CLASS SCHEDULE
SUNDAY
Sunday Morning Talmud Class
A class structured to appeal to Talmud students of all levels, from beginners to more experienced. We are studying the 3rd chapter of Tractate Bava Kamma; come check it out for a morning, no commitment necessary.
R. Gabriel Greenberg - Sunday, 9-10 a.m.
MONDAY
Midrasha’s Tanach and Talmud (for Teens). This course is an informal but intensive study group focusing on close thematic readings of the Tanach and Talmud in translation.
David Henkin 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.
Women’s Dance Nights at CBI!
Come dance to a blend of world music, jazz, klezmer, hip hop and more. No moves to remember, no cost either.... Just a chance to let loose and get some good exercise in a fun way!
2nd & 4th Mondays, May 13, 27 @ 8:00 pm
TUESDAY
Week Night Learning with Rabbi Cohen: Join R. Cohen for a series addressing issues of Jewish thought, biblical interpretation and or law. Does not meet May 21.
R. Yonatan Cohen, 7:30 pm
WEDNESDAY
Conversational Hebrew : The course takes place one evening every 2 weeks in shul and once every 2 weeks online. Walk-ins are welcome! Please register by e-mail: yadgare@gmail.com.
Ester Yadgar, Wednesdays, 7:30 pm, May 8 @ CBI
Jewish Writings of Emmanuel Levinas
The Levinas Study Group meets at 8 pm every Wednesday at the Schweig home to discuss various essays of the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. No background necessary. The class is facilitated by our resident scholar, Muni Schweig.
Muni Schweig, 8:00 p.m.
THURSDAY
Heavenly Torah Through The Generations
The world of rabbinic thought can be divided into two major schools of thought: Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael. The historic disputes between these two schools are based on fundamental differences over the nature of revelation and religion. Join Rabbi Cohen for an in-depth study, based on Rabbi A. J. Heschel’s Heavenly Torah.
R. Yonatan Cohen - Thursday, 12:15 p.m.
Shavuot: The Festival of Leavened Bread — Restoring The Dignity of Bread
The three Pilgrimage Festivals take us through the seven months of an agricultural year (Nissan through the end of Tishrei). This natural growing season and agricultural cycle, with its processes of preparing, planting, tending, guarding, harvesting and storing of different crops, is also a spiritual process. We can connect these natural processes to the spiritual work of Jewish practices because God has so created the world that natural processes are constant hints and reminders (remezim) of the spiritual work we need to do to heal the world (tikkun olam).
Ain kemach, ain torah: without bread there is no Torah. We Jews have celebrated the Festival of Shavuot as a day remembering the giving of Torah, the book of life. What we have mostly lost is its celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, the staff of life. We have the powerful and many-layered symbolism of unleavened bread on Pesach. We will explore Shavuot as the celebration of wheat and leavened bread, and the many meanings of this central food of Western civilization, as well as the place of this harvest in the yearly agricultural cycle. Based on teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and Rachel Elior's The Three Temples: On the Emergence of Jewish Mysticism.
R. Ken Lipman, May 9, 7:30 pm
FRIDAY
Talmudic Wisdom: The Welfare Society: Voluntary Love or Coercive Justice? Join us on Fridays at 9:00 am, for a weekly class that explores key sugyot (Talmudic units) that discuss major Jewish questions of practice and thought. Class is not meeting May 10.
R. Yonatan Cohen - Friday, 9:00 a.m.
MERKAVAH TORAH INSTITUTE
SUMMER PROGRAMS WITH MA'AYAN RABINOVICH
TALMUD • TRACTATE BRACHOT
We'll explore the struggle how to balance abstract concepts and formulaic prayer, what happens when heart-felt prayer is juxtaposed with a fixed framework. We will discuss how structure can create meaning – through the wisdom of the Talmud. We'll see how these timeless challenges were addressed long ago and how they fit into today’s life styles.
Tuesdays 9:30-12:30 • April 9-June 4 • Tuition: $210, scholarships available
FOR SIGNING UP AND MORE INFORMATION – merkavahberkeley@gmail.com • 510-219-0275
