Want to learn how to experience your Judaism in a new light. Check out what Rabbi Sharon Brous, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehduah’s guest scholar has to say tonight and tomorrow (April 8 and 9).
Rabbi Brous is the founder and rabbi of IKAR, a vibrant new Jewish spiritual community in Los Angeles. For the past four years she has also served on the faculty of REBOT, a network of Jewish trendsetters, thinkers and activists, and is involved in several justice-oriented initiatives with the Progressive Jewish Alliance. She will speak at erev Shabbat services tonight at 6 p.m., and Shabbat morning services tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. She will also present sessions at Shabbat dinner Friday night, Kiddush lunch on Saturday and a Havdallah reception. Reservations are required for the meal events. For more information visit www.bnaijehudah.org or call (913) 663-4050.
“We are so excited to have Rabbi Brous teach at our temple this weekend as she is one of the country’s leading voices for social justice and this is a core belief at our congregation. We hope to get a greater understanding of what we need to do to effect real change in our community,” said Adam Herman, event chair.
In a phone interview, Rabbi Brous said the weekend will focus on the themes of appreciation, agitation and transformation.
“These are spiritual steps that can be taken for communal and social change,” Rabbi Brous said.
For instance, one subtopic will be “Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: Your Material Needs are My Spiritual Needs.”
“We will discuss how social justice and communal obligation and global obligation are not liberal, 21st century innovations but are actually very deeply rooted in the Jewish theological foundation and also are very much a part of Jewish spiritual practice,” Rabbi Brous said.
Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner noted that B’nai Jehudah is really trying to make social justice a part of its spiritual practice.
“The brokenness in our world is staggering. The members of our congregational family are asking for ways to make meaning out of chaos; to find relevance between Jewish tradition and the ‘real world’ issues facing us every day. The social justice work taking place at B’nai Jehudah comes from a place of commitment to confront this brokenness and to bring tikkun, healing, to our world,” Rabbi Shuval-Weiner said.
“From the Mitzvah Garden to Mitzvah Day, from The Hunger Banquet and on-going partnerships with Olathe Food Ministry and Independence Boulevard’s Micah Ministry to the day-to-day work of chesed we are striving to respond to the Divine call for tzedek, righteousness in our community. And yet, many of us are still asking ourselves the same questions: Are we doing enough? What more can we do to effect tikkun olam, to heal the world around us?” she continued.
Rabbi Shuval-Weiner said that Rabbi Brous is a rabbi who is responding to these questions in a way that deepens our connection to Judaism.
“She also brings a message that helps us to find the relevance that we all crave. By bringing Rabbi Brous to our community, it is our hope to learn from richness of her experience and to forge the next steps in our on-going sacred engagement today and into the future,” Rabbi Shuval-Weiner said.