Zoom Torah Study
Leadership: Searching the Weekly Torah Portion for Inspiration
Mondays, 12:00 pm, beginning Monday, Oct. 24, 2022
Join the community to explore the weekly Torah portion and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks essays that pertain to leadership. We honor the memory of Rabbi Sacks by engaging with his materials, and we expand the learning by adding classic and other modern commentary. Make it your lunch & learn or set aside the Monday at noon on ZOOM hour to participate and learn in this dynamic, online, community Torah study.
Talmud Class 5783 (Library and Zoom)
Punishments In Search of Crimes & Wisdom for Developing Moral Citizenship
Wednesdays, 7:30 pm, beginning October 26, 2022
Click to join Talmud Class by Zoom
Exercise your mind and mine insights from the world of our Sages. Join the Or Zarua Talmud class this year on Wednesday nights over ZOOM or in person for further exploration of Masekhet Makkot – so relevant to big questions of modern societies and our lives. When does someone get a “get out of jail free” card? What does a criminal justice system look like in the Rabbis’ mind and what are the value concepts it functions with that inform modern systems of punishment and/or rehabilitation? Along the way there are always expansive discussions about familiar and not so familiar Jewish customs and culture, and anyone with any background adds to our class. Class meets 7:30 – 9pm most Wednesdays. Check the calendar and eblasts for exact schedule.
Click to access videos of the classes
Oct. 26 Talmud Class
Nov. 2 Talmud Class
Nov. 9 Talmud Class
Last class from last year, too! (June 8)
Siddur Class 5783
Lekha Dodi – Meeting the Mystical Sabbath Queen at Night & Other Evening Prayers
Thursdays, 8:40 am, beginning October 27, 2022
Come explore the mystical poetry of Kabbalat Shabbat. Our first major area of focus will be Lekha Dodi. This 16th Century addition to the siddur took off like wildfire around the Jewish world. We’ll sing it with many different tunes, discuss the content and expand the ongoing conversation among class participants about prayer experiences. Over the year we will compare the weekday and Sabbath evening services. Classes include general explorations of Jewish spirituality and the prayer experience. Careful attention to the language of prayers is a focus. Class meets in-person only at OZ 8:40am on Thursdays after morning minyan.Come explore the history of Shabbat over the Jewish ages and the liturgies that were recited, in addition to those we use today. During Siddur Class we explore the prayers’ language, discuss their meanings and dig into their histories. Our conversations this year will surely take us into exploring the meaning of Shabbat in our lives and what the liturgy suggests as points of focus. Class meets at 8:40 am on Thursday mornings. ZOOM participants are encouraged to have their cameras on, to add their presence on screen to the learning community.