Congregation Beth Shalom Senior Rabbi David M. Glickman invites everyone in the community to the Elul Institute 2019 (5779) to be held at Beth Shalom. Learn and grow with them on three Wednesday evenings of learning: Sept. 4, Sept. 11 and Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
There is no cost for these talks and they are open to all. You are encouraged to invite friends and family members from the entire community for this inspirational learning.
The Hebrew month before Rosh Hashanah is the month of Elul. It is a month of joyful anticipation for renewal. In celebration of Elul, Beth Shalom is having three Jewish teachers come to the community Elul Institute 2019 (5779): Return * Pray * Give. These are all top-tier educators that Beth Shalom is privileged to have at its synagogue.
In our High Holidays prayers each year we stay focused on the centrality of teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer) and tzedakah (charity).
On Sept. 4, Dena Weiss, Rosh Beit Midrash, Hadar Institute, will be the speaker. The Hadar Institute is a pluralistic, multi-denominational adult learning center in New York City that focuses on bringing Jews from different backgrounds together. The topic will be “Are Our Sins Really Our Fault? Repentance and Responsibility in the Thought of the Kedushat Levi,” co-sponsored with Congregation Kol Ami.
Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, director of Education, Sefaria.org, will be the speaker on Sept. 11. Sefaria.org is one of the most important Jewish research tools in the history of the Jewish people. This website has the most extensive collection of classical Jewish texts, often available with English translation, online and free. This evening’s topic will be “Tech and Tefillah: Prayer and Devotion in the Digital Age.” This session is co-sponsored by Congregation BIAV.
Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Rabbinical School dean, Jewish Theological Seminary, will speak on Sept. 18. The Jewish Theological Seminary is the flagship Jewish educational institution for Conservative Judaism, and trains leaders and teachers from across the entire denominational spectrum. The final topic will be “Beyond the Pushke: Transforming Tzedakah into Sacred Spending for the Sake of Personal Renewal,” co-sponsored with Congregation Ohev Sholom.
Congregation Beth Shalom has invited sister congregations to join them for these evenings so that the learning will be richer, and those attending can form new connections with others in our Jewish community as we enter the new year.
Questions about the Elul Institute may be directed to Rabbi Glickman at .