Teaching

Adult Bible Study with Adrien Bledstein: Sundays, 9:30-10:30 AM, KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, S. Greenwood and E. Hyde Park Blvd, Chicago, IL 60615.

2010 Fall: First Isaiah Part II. In our study of Amos, Hosea, and first Isaiah Part I, we witness how male prophets, traumatized by earthquakes and war, draw on metaphors hostile to women, framing YHWH in relation to Israel/Judah as Husband and adulterous wife or pampered young women. As we read the curses and blessings of Isaiah, then Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we will explore sources fueling anti Semitism and misogyny in some of our most inspired predecessors.

2009-10 8th-6th Century B.C.E. Prophets--Amos, Hosea, Isaiah 1-39, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel: In the context of Adrien's thesis regarding women and men who wrote Scriptures, fall-spring study focuses on three men: Amos, Hosea, and first Isaiah 1-39, in preparation for appreciating the anguish of Jeremiah and dramatics of Ezekiel.

After the united kingdom of David and Solomon, Israel and Judah separate into warring countries. Challenges arise from Egypt and Assyria. Within Israel and Judah people defy Torah by exploiting the poor, corrupting justice, and honoring alien deities. Prophets are named men who feel compelled to speak out and risk their lives to convey warnings. From oral reading of each prophet the group will explore: Who is each man? When and where does he live? To whom does he speak and why? What are his preconceptions and what is he saying in context of Israelite and ancient Near Eastern history? What 8th century BCE natural disasters added to the social chaos?

2008 Women and Men Who Wrote Scriptures: Isaiah 58-66 & Jonah
With her theory that anonymous narratives, prophecies, and tales may have been written by women, in the first few sessions Adrien will present a chronological overview with maps of what is in Scriptures. She will identify the Storyteller, Teacher, and Herald, then the group will focus on Isaiah 58-66. Newcomers welcome.

2007-2008 Isaiah 40-57

2006-2007 Exodus

2005 Laughter in the Book of Job?

The tragedy of an innocent person suffering is no laughing matter. But dramatic treatment of a horrific subject which concludes with the sufferer laughing out loud could be cathartic for an audience. This course treats the book of Job as a whole work of art. After traumas of losing his children, servants, animals, physical well-being, and community, Job maintains his integrity. While his friends condemn him, he questions the belief that anyone who suffers must have done something wrong. Job anticipates he will be vindicated by God. But Divine revelation ignores Job’s question of justice and challenges Job to respond to a grand-eloquent description of powers quite beyond human experience. Translators and commentators have interpreted Job’s response (42:6) in three ways by filling in the ellipsis. Job repents, that is humbly acknowledges he is wrong about something, even though YHWH states Job is innocent. Job rebels, that is rejects God. Or Job despises his lost wealth and comforts himself for loss of his children. Reading Job as tragicomedy offers an alternative. I propose that Job’s response to Divine revelation is just what YHWH intended for a favorite who is tested, laughter at the incongruity between what Job expected and Divine prodding. Appreciation of ancient Hebrew wit allows us to view heaven and earth, to identify with the anguish of an uncorrupted person, to explore arguments without an answer as to why innocent people suffer. Job’s community gathers to comfort him “for all the misfortune that YHWH had brought upon him” (42:11), so Job, more prosperous than at the beginning of the tale, dies “old and full of days.” (42:17) Acknowledging misery, this paper will show how the book of Job is intended to evoke relief. Cathartic laughter is healing.

2003-2005 "What was David Thinking?" Combining psalms with narrative, this course uncovers David's changing perceptions of his experience at every phase of his life from youth till death.

Bio: Beyond her passion for the study of Torah, Adrien has turned her professional attention to environmental issues. In response to the increasing incidence of respiratory distress in Chicago and world wide, Adrien invented and patented air filter masks which are effective, comfortable and fashionable. She is CEO of I Can Breathe! Inc. Her curriculum vitae, including articles about the Bible, may be seen at http://www.icanbreathe.com/designer.htm. In 2008 she and her daughter Hannah designed a sport mask with valves for elite athletes competing in Beijing.

Teaching: Adult Bible Class at KAM-Isaiah Israel

1973 Bible Round Table Discussions

1974 Women in Torah and Ancient Near Eastern Literature

1974-5 Books of Samuel

1975-6 Book of Job and Song of Songs

1976-7 Genesis and Ancient Near Eastern Literature

1978 Overview of TaNaKH

1978-9 Exodus and Numbers

1979 Deuteronomy

1979-80 Books of Samuel

1980-1 Books of Kings

1981-2 Prophecy: Jeremiah and his Contemporaries

1982-3 Deuteronomy - Moshe Weinfeld approach

1983-4 Ezekiel

1984-5 Genesis as Divine Comedy 1-15

1985-6 Genesis 16-50

1986-7 Exodus-Numbers

1987-8 Joshua and Judges

1988-9 1 Samuel

1989-90 1-2 Samuel

1990-91 2 Samuel: Court History

1991-2 Books of Kings and Prophets

1992-3 2 Kings, Joel, Amos, (Tobit) Hosea

1993-4 Genesis: Tales of the Ancestors

1994-5 Joseph

1995-6 Jewish Supernatural Tales

1996-7 Deuteronomy

1997-8 Portraits of a Leader: King David

1998-9 1 Chronicles compared to 2 Samuel; Hidden Book in the Bible: Judges -1 Samuel

1999-2000 Exodus and Numbers: Hidden Book, by Tamar

2000-2002 Genesis by Tamar

2002-2005 What Was David Thinking? Psalms integrated with narrative

2005 Ecclesiastes, Job

2006-2007 Exodus

2007-2008 Isaiah 40-57

2008 Women and Men who Wrote Scriptures; Isaiah 58-66

2009-2011 See above