Interpretation of the month of Cheshvan

And to Sarah he [Abimelech] said words of reassurance and comfort: Behold! When I took you at the beginning, I did not take you by force or violence, but according to the rules of marriage, for I gave your brother a thousand pieces of silver as bride-price, thinking that he was your brother, as you had told me.

This bridewealth [mentioned here] was not the gift of sheep and cattle that Abimelech later gave Abraham, but [it refers to the bridewealth] that [Abimelech gave him] before he brought them into his house.

Behold, this is a covering for your eyes for all who are with you: The thousand pieces of silver that I gave your brother earlier are a great honor for you and serve as a covering for the eyes of all your relatives who are with you and for the whole world, so that they will not see you in a negative light and say, "This woman - Abimelech treated her like fair game."

All will know that he took her [as a gentleman] in an honorable way, and that he gave her back against his will.

And in all things be thou justified: It is common knowledge and well proven that I have behaved honorably toward you. Please keep [our encounter] only in good memory!

This is the actual meaning according to the principle of peshat, for Abimelech said all this only to honor Sarah, and not to rebuke or deceive her.

Rashbam on Gen 20:16

The Chair of Bible and Jewish Bible Interpretation is the only one of its kind in Germany that deals with the text, tradition, exegetical reception and modern interpretation of the Hebrew Bible from antiquity to modern times in teaching and research. The field of research into biblical history and literature alone covers a historical framework of more than 1000 years. If one adds to this the sources for Jewish biblical interpretation in the Middle Ages and modern times as well as the Masorah as a link between the (Masoretic) biblical text and its interpretation, this subject ideally covers more than 2500 years, which need to be surveyed in literary-specific questions of detail as well as in increasingly interdisciplinary questions and research approaches. With the exception of a few sources on Jewish biblical interpretation in the 19th and 20th centuries, all the key sources are written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

The Heidelberg Chair focuses on the one hand on Masoretic Bible text and manuscript research (9th-13th centuries), and on the other hand on sources for Jewish Bible interpretation from the first half of the 10th to the second half of the 13th century, as well as on the 19th and 20th centuries.

Ekaterina Gotsiridze

Learning Materials

Main research areas

Only the so-called Masora from Eretz Israel, i.e. the Masoretic hypertext with vocalization, accentuation and the addition of various annotations, allows the ancient consonantal text (Qumran) to become a medieval Masoretic text. The aim of the research at the chair is the first study of the Western European (Ashkenazic) Masora tradition between the 11th and 15th centuries, which differs from the Oriental Masora philologically and in its external appearance as a masora figurata. It also deals with the process of inculturation of the masora and the Hebrew Bible text into the Christian environment (architecture; book art).

The Heidelberg Chair focuses in particular on the interpretative tradition of the medieval northern French school of exegetes, i.e. the exegetical commentaries of R. Shelomo Yitzchaqi (RaShY) and his school, R. Avraham Ibn Ezra, the members of the Qimchi family and R. Moshe ben Nachman ('RaMBaN = Nachmanides'). In addition, the surviving Hebrew-French Bible glossaries, especially from the 13th century, are also dealt with. These Bible glossaries, which reproduce the vernacular glosses in Hebrew graphics, are exceptional witnesses not only for exegetical and cultural-historical Judaic research, but also for morphological, phonological and lexical research into Old French between the 11th and 13th centuries. They form fundamental texts for research into the interrelations between Jewish intellectual history and the non-Jewish environment.

The biblical interpretation of the representatives of the so-called science of Judaism in Germany and Eastern Europe is being researched primarily with regard to its influence on modern Judaism and its understanding of religion and culture.

Courses

The courses are regularly linked back to the main areas of research.

The entire spectrum of the subject - from the biblical traditions to the latest interpretative literature - is covered and dealt with in teaching on the Bachelor's and Master's degree courses.

In cooperation with the Abraham Berliner Center , workshops and lectures are regularly held with international guest scholars.

Teaching

Winter semester 2025/2026

Advanced seminar / exercise: The temple: sacred place, fiction, utopia

Leader: Prof. Dr. Hanna Liss

Wednesday, 9.15-10.45 a.m., S 3

Proseminar / Exercise: Yaaqov and Esaw - hostile antagonists?

Leader: Prof. Dr. Hanna Liss

Wednesday, 11.15-12.45, S 3

Advanced seminar / exercise: The significance of the Masora in medieval Ashkenaz

Leader: Prof. Dr. Hanna Liss

Thursday, 09.15-10.45, S 3

Research projects at a glance

Masorah Rearranged: Eight Masoretic Lists in MS London Oriental 2091, fol. 335vcorpus masoreticum working papers 6 (2023).

Corpus Masoreticum

Project description

Paris Arsenal 5956

Bible Glossaries

Project description

Berlin_SPK_Fragment_zum_Hohelied_Public_Domain_1.0

Biblia Rabbinica

Project description

Events

All Events

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Past Events

Graduation Ceremony 2025: Honoring Akademic Achievement, Hope and Community

3 November 2025 Special Dates Press

Numerous guests, students and lecturers gathered on October 30, 2025 for the festive graduation ceremony of the Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies. After a welcome address by Rector Dr. Andreas Brämer and words of welcome from Prof. Barbara Traub and Martha Fiedelak, who spoke on behalf of the student representatives, the keynote speech by Dr. Yael Sela ("Universalism from the Margins. Modern Jewish Thought and the Search for Shared Humanity") set the tone for the festive atmosphere.

A special highlight was the musical contribution by Anni Joy Shanks, who gave a moving impulse of hope with "Zaad Echad Zaad": the song impressively conveys that in difficult times it is often important to move forward step by step and never lose hope.

as part of the award ceremony, two theses were honored with the Friends' Prize:

The best Master's thesis "Hungary as a role model? Israel's potential for illiberal democracy" analyzes the extent to which Israel's political development is based on Hungarian models and what implications this has for democracy and society.
The best bachelor's thesis "The Dual Representation of the Moroccan Jewish Experience: Social Realities and Cinematic Narratives in Moroccan and Israeli Contexts" takes a differentiated look at how Moroccan Jewry is represented socially and cinematically in both Morocco and Israel

After the award ceremony and the presentation of the certificates by Prof. Dr. Johannes Becke and Prof. Dr. Michael Schmitt, the evening came to a convivial close with a reception in the canteen.

This year's graduation ceremony impressively demonstrated how academic excellence, personal stories and shared values of hope and solidarity shape the university's profile.

(More photos to follow)