Adult Study
Adult Education Series 2009-10
The traditional Bet Midrash, House of Study, rings with the voices of study partners grappling with Jewish texts. Community is not just a vehicle for study but also a result of learning together. Please join us!
Begin with Aleph: Learn to Read Hebrew
This course is for beginners – even those who have “begun” more than once, focusing on basic reading competency. We will also uncover bits of Judaism that are only accessible though its original language. Class text: Aleph Isn’t Tough. If necessary, please familiarize yourself with the Hebrew letters before the class begins with the free on-line curriculum “Starting With Aleph” (www.ejemm.com) OR Reading Hebrew: A Programmed Instruction Book, available in the Havurah office. Instructor Deborah Eisenbach-Budner
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm, December 2, 9, 16, January 6, 13 OR
Saturdays, 3:15-4:45 pm: April 3, 17, May 1, 15
Talmud Lite
Meets twice a month at a downtown office, over lunch, for a user friendly informal, provocative glimpse into the study of Talmud, Jewish Codes. The group is studying Tractate Bava Metzia, legal discussions pertaining to agreements and contracts entered into between employees and employers, lenders and borrowers and the parameters of good-faith sales transactions. What are the moral and ethical constraints involved in commerce?
No preparation required and no Hebrew knowledge is necessary.
Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 pm, call the office at 503-248-4662 for dates and location.
Spirituality for Skeptics
It is easy to assume that ”legitimate” Jewish spirituality is limited to what is written in our Siddur, prayerbook, or what happens in the synagogue. But the prayerbook is traditionally only part of the picture. What about other forms of Avodah, devotion/worship, which Jews have created and practiced to feel more spiritually connected? Together we will open ourselves up to some core questions: How do we talk to and about that which we don’t fully comprehend? How do we call forth our best human selves? How do we come to give thanks, feel reverence and abundance? What are the relationships between humans, the world, divinity, the rest of nature?
These sessions will be more of a mutual investigation, an ongoing conversation, rather than a didactic class. We will look at some ancient and contemporary models of Jewish spiritual practice and expression in order to assess our own.
Instructor: Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. Register by January 20.
Wednesday, 7:00–8:30 pm - Feb. 24, March 3, 10, 17
Memoir Writing from a Jewish Perspective
Participants will explore their life stories using prompts to jump start their memories, to zero in on those moments that are both rich and significant. Writers will be asked to write quickly, without pre-planning, about moments in time, both lovely and traumatic.
This workshop is not just for those who have previous writing experience, but for anyone who may have a glimmer of an idea or a sense that they might just like to share their story.
Instructor: Rob Freedman a long time teacher and writer, is author of “Forty Years in the Desert: A Bar Mitzvah Tale” and “Fancypants.”
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm – January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16
Yesod Foundations
Yesod is most often associated with the tzaddik, the quintessential spiritually integrated personality. The hope is that by exploring some of the questions below, you will feel more of a basis upon which to engage with others and be Jewish in the world. You must commit to 3 out of the 4 segments of this course, and no prior knowledge is required. What you can expect to get out this learning experience is a sense of community, greater comfort with Jewish practices around Shabbat, and enhanced connection with others in the Havurah. It will tighten the link between deep memories and feelings about Jewish identity, and what you are actually doing with your life week to week. Classes will meet on Wednesday evenings, 7:15-8:30 pm. Instructor Rabbi Joey Wolf.
RSVP to the Havurah office by September 30th.
Yesod Segment 1: Prayer
What do I need to believe to pray? Why is it so important to join in? Is there a table of contents for the Siddur? Is there a way to make this less complicated? Why should I have to be so disciplined, when I want to be spontaneous? Is praying talking to God or avowing loyalty to Jewish tradition? Isn’t God in nature? If so, why do I have to sit in a synagogue? If I pray for something, should I expect to get it? Is leading prayer something I can do, or should it be reserved for the reverent few?
October 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11
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Yesod Segment 2: Texts, Words, Books
Do Jews take these sacred verses literally? What are the commentaries, and who makes these comments? Why are we always commenting? What’s the difference between Torah and Bible, between Talmud and Mishna and Gemara? Where can I get my hands on the midrash? We keep talking about the rabbis – who were they anyway? Is this obsession with literature bygone, or should I be studying just as much today, as Jews used to?
January 6, 13, 20, 27
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Yesod Segment 3: History
What really happened, and what did not? What’s the relationship between traditions that make something up and factuality? Why is it important to care about Jewish history? Are there some pivotal questions that are more compelling to examine today? What happens when I debunk myths? When I discover aspects of our past behavior that are disturbing, how should it affect the way I think about my culture today? Can I be a critical historian and a person of faith at the same time? Does religion have a history?
February 10, 17, 24
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Yesod Segment 4: Contemporary Jewish Quandaries
I am sick of living in the shadow of the Holocaust – Why should it preoccupy Jews? I am embarrassed about Israel at times, and I wonder why Jews should be enamored of militancy and power? Increasingly, we should be addressing issues on a global scale – Why are Jews fixated on what’s good for the Jews? How can Judaism help me, when it comes to the pressing concerns of the planet and climate change? It’s a multicultural world, so why be Jewish? In an age of skepticism and self-awareness, isn’t it a bit retrograde to espouse religious faith? What might it mean to reclaim spiritual practice and deep faith in a manner that is consistent with the world we know today?
April 14, 21, 28