd year students). 

2.        2-year Halakha cycle: Niddah-Ishut and Yoreh Deah (3rd and 4th year students)

 

B. AFTERNOON SEDER and SHIUR (2:15 PM – 5:30 PM)

1.        Orah Hayim Halakha  - 1 year (for 1st and 2nd year, parallels Gemara year)

2.        Lifecycle Events Halakha  - 1 year (for 3rd and 4th year, parallels Niddah-Ishut year)

3.        Jewish Thought – every other year (during Gemara/Hilkhot Shabbat and Yoreh Deah year)

a.        Fundamentals of Jewish Thought  - 1 year

b.       4 additional semester classes (semester classes are also offered as minimesters, and half-semester classes are offered in Elul)

C.      NIGHT SEDER

1.        Two-hours a week, with a chavruta, to be done at home or at YCT

2.        Monthly required Night Seder at YCT, Mondays, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

3.        To be used for Torah learning on whatever topic/text student chooses

 

D. WEEKLY CLASSES (beyond SEDER-SHIUR requirements)

1.        1st or 2nd year:

a.        Challenges of Modern Orthodoxy (1 year)

b.       Bereishit (1 year)

c.        Philosophy of Prayer  (1 year)

d.       Achronim (1 year)

e.        Lomdus Skills / Minchat Chinukh (1 year)

f.         Halakhic Methodology (week-long intensive)

g.       Gemara Methodology (week-long intensive)

2.        Parsha and Parshanut (4 years)

3.        Intellectual History of Jewish Movements (1 semester)

 

E. PASTORAL COUNSELING

1.        4 years of course work:

a.        1st year:  Fundamentals of Pastoral Counseling

b.       2nd year:  Chaplaincy

c.        Alternating years, for years 1 and 2

1.        Family and Marital

2.        Pathologies

d.       3rd or 4th year: Lifecycles

e.        4th year: Master Classes

2.        Field Work

a.        2nd year: Intensive Chaplaincy (6 afternoons)

b.       3rd and 4th year: Pastoral field work (20 hour internships)

3.        Pastoral Internship Mentoring – 3rd and 4th year

 

F. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1.        2nd year:  Communications

2.        3rd and 4th year

a.        Officiating at Lifecycles (1 year)

b.       Rabbi and the Community / Spiritual Activism (1 year)

c.        Pedagogy, Adult Ed, Writing (1 year)

d.       Homiletics (2 years)

3.        4th year

a.        Professional Skills

b.       Special-Day Programming


G.  LEADERSHIP TRAINING

1.        External Professional Focus:  Social Action; Israel; Interdenominational (1 year)

Required coursework and fieldwork

2.        3rd and 4th year:  Eitzah Leadership training seminars

H. INTERNSHIPS

1.        3rd and 4th year: Internships with a mentoring rabbi (monthly or more often)

2.        Internship in-house mentoring

 

I. SELF-STUDY REQUIREMENTS

1.        Parsha with Commentators: Years 1-4 - required Journaling

2.        Gemara – 100 daf: Years 1 and 2- required Journaling

3.        Moadim – Laws and Text:  Years 1-4

 

 

To view a sample daily schedule, click here

To view Academic Calendar 2010-2011, click here

 

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