We are called to foster the three things on which the world depends:
Torah, Worship, and Acts of Loving-Kindness. The study of Jewish texts,
thought and practices is crucial to that pursuit.
Our courses for the year 5770 (2009-2010) are for the sake of enriching our knowledge, creating a “learning community,” and deepening our sense of Jewish identity. Our courses range in style from traditional learning-pair study, to hands-on practice, to seminar discussions, and public lectures. Our instructors include rabbis, scholars, musicians, and congregational members. The ultimate goal of Judaic learning at Beth Elohim is to invite and inspire an active, life-long pursuit of the exploration of Jewish knowledge. Your mind, voice, and involvement will enrich the entire Temple community. Please join us!
Learning is a life-long and joyous obligation for Jews. We invite you to come and expand your Jewish horizons through study.
CBE’s Shabbat Morning Learning
Among the Ten Commandments is the instruction to 'Remember the Sabbath day, to hallow it" (Exodus 20). The Sages teach that together with resting the body and spirit, we can hallow the Sabbath with study. Along with prayer and community CBE offers a variety of learning opportunities every Shabbat morning.
At 8:30am, "Maimonides Book of Love: A Treatise on Jewish Prayer and Practice" with Rabbi Andy Bachman.
In conjunction with Yachad, additional adult learning opportunities include regular mini-courses with Rabbis Daniel Bronstein and Shira Koch Epstein, in addition to Parshat Ha-Shavuah (weekly Torah portion) with Revson Rabbinic Intern Marc Katz from 11:00am -12:30pm.
See advisories and homepage for updated schedules and mini-course information. Finally, stay tuned also for special Shabbat speakers throughout the year.
Jewish Learning 2010
Upcoming Learning events
include:
Meet the Rabbis!
Wednesday 2/24 at 6:30pm
Have you ever had a burning question for the Rabbis? Come Join Rabbi Bachman, Rabbi Epstein, and Rabbi Bronstein on Wednesday February 24th at 6:30pm in the 2nd Floor Ballroom Classroom for a lively question and answer session. Pizza and childcare will be provided.
Please RSVP to sjacobs@cbebk.org by Monday February 22nd.
Wine and Cheese Learning Purim
Learning Saturday 2/7 at
4:30 p.m.
Male/Female/Insider/Outsider: A New Examination of Mordechai and
Esther with Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein
(Co-sponsored by the Kehillah
Project and the Jewish Learning Committee. Please bring either a
bottle of wine or a cheese).
A discussion with Mike Hammel,
Chairperson of Aguda, the National Association of GLBT in Israel
Sunday 3/7 11 AM
On August 1, 2009, a masked
gunman burst into the facilities of the Aguda, or National Association
of GLBT killing two and injuring dozens more. In the aftermath, it became
evident that the Israeli government's social services and social workers
have not been trained or educated in dealing with GLBT issues.
However, the Israel Minister of Social Services recently issued a mandate
to the Aguda to build network of national network of social services
to deal with the GLBT community.
Mike Hamel, the Chairperson of the Aguda since 2004, who is considered
the leading expert on GLBT issues in Israel and has been involved in
social reform and the protection of human rights for his entire life
is touring the United States accompanied by Chen Langer, a young volunteer
with the Aguda youth program who was shot during the recent tragedy.
As chair of Israel's oldest LGBT organization, Mike has represented
Israel's gay community in a variety of settings and took the lead at
the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Jurisprudence committee's proceedings
concerning the human rights section of the future Israeli constitution.
The National Association of GLBT in Israel is currently celebrating
its 35th year of service and support of GLBT rights and issues and providing
social services to the GLBT community in Israel. The Aguda has been
the founding father of many of the GLBT organizations in Israel and
is the only national GLBT organization offering programs ranging from
our youth services to our all new HIV-AIDs awareness website along with
Project Barak, our educational program. The Aguda is presently trying
to build an all new national social services program that will stretch
from border to border and encompass all of Israel regardless of religion,
origin or sexual orientation.
(refreshments to be offered)
Special
Shabbat Morning Learning events
A screening of Waves of
Freedom Saturday and discussion with Paul Kaye Saturday March 13
at 11 AM
Waves of Freedom presents
the story of American sailors who disregarded the British blockade of
Palestine to ferry Jewish refugees to Palestine during the Holocaust.
Of all the refugees who slipped past the British, nearly half came on
ten largely American-manned vessels. Waves of Freedom offers
authentic documentary footage intertwined with sailors' reminisces'
about defying the British blockade to bring Jewish refugees into the
future state of Israel. Join us for the film and a discussion
with one of the former American sailors, Paul Kaye who will share his
experiences with us.
Coming in February: American Jewish History through the Marx Brothers with Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein Wednesday 2/17 and 2/24 and 3/17 at 8:00 PM (please note changed date for final
session)
What do Freud, Einstein, Marx and the Marx Brothers have in common?
All of them have been characterized as quintessential "non-Jewish
Jews," i.e., people of Jewish descent, whose life work somehow embodies
Jewish ethics or offers a Jewish outlook despite their individual
distance from Jewish tradition. This class will completely ignore the
first three fellows and focus specifically on the founders of modern
American Jewish comedy, the Marx Brothers. How, we will ask, does Marx
Brothers' artistic legacy embody their Jewishness, and what does their
work teach us about American Jewish history.
Class I: From Ellis Island to Animal Crackers: American Jewish Cultural Conflict before the Depression.
Class II: A Night at the Opera with Nudnicks: American Jewish Culture in the midst of the Depression.
Class III: You bet your Life: The merging of American and Jewish Culture in the Post-War Era.
Cost: $100/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield
Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo
or pay at the door.
"Current Ideas and Thinkers in Jewish Thought and Practice"
Instructor: Rabbi Andy Bachman
Wednesdays: 11/4/09 to 5/5/10 at 7:30 PM
Jews have always been a people who have cherished the questions we ask about life even more than the answers. And since their inception, the Sages and Rabbis of the Jewish tradition have encouraged all students of Torah to explore the meaning of Judaism with questions and responses, over and over again. In this course we will examine several questions: What is Torah? What do we mean when we pray and Who exactly are we praying to? What happens when we die? And how do I live a life of meaning? We will examine ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary thinkers as well as traditional and innovative modes of Jewish practice.
Cost: $200/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo or pay at the door.
"Maimonides Book of Love: A Treatise on Jewish Prayer and Practice"
Instructor: Rabbi Andy Bachman
Saturday mornings: 9/26/09 to 5/1/10 at 8:30 AM
The great medieval sage, philosopher and physician, Moses Maimonides (the Rambam) wrote this tract about the laws of prayer and Jewish ritual. Encoded in its words is a spiritual map for living a meaningful life worthy of our attention and humble consideration. This marks the second year of our continued study of the Rambam. Beginners and new students are always welcome.
Cost: Free of charge
"The Mechiltah of Rabbi Ishmael"
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Bronstein
Thursdays: 11/12/09 to 5/6/10 at 7:30 PM
Midrash, or exposition, has been written for every part of the Bible.
While “Midrashim” make up a significant portion of the Talmud, others
exist as free-standing books. The Mechiltah is a free-standing Midrash of
Sh’mot, the Book of Exodus. The rabbinical authors of the Mechiltah use
this literary form both to explain and to interpret the Torah. But the
thoughts and musings of early rabbis preserved in the Mechiltah also offer
insights into rabbinical theology and Jewish history still influencing
us today. Continuing from last year, we will explore this text both as an
interpretation of Torah and as an insight into early rabbinic thought.
Although knowledge of Hebrew is not required, this course will use
both Hebrew and English texts. Consecutive attendance is not required;
feel free to drop in when you can.
Cost: $200/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield
Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo
or pay at the door.
“Basic Judaism: An Intro to Jewish Life, Text, and Ideas”
Instructor: Marc Katz (Revson Rabbinic Intern)
Wednesdays: beginning 10/14 and running until spring (approx. 25 sessions) at 7:30 PM
This course will provide an opportunity to learn about Jewish
traditions, holidays, history, and lifecycle events in an interactive
and engaging way. Through ancient texts and modern media, participants
will learn to navigate Jewish prayer and will get a comfort with the
texts, symbols, and ideas that shape Jewish life today. Taught by Marc
Katz, Revson Rabbinical Intern at Congregation Beth Elohim, this
course aims to give participants the tools to conduct Jewish ritual at
home and the faculty to ask the challenging questions about the Jewish
faith and Israel. We welcome individuals and couples who wish to know
more about Judaism as well as those considering becoming Jewish.
For more information contact info@brooklynjews.org.
To register click here
Cost: $200/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield
Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo
or pay at the door.
“Mussar”
Instructor: Gary Shaffer
Mondays: 11/30 and 12/15, 1/25, 2/08, 2/22, 3/08, and 3/22
Mussar, a traditional Jewish approach to spiritual and practical
self-improvement, seeks to bridge the gap that often exists between
rational understanding and actions, between knowing right and doing
right. Evolving within the Jewish world over the past 1000 years, the
Mussar movement was revitalized in the 19th century by a Lithuanian
rabbi, Israel Salanter, who developed a system that employs textual
study, prayer, discussion, and focused journal writing as a means of
incorporating Torah values into daily life. The course will initially
run four weeks, and will cover four character traits, or middot,
addressed by standard Mussar texts. Starting first with a study of
humility, we will then continue with examinations of patience, anger
and gratitude, exploring the proper balance of each trait. As a basic
source book, the course will use Alan Morinis’s Everyday Holiness,
which is a modern guide to Mussar practice. Other readings from
Maimonides, Salanter, and other Jewish writers will also be used during
the course.
Cost: Free of charge
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