RELIGIOUS SCHOOL EVENTS

02.10.12 Shabbat Evening Service / Scholar-in-Residence with Professor Daniel C. Matt Join us for part or all of our Annual Scholar-in-Residence weekend with Professor Daniel C. Matt -
Friday evening - speaking on: "Shekhinah: the Feminine Half of God"
(see additional details below and on 2/11 and 2/12)

Each year, since 1980, an outstanding scholar visits Leo Baeck Temple for a weekend of study and discussion. Join us this year, as we welcome our 2012 Scholar-in-Residence: Professor Daniel C. Matt
Topic: From Kabbalah to the Big Bang: Ancient Wisdom and Contemporary Spirituality

Professor Matt will introduce us to some of the central themes of Kabbalah. On Friday night he will focus on the concept of Shekhinah (the feminine aspect of God) in the context of Shabbat. In his subsequent presentations, he will show how the Zohar interprets and reimagines the Torah, and how the mystical tradition enables us to discover God in the material world. Finally, he will address the question of “God and the Big Bang,” exploring parallels between Kabbalah and contemporary cosmology, and seeking to find harmony between science and spirituality. Please see the February/March Bulletin (page 5) for additional information and to register.

02.11.12 Scholar-in-Residence Program with Professor Daniel C. Matt

Kabbalah to the Big Bang: Ancient Wisdom and Contemporary Spirituality

Shabbat Morning Minyan / Session One 9:30-12:00   Join our Shabbat morning minyan for song, prayer, and learning, as Professor Matt teaches a passage from the Zohar on the Shabbat Torah portion. Minyan is followed by a vegetarian potluch Kiddush lunch.

Session Two   1:30-3:00    The Mystical Meaning of Torah

Session Three 3:15-4:45   Raising the Sparks: Finding God in the Material World
Havdalah 5:00
See 2/10 and 2/12 for additional topic information. Go to page 5 of the February/March Bulletin to attend Saturday's program.

02.12.12 Religious School / Scholar-in-Residence Weekend Special invitation to parents! While your children are in class, join us for the final session of our annual Scholar-in-Residence program. This year we welcome Professor Daniel C. Matt -

From Kabbalah to the Big Bang: Ancient Wisdom and Contemporary Spirituality

On Sunday morning - Session Four 9:30-11:30, Professor Matt will address the question of “God and the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony Between Science and Spirituality.” Please see 2/10 and 2/11 for additional topic details; to register go to page 5 of the February/March Bulletin.

02.12.12 Grades 7-10 Afternoon Classes

02.15.12 Wednesday Hebrew School

Our Approach

We aspire to be a Temple community embodying Jewish values, one which looks outward to the world with a sense of responsibility. To our youth and families we foster a sense of belonging to many sacred communities: the synagogue, the Jews, Israel, and the world.

Our programs help students and their parents find meaningful ways to worship, participate in Jewish ritual, and encounter the sacred in their lives. We teach fundamental skills of Jewish living, and we strive to help our students feel comfortable as Jews at home and within their synagogue. In partnership with our families, we use sacred Jewish time, space, and texts to become an involved and closely linked spiritual community committed to tikkun olam.

Jewish learning is imbued with the pursuit of:

Connection – As a house of gathering, a beit knesset, we create Jewish memories which connect learners through time and space. Jewish values are integrated into contemporary life. Families are strengthened by engaging in Jewish life together, and communal, intergenerational learning has the ability to build the broader synagogue community. We recognize that Hebrew study connects us to Klal Yisrael, the Jewish people.

Knowledge – As a house of learning, a beit midrash, we are mindful that learning and teaching are intricately joined. Everyone has something to learn and everyone has something to teach. We are an inclusive community where all learning styles and abilities are embraced. Jewish learning is experiential and inspires action.

Prayerfulness – As a house of prayer, a beit tefillah, we embrace the capacity of learners to question their relationship with tradition, and to search for God. Through shared worship and a personal sense of prayerfulness, we encourage inward reflection and outward awareness. We are a community, a kehillat tzedek, committed to the pursuit of justice. We provide opportunities to turn our learning into sacred deeds in our learning community, our congregational community, and the world. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught, in the spirit of tikkun olam, “We pray with our feet.”

Jewish values are integrated into the actions of our lives and we see them as Jewish acts.