2013 Summer Adult Education
Jumpstart your Jewish learning this summer with Rabbi Greninger and Rabbi Graetz!
To sign up for these free classes, please contact Nathan Bellet at 925-284-9191 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Questions? E-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Embodied Judaism: Mikvah, Tefillin, Tefillah
Rabbi Nicki Greninger
Wednesday nights, 7pm – July 3, 10, 17
While Judaism can be intellectual and emotional, it is also inherently physical. There are a number of important Jewish rituals that help us connect to God, Judaism, and spirituality through our bodies, and in this course we will explore three of those rituals: mikvah, tefillin, and tefillah. Come learn about the ancient tradition of immersion in the mikvah, exploring how and why the ritual of mikvah has modern applications. We will also explore the ritual of laying tefillin - what it symbolizes, how it’s done, and why it can be meaningful for liberal Jews. Finally, we will examine the physicality of tefillah, discovering which body movements correlate with certain prayers and how those movements can enhance and energize our experience of prayer. (Rescheduled from Fall 2011)
Culture Shocks in Jewish History: Jewish Encounters with Hellenism, Christianity and Modernity
Rabbi Roberto D. Graetz
Wednesday nights, 7pm – July 24, 31, and Aug 7
During our three sessions we will learn how Jews reacted, interacted or rejected cultures they encountered along the way. In the process of discovering how Judaism was affected by these cultures, we will come to understand better who we are as Jews today. History, Jewish thought, traditions and language will come to enlighten our journey.