Adult Learning Reflections

A Fable of Freedom and Remembrance
This week’s class was ably led by Religious School Director, Lynn Calnek, who opened the class with a fable about a humble slave that became a king. He used his powers to bring equality to his subjects, and never forgot his past servitude.

Connection between Passover and July 4th
With the theme of freedom in mind, Lynn challenged us to find the similarities between these two significant...Read more...

We continued our discussion of the principles of Pirkei Avot as they relate to our daily lives. The recurring message was to carefully consider your decisions and weigh the consequences. While there are many rules to guide our behavior, either legal or Talmudic, it may be necessary to violate them if there is a “greater good” to be gained. A prime example is the principle of pikuach nefesh which positions the preservation of human life as...Read more...

Hillel lived in the last century before the Common Era and was considered one of the great scholars and Jewish sages. He contributed heavily to the development of the Mishna and Talmud. Among other things, his legacy was the wise advice he imparted to his many students. His teachings reveal a keen insight into human motivations and can be applied in any age as a guide for leading an ethical and fulfilling life.

Here are a few of...Read more...

Moses: The Real Story
Our discussion began with the revelation of some fascinating history per Rabbi Edery regarding the Israelites in Egypt and Moses:

The Israelites, along with other Semitic groups, at one time ruled much of Egypt. During this 200-year Hyksos period, the Semitic groups coexisted with the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Egyptian Dynasties which were based in Thebes. With the advent of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the...Read more...

This week, we resumed our exploration of why we believe what we do by considering mystical beliefs with an able assist from Maimonides, the ultimate rational thinker. To probe this, Rabbi Edery posed the question: “Should we value the opinion of a layman as equal to that of an educated expert?” While the answer seems obvious to most, the reality is that many do distrust authority and prefer to believe random uninformed opinions (even...Read more...

In today’s discussion, we continued exploring the reasons for our beliefs and practices. We leaned heavily on the teachings of Maimonides, who had much to say about rational thinking. 

Orthodox to Reform to Conservative: The pendulum swings 
Acceptance or rejection of tradition and ritual has played a major role in the development of first the Reform, and then the Conservative movements, within Judaism. Reformism...Read more...

Just Do It!
The question Rabbi Edery posed to us was inspired by Shemot (Exodus) 24 in which Moses revealed God’s words and the Book of the Covenant to the people. Their response in unison was, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will hear." The significance lies in the order of these pledges. They promised to do first, then to hear. Moses expected  acceptance from his people without offering a...Read more...

David: A Tarnished Icon  
The discussion began with an account of the rape that was perpetrated by Amnon, David’s first-born son. The victim was his half-sister, the modest and beautiful Tamar. He lusted after her and was frustrated until a friend advised him to trick her into a scenario in which he could over-power her. After satisfying his lust, he rejected her, presumably because she was no longer the virgin with whom he...Read more...

We continued our exploration of psalms, examining their nature and how they relate to prayer. In the process, we analyzed several specific examples. 

What do we say when we pray? 
Some of us pray to give thanks to God with the Shema, while others merely express gratitude for waking up another day to “smell the coffee." Prayer can be communal (about “us”) and scripted as in services, or personal (about...Read more...

How Does Torah and Jewish Culture Deal with the Subject of Physical Health?
There have been many references to issues of health from Biblical through to modern times. Our discussion began with Torah.

God as doctor
The earliest reference to our health can be found in Exodus in which God assures the Jews that if they obey his commandments and observe all his statutes, they will be spared the disease visited on the Egyptians. He...Read more...

Today’s study expanded on our study of Tikkun Olam in many ways. Participants connected it to art, the evolution of our concept of God, Memetics, inspiration, near-death experiences, service music, the concept of evil and its relation to humility, and the contrast between treasured documents like the Torah and our modern literature glut. Some people may have the time to listen to the whole hour-and-a-half discussion, but I thought some...Read more...

We enjoyed a stimulating examination of this subject with participation from many members and quotations from authors and teachers including Leonard Cohen, Kohelet, Rabbi Salanter, Rabbi Nachman, and John Lennon.

What is tikkun olam?
Rabbi Edery led off our group discussion by asking: “What does tikkun olam mean to you?” Responses included “Make the world a better place” and “charity." One member stated that it...Read more...

This week’s Tanakh Talks focused on the issue of abortion. Biblical texts revealed the existence of abortion herbs since Babylonian times. A number of texts dating to the Torah pointed to the concept that life begins at birth. The Rabbi’s conclusion was that the consequences of pregnancy fall mainly on the woman, and so it should be her decision.

During the discussion, I suggested that the ban on contraception was related to the...Read more...

We had a richly metaphorical discussion of poetry today, which showed both the participant’s inventiveness and the way we build on each other’s ideas. Since we now are recording the discussions, it’s no longer necessary to provide all the details. I’ll use these reflection pages to share ideas to encourage people who could not join us to check out the recordings or even to find a way to join us in the future.

Rabbi Edery...Read more...

In this week’s Tanakh Study, Rabbi Edery (RAE) began with a call for answers to “What is a Covenant?” Replies included Don’s, “Noah,” Ruth’s “Sinai,” and my “Homeowners Associations.” Mary contrasted two-sided “covenants” from one-sided “promises.”
We read Genesis 12 in which God instructed Abram, “Go to the land that I will show you,” and “all the families of the earth will find blessing in you.” RAE...Read more...