Course · 8 Lessons · 6 hr 18 min

Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye the Dairyman

Tikvah master teacher Ruth Wisse brings the stories of Tevye the Dairyman alive like never before. You'll laugh with Tevye, cry with him, and come to appreciate Sholem Aleichem's greatest character in a whole new light.

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Taught By

Ruth R. Wisse
Ruth R. Wisse is professor emerita of Yiddish and comparative literatures at Harvard and a distinguished senior fellow at Tikvah. Her memoir Free as a Jew: a Personal Memoir of National Self-Liberation, chapters of which appeared in Mosaic in somewhat different form, is out from Wicked Son Press.

Lessons in this Course

1
00:53:02
The Creation of Tevye
Professor Ruth Wisse introduces us to Sholem Aleichem and his greatest creation, Tevye the Dairyman.
2
00:42:19
Making the Center Hold
By introducing the character of Menachem Mendl into Tevye’s world, Sholem Aleichem prompts us to ponder everything from the nature of modern capitalism to the defiant optimism of the Jews.
3
00:47:53
Today’s (Modern) Children
In this third story, we begin the famous tales of Tevye’s daughters and explore the challenges they pose to traditional Jewish life.
4
00:48:12
Assault: Revolution
Published as imperial Russia began to feel the first pangs of revolution, “Hodl” explores the tragedy of those Jews who put their faith to the side in the name of Marxist idealism.
5
00:41:03
Assault: Intermarriage
In this fifth episode, Sholem Aleichem tackles the challenges of intermarriage, assimilation, and conversion and finally makes clear the line that Tevye will not cross.
6
00:43:27
Assault: Materialism
The wealthy Jews of this sixth installment are very different than those we met in the first Tevye story. And when Tevye and his daughter encounter them, the results are unimaginably tragic.
7
00:48:42
America: The False Hope
After Sholem Aleichem became disillusioned with the promise of America, he wrote a story in which Tevye learns that getting what he always wanted might not be the blessing he expected.
8
00:53:56
Conclusion: Lekh-Lekho
As Sholem Aleichem came to understand that Jews had no future in Russia, he wrote of Tevye’s expulsion from his village. But this tragic ending is not without hope.

Taught By

Ruth R. Wisse

Lessons in this Course

The Creation of Tevye

Making the Center Hold

Today’s (Modern) Children

Assault: Revolution

Assault: Intermarriage

Assault: Materialism

America: The False Hope

Conclusion: Lekh-Lekho

Lessons in this Course

The Creation of Tevye

Making the Center Hold

Today’s (Modern) Children

Assault: Revolution

Assault: Intermarriage

Assault: Materialism

America: The False Hope

Conclusion: Lekh-Lekho

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