Current Classes
Listen! The Meanings of the Shema
This is an online class. You will receive a link after you register.
The Shema is both routine and extraordinary: a daily sentence so familiar it can feel automatic, and yet so densely packed that Jews have been pondering it for two thousand years. In this class we’ll slow down and read the biblical verses of the Shema (and the paragraph that follows) closely—then trace how generations of Jewish voices turned a few lines into a theology and a practice. Finally, we will plumb the depths of those mystical readings of the Shema that will change how you understand its meaning.
You’ll leave with (1) a clearer grasp of what the Shema is actually saying, (2) why it became the central Jewish declaration of faith and loyalty, (3) practical ideas for bringing it into your daily life with more intention, and (4) a taste of the tradition’s more mystical readings—layers that can make this “basic” prayer feel newly alive.
No knowledge of Hebrew is required to love this class!
This series is "Pay what you wish" - really! - but Rabbi Josh asks that you consider offering $18 - $25 per class.
April 19th, 26th & May 3rd 3pm-4:30pm
Outside-In: Immigration, Boundaries & God in the Jewish Tradition
This is an online class. You will receive a link after you register.
Few themes are as persistent in Jewish scripture and rabbinic teaching as the figure of the ger—the outsider who crosses into a community and forces questions of belonging, obligation, and power. We might think of the boundary crossing as an issue of policy and practicality. Instead the Torah makes it an essential spiritual and moral concern. Why?
In this class we’ll study biblical passages and classic interpretations that grapple with borders—geographic, cultural, and social. We’ll explore what these sources assume about fear, vulnerability, hospitality, and justice, and how they shape Jewish ethical obligations toward “the stranger.” We’ll also ask a deeper question: what does Jewish thought suggest about the relationship between social ethics and theology—between how a society treats outsiders and what it believes about God?
Whether you’re interested in a deeper understanding of core Jewish teachings or want to think critically about ways to think about values underlying contemporary debates, you will find this dive into these ancient texts fascinating.
No knowledge of Hebrew is required to love this class!
This series is "Pay what you wish" - really! - but Rabbi Josh asks that you consider offering $18 - $25 per class.
May 6th & 13th 7pm-8:30pm