Fall Semester 2016 Classes
Love and Joy, Select Fridays at 3 PM in the Community Room--Snacks will be served
Other religions, like Hinduism and Buddhism, discuss states of serenity and happiness as states that we should strive to achieve and how to get there. Does the Jewish tradition mention love or joy anywhere? Are there any excerpts that imply certain steps to achieve joy or love? Does Judaism value love and joy, and in what ways? Do other texts mention love and joy? Are there any current rabbis that put emphasis on the value of happiness and how to achieve it?
- This Friday, 9/16
- Friday 10/7
- Friday 11/4
- Friday 11/18
- Friday 12/9
Crossroads, Fridays at 12 PM in the Community Room--Lunch will be served (please RSVP)
Every great story contains a choice that determines the direction of events. Think Harry Potter choosing to go after the Horcruxes instead of Dumbledore’s wand. And we, the reader, get to consider our own choices in light of the choices these characters make. This class will be committed to reading very short stories, understanding the choices the characters made, and then investigating how they apply to our own lives. No Hebrew or Torah experience necessary.
Weekly Parsha Class, Tuesdays at 4 PM in the Small Dining Room--Snacks will be served
Every week, Jews throughout the world (more or less) read the same portion of the Torah. Each portion has its own wisdom to draw from. You get a special prize if you attend on the week when we read your bar/bat mitzvah portion. No Hebrew necessary.
The Laws of Shabbat, Wednesdays at 5 PM in the Small Dining Room--Dinner will be served (please RSVP)
Shabbat is held together by the tension between laws/structure/practice and joy/rest/connecting. We’ll be looking at both components, with a primary focus on the laws pertaining to the practices of Shabbat - lighting candles, kiddush, rest, eating, etc. This is an intermediate-level class, and some Hebrew knowledge is useful, though not ultimately required.