Considering that Pepperdine is a Christian university, why are you interested in attending and how would you contribute to conversations of faith on campus?

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Pepperdine University (Faith)

Pepperdine is a Christian university where all are welcomed and encouraged to challenge each other in the pursuit of truth. Students, faculty, and staff members from all backgrounds participate in conversations of faith inside and outside of the classroom. Considering that Pepperdine is a Christian university, why are you interested in attending and how would you contribute to conversations of faith on campus?

The resource to use the following:
Mission Statement ( https://www.pepperdine.edu/about/our-story/mission-vision/
Vision for Spiritual Life ( https://www.pepperdine.edu/spiritual-life/vision.htm

Incorporate these to the question above and use own words, be creative, thoughtful, engage the readers, be unique, present your position and passion.

Include as why are you interesting in attending the university question would be ”The the last 4 years of high school I am attending coed; college prep Catholic high school and religion was must as elective. This course always has engaged me as student and made me stronger person due to my love of faith and being part of the Campus Ministry Club and taking part of many school religious retreats to embrace God and religion. This makes me complete young man to do better in life, school, extra cirricular activities and also compassionate for others and be unique fit to Pepperdine University. My faith has impacted me and cultivated the diverse culture by travelling throughout different part of the countries during Covid like United Kingdom, Prague and Vienna as part of my Model United Nation conference and want Religion to be vast part of my life not during my years at Pepperdine but even post graduation. Without God’s divine love for me, I would not have come this far even during the most difficult times during the global pandemic.

Reword and incorporate into the body of application essay.

While reflecting on the symbolism of the plate and its foods, do a little informal research on Sephardic and Mizrahi customs regarding the seder plate. Are there any notable differences in either food or symbolism? What accounts for the similarities? The differences?

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Engaging an Object

Since chapter 1 of of the Hahn Tapper (2016) textbook opens and closes with the author’s memory of a Passover Seder, let’s look at the seder plate and its symbolism. Here is a brief explanation (with video!) from MyJewishLearning.com.

While reflecting on the symbolism of the plate and its foods, do a little informal research on Sephardic and Mizrahi customs regarding the seder plate. Are there any notable differences in either food or symbolism? What accounts for the similarities? The differences?

Now, look at these modern additions to the seder plate. Which one stands out to you the most and why? How does (or doesn’t) it fit with the theme of the holiday? What do these additions suggest about Judaism in the modern age?

Using both Lipton and the Hahn Tapper readings for this week, how would you start to explain the origins of Jewish stereotypes and generalizations of Jews? What kinds of cultural factors gave rise to these ideas? How does this knowledge challenge anti-Semitism today?

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Engaging a Text

Read the brief article by Sara Lipton titled “The Invention of the Jewish Nose” in The New York Review of Books.

Using both Lipton and the Hahn Tapper readings for this week, how would you start to explain the origins of Jewish stereotypes and generalizations of Jews? What kinds of cultural factors gave rise to these ideas? How does this knowledge challenge anti-Semitism today?

What does this story suggest about Judaism’s view of children, adults, and the relationship between the two? What does it suggest about the correct approach to differences in temperament and ability? How does this connect to the issues of Jewish identity that you learned about this week?

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Engaging a Practice

During the Passover Seder, the head of the table reads from a book called a Haggadah (“tale, parable”), which includes the Exodus narrative, traditional stories, prayers, blessings, sayings, and instructions that accompany the meal. One of the more famous stories is “The Four Sons” and is about four types of children and their encounter with the customs of Passover. Read it here.

What does this story suggest about Judaism’s view of children, adults, and the relationship between the two? What does it suggest about the correct approach to differences in temperament and ability? How does this connect to the issues of Jewish identity that you learned about this week?

Look closely at the labels on this sample page of Talmud. What does the content of the page suggest about the practice of reading the Talmud? About the Talmud itself?

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Messiahs & Laws

Look closely at the labels on this sample page of Talmud. What does the content of the page suggest about the practice of reading the Talmud? About the Talmud itself?

Then, select three of the texts or interpreters mentioned in numbers 7) through 17) and research their dates and place of origin. How does this further your understanding of the life of the text and its proper interpretation?

Engaging an Object

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the biblical origin of the instructions pertaining to tefillin, which meaning “bindings” in Hebrew (also known as phylacteries from the Greek meaning “safeguard”). Then, read the article “Tefillin: A Primer” at Aish.com and watch the two (4-min.) videos on how tefillin are made and how they are worn.

Given what you read in Hahn Tapper (2016) this week, how do you think the practice of tefillin developed from what we read in Deuteronomy to what we see today? How would you explain the difference between the Torah’s instructions and today’s practices to your friends and family?

Engaging a Practice

The Amidah, which means “standing,” is a series of 19 blessings that practicing Jews pray three times per day, and that was written sometime between the 3rd and 5th centuries CE. To learn more, watch the brief video “The Amidah Prayer” on the PBS website Religion & Ethics Weekly, then visit this website to listen to the prayer as sung by Cantor Martin Goldstein at Congregation Hebrew Educational Alliance in Denver. The bilingual text—Hebrew and English—can be found at opensiddur.org/prayers.

Blessings 14-15 are the messianic passages mentioned by Hahn Tapper (2016) on p.69:

“Return in mercy to thy city Jerusalem and dwell in it, as thou hast promised; rebuild it soon, in our days, as an everlasting structure, and speedily establish in it the throne of David. Blessed art thou, O Lord, Builder of Jerusalem.

“Speedily cause the offspring of thy servant David to flourish, and let his glory be exalted by thy help, for we hope for thy deliverance all day. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who causest salvation to flourish.”

Given what you read in the chapter “Messiahs,” what is the significance of these two blessings for different Jewish communities around the globe? What is the advantage of praying the same prayer both individually throughout the week and together as a congregation on Shabbat (the Sabbath)?

What repeated words or phrases are important to the passage? What contrasts are found and developed in your passage? What are the significant statements of cause, purpose, result, or means found within your passage?

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Passage Annotation Mark 9:14-29

PAGE 1: Liberally annotate the passage.

Circle repeated words or phrases. Not every repeated word or phrase needs to be circled; focus on those that seem significant for understanding the meaning of the passage.
Underline significant verbs. Once again, you don’t need to underline every verb; focus on those that seem significant. Note the tense (past, present, future) and the subject (e.g., God, the author, the audience).
Enumerate lists. If you encounter a list of some kind, number each item in the list in your annotations and consider if there is any significance to the number of items in the list or the way that they are arranged. Does the list build toward the final item in some way? Are items grouped together in some way? Does the list have a logical progression?
Identify contrasts. If the author contrasts two ideas, actions, kinds of people, etc., mark that in your annotations. You can write a short description of the contrast in the margin in the space between lines. Something like “wages from sin vs. gift from God” (for Rom 6:23) is sufficient.
Identify clauses that indicate cause, effect, purpose, result, or means. Key words will often help you identify these clauses. For example, “so that” or “in order that” often indicates the purpose or result of the previous statement. Prepositions like “by” or “through” often indicate the means by which an action is accomplished. When you notice a clause that address cause, effect, purpose, result, or means in a significant way, put parentheses around it and mark its function. For example, you might write an “M” by those clauses that indicate means. This part of the annotations requires the most careful observation and thought, but it can also be one of the most helpful ways to open up the meaning of a passage.

 

PAGE 2

Write a 200 word analysis of your findings. In your analysis, comment on the insights that you have gained from this close reading exercise. You don’t need to comment on each of the items listed above; instead, focus on what you have found to be most significant and enlightening. For example, consider the following kinds of questions:

What repeated words or phrases are important to the passage?

What contrasts are found and developed in your passage?

What are the significant statements of cause, purpose, result, or means found within your passage?

Explain the role of the Bible and Torah within Judaism, and how these differ from the Bible of Christianity. Understand the historical and symbolic significance of the terms exile, diaspora, Sinai, Zion, chosen, temple, and synagogue as they are used in a Jewish context.

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Sinais & Zions

Require reading Hahn Tapper (2016). Ch. 2 “Sinais” (pgs. 28-44) and Ch. 3 “Zions” (pgs. 45-59).When you complete this week, you should be able to:

Explain the role of the Bible and Torah within Judaism, and how these differ from the Bible of Christianity.
Understand the historical and symbolic significance of the terms exile, diaspora, Sinai, Zion, chosen, temple, and synagogue as they are used in a Jewish context.
Describe how Judaism can thrive outside of the Land of Israel.
Explore the robust connections between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

In this week’s reading, Hahn-Tapper writes about the idea of “chosenness” as well as some basic issues in interpreting the Bible. Read Genesis 11:27-12:9 in both the English Standard Version and the New International Version. This is the Bible’s first introduction to Abram (later renamed Abraham), his wife Sarai (later renamed Sarah), and the first iteration of the deity’s promise to Abram/Abraham.

Then, answer one out of the three prompts below:

Reading the Bible as literature (Hahn-Tapper, 34): There are two vital pieces of background information that the biblical author introduces here: 1) that Sarai “was barren, she had no child” (11:30) and 2) that “the Canaanites were in the land” (12:6). Why might the narrator be telling us these things at this juncture? What might be the literary importance of these details in a text where details are scarce? Are there any other literary conventions you would like to point out?
Reading along with the Documentary Hypothesis (Hahn-Tapper, 33): Do you notice any discrepancies between 11:31 and 12:1-9? In conversation with Hahn-Tapper, what are the implications of your observation for understanding the question of biblical authorship?
Reading with PaRDeS (Hahn-Tapper, 39): Let’s focus on 12:1-3 and 12:7. From your own reading of the text, what is the pshat meaning? Your remez reading? Your drash? (We’ll save sod for when we cover Mysticism.) What challenges did you face in coming up with these interpretations? What were the benefits?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. what prompted your thinking? what was the outcome?

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Questioning  a belief or idea

Prompt: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. what prompted your thinking? what was the outcome?

 

If Americans are “deeply religious people,” what does religious studies scholar, Stephen Prothero, mean when he claims that many Americans are also “religious illiterates”?

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If Americans are “deeply religious people,” what does religious studies scholar, Stephen Prothero, mean when he claims that many Americans are also “religious illiterates”?

Book for course is World RELG4 Introduction to World Religions
Robert E. Van Voorst, 2020
Cengage

Explain why Jain monastics eat uncooked food and describe how they obtain food for themselves.

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Explain why Jain monastics eat uncooked food and describe how they obtain food for themselves.

Book for course is World RELG4 Introduction to World Religions
Robert E. Van Voorst, 2020
Cengage