Site Map | Contact List | Directions | info@dorsheitzedek.org

Adult Education and Contemplation: Fall-Winter 2009 / 5770

Classes on many different aspects of Jewish life (see calendar) are held at The Second Church, 60 Highland Street, West Newton.

Flyer

We have a one-page flyer available with the information on this page.

Soul Questions: An Exploration
with Rabbi Toba Spitzer

Thursday mornings, 8am–9am, beginning October 22
60 Highland Street

If we imagine the Torah as a telescope that our ancestors created in order to search for signs of divinity in the Universe, what do we see when we look through that lens? Is the idea of God a comfort, a challenge, or perhaps irrelevant? Where and how do we encounter the sacred in our own lives, and what would it mean to take spiritual practice seriously? In this weekly class, we will combine study of Jewish texts with practices for our day-to-day lives to "reconstruct" a meaningful notion of God/liness, whether we think of ourselves as believers or not. No previous experience or presumed comfort with text study or spiritual practice necessary – just bring your doubts, your yearnings, and your questions!

Does God Play Favorites? A Dialogue on Chosenness
with Dr. Joel Kaminsky

Thursday, October 29, 7:30pm
60 Highland Street (no fee)

Chosenness, or God’s tendency to favor certain individuals or groups over others, is a recurring biblical theme. Dr. Kaminsky will explore the complexity of the idea of chosenness within the Hebrew Bible in order to illuminate the importance of this idea not only within the Bible but to Jewish theology more broadly. Rabbi Toba Spitzer will offer a response from a Reconstructionist perspective, reflecting on Mordecai Kaplan’s argument that the traditional notion of Jewish chosenness is not "reconstructable." How do we as contemporary Jews approach the traditional notion of Jewish "chosenness" today?

Dr. Joel Kaminsky teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible and on ancient Judaism in the Religion Department at Smith College where he also Co-Directs the Program in Jewish Studies. His most recent book, Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election (Abingdon Press, 2007) examines the idea of chosenness in the Hebrew Bible, and explores how this central and pervasive idea both unites and divides Jews and Christians.

Eco-Systems and Jewish Texts: A Creative Nexus
with Rabbi Natan Margalit

Thursday evenings, November 5, 12 & 19, 7:30-9:00 pm
60 Highland Street (free for members; $15/session for non-members)

Underlying our ecological crisis is a mode of thought that treats the earth, oceans, animals, plants and even humans as if they were machines, running predictably, logically, like "clockwork." This way of thinking has brought dramatic gains in the short run, but forcing life into a straightjacket ultimately is a recipe for disaster. In fact, all living systems: cells, swamps, neighborhoods - and even some texts, are organized in complex, dynamic, non-linear patterns. Understanding the old/new mode of thought contained in Jewish texts can lead us to a more natural way of thinking, one that reflects nature instead of strangling it, and understanding eco-systems can help us open up Jewish texts in a new, enlivened perspective. Over these three sessions, we will study examples of Rabbinic Midrash which focus on the rabbis' ideas of truth as something which is not about mastery and control but rather about creativity and connectedness, as well as excerpts from the Mishnah which demonstrate the holistic and organic nature of the Rabbis’ thought. We will compare these rabbinic texts with contemporary environmental writers such as Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry and others.

Rabbi Natan Margalit has taught at Bard College, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Boston. He is currently Director of Oraita, a program of continuing education for rabbis of Hebrew College. Natan has written and taught for many years on Judaism and the environment, innovative approaches to Jewish texts, Jewish spirituality, gender and Judaism.

Exploring the Bible
with Dr. Sanford Goldfless

Monday afternoons 3:30pm-5:30pm Class meets in Brookline. Contact Stan Fleischman at stanf@rcn.com for location. ($15 per session -- fee can be reduced to whatever you feel comfortable with)

In this class we’ll read together, in English, large selections from the Jewish scriptures. We’ll aim at asking and trying to answer some very basic – yet very deep – questions: "What sort of writings are these, after all? When, why, and by whom were they written? How should we approach the reading of these texts so that we can not only make the most sense out of them, but also find some resonance in them with our own human situation?"

This class last year began with the Psalms and their poetry, moved next to the Exodus, and then focused on a close reading of the stories of Saul and David. To start the current year, our focus will shift first to a different but highly important part of the Bible – the three major collections of laws in the Torah. We'll turn to the ancient Law Code of Hammurapi to get a handle on what sort of writings these are and we’ll talk about what "Torah" has meant in the subsequent history of Judaism. Where in the Bible we turn next will depend on you!

Sandy Goldfless has a PhD in biblical studies and Near Eastern languages, religions and literature from Harvard University. He has taught biblical Hebrew for adults and has led Bible study groups in the Boston area for several years, including weekly groups for the last two years at Dorshei Tzedek.

Learn Hebrew

Contact Lisa Schneier at schneier.lisa@gmail.com to express interest.
Beginning in October, dates & class times to be determined

Learn Hebrew at Dorshei Tzedek! We will be offering adult Hebrew classes at several levels – beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Depending upon interest, we will offer weekly classes for adults during Hebrew School hours as well as in the evening. In our class offerings, we will accommodate those interested in both modern and prayer book Hebrew.

If interested, contact Lisa Schneier at the address above. Please include your estimated current level of Hebrew (Beginner: cannot recognize Hebrew letters; Advanced Beginner: can recognize letters; Intermediate: some reading ability; Advanced: can read, would like to work on speaking and comprehension). We will reply with more information.

Dorshei Tzedek is an affiliate of the   Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and of the   Synagogue Council of Massachusetts

© 2008 — Congregation Dorshei Tzedek — All rights reserved
Please report any problems to: webmasters@dorsheitzedek.org
Updated 03:48:27 PM Tuesday, November 3, 2009