Adult Beit Midrash Planned at Netivot Shalom— an invitation to a meeting to solicit your input!
Members of the Adult Education Committee, Rabbi Creditor, Rabbi Bochner, and Rabbi Avi Novis-Deutch are pleased to announce plans for an adult Beit Midrash scheduled for Tuesday mornings, with the first term planned to begin in a few weeks and running until Pesach.
Our Beit Midrash is for adults who want to study primarily for the sake of studying texts and issues informing their Jewish heritage and practices.The Beit Midrash is a major initiative for Netivot Shalom and we need to get your feedback before we finalize our plans.
We invite all of you who are interested in synagogue-based adult education to a conversation focusing on the particulars of our plan and the structure of the classes.
- Please come on January 19th, Wednesday morning at 10:30 am in the Library. .At the Wednesday discussion we will present more concrete examples about our classes and the overall plans for the Beit Midrash. Here are some specific points that will help you understand where we are heading:
- The Beit Midrash is planned to be held on Tuesday mornings. For each morning session, we are scheduling three classes preceded by a minyan. The classes will be structured reflecting Beit Midrash plans common in liberal schools in Israel. The classes will cover text study, Talmud, and Halacha.
- Text Study: We have selected over twenty books from the CNS Library, classics and contemporary authors, covering topics from the Mishnah through contemporary spiritual practices. Students select a book with a partner and begin guided study of the text.
- Talmud Study uses Tractate Sanhedrin, asking such questions as: Why were the courts established? What is the role of the judge: to look for the truth of what? What was the nature of the oral and textural traditions that became the bases for later responsa? That is: What kind of Torah was transmitted?
- Halacha Study addresses such questions as: Can a person participate in a minyan via VOP (e.g. Skype)? Can they be counted as part of the minyan? Can a Jew sell land in Israel to a non-Jew? Can a Jew in the US drink wine with a non-Jew? What are the Conservative Movement's positions concerning gay and lesbian issues and how are they argued in the various responsa? And, the general question: Is such and such minhag or halacha? We will learn about the structure of responsa and the nature of argumentation.
We need your opinions concerning our plans, curriculum, pricing, and scheduling -- whether or not you plan on joining the first term!
So, if you are available, do come to the meeting on January 19th at 10:30 am.PS: An additional session for input may be planned depending on how your input helps move this program forward
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Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Congregation Netivot Shalom || Bay Area Masorti || ShefaNetwork.org
