“On three things the world stands: on study, on worship, and on dealings of kindness.” (Mishnah Avot 1:2)
We are committed to growing Kehillat Tikvah as a Beit Midrash–a House of Study for intergenerational, lifelong education. Past educational programs have included our “Season for Turning” series leading up to our first KT High Holy Days, and “Justice and Kindness: Jewish Community Action 101.”
Last year, our KT Adult B’not Mitzvah class culminated a year of study and practice with a joyous celebration on the Shabbat following the festival of Shavu’ot.
Here are some current possibilities for study:
KT Torah Study Group
What IS Torah, and why do people all over the world–regardless of religious belief or observance–find it so fascinating? Our KT Torah Study Group will meet once a month with Rabbi Regina to explore the many layers of Torah as they have developed over the millennia. We will apply Torah insights to such issues as family dynamics and forgiveness; money and redistributive justice; Jews and non-Jews; gender, social class, and power; and the quest for the sacred. No previous Jewish study background required; specific topics will be chosen in consultation with study group participants.
“Beliefs and Belonging: Sharing the Challenges of Raising Jewish Children”
A supportive workshop to address the range of questions that surface for both Jewish and non-Jewish parents who seek to nurture identity, ethics and spirituality in Jewish children. The workshop fee will be discounted for Tot Shabbat member families as well as for full and associate KT members.
“Jewish Prayer: By the Book and Beyond the Book”
Using our KT prayer booklets as our starting point, this class will explore Jewish blessings and liturgy across centuries and denominations–with consideration of such questions as why we pray, to whom we pray, how we pray, and what constitutes an “answer” to a prayer.
Spiritual Guidance / Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction–which some prefer to call spiritual guidance–involves exploring the presence of the sacred in one’s life through regular (generally monthly) meetings with a trusted guide. In spiritual direction we can raise questions of life’s meaning, and consider the possibility that we may not be merely cast adrift in a random universe. We may express our anger and disappointment with the God of our current understanding, as well as our yearning for greater fulfillment, connection and sense of purpose in our lives. In addition to identifying “the God we don’t believe in,” we may discover surprising spiritual resources in our lives where we least expect them! The fee for individual spiritual direction sessions is on a modest sliding scale.
For further information, or if you are interested in any of these courses, please contact us.
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