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Tauber Jewish Studies Electives

Tauber Beit Midrash

Sundays, 9:30 – 10:30 am
Location: Temple Emanu-El, Rabbis’ Study
Led by Rabbis Lawrence Kushner, Jane Litman and Jonathan Singer
Fall Semester meetings:

October 15 – Rabbi Kushner and Anita Barzman: Details of our new Czech Holocaust Torah

Oct. 22 – Rabbi Litman with Jeff Kositsky and Don Folk from the Department of Homeless: The Fragility of Housing

Oct. 29 – Dr. Leah Hochman: Developing your own Theology

Nov. 5, 12; Dec. 3, 10, 17 (TBD)

In Hebrew, “Beit” means house and the word “Midrash” comes from the root “to seek” or “to investigate.” A Beit Midrash is a house of study. The Tauber Beit Midrash here at Emanu-El offers unique access to the rich tradition of Jewish textual interpretation in a welcoming and intellectual environment. Our house is open to those who have studied before and those who have never looked at a daf (a page of rabbinic literature).

Each Sunday, when religious school is in session, the Tauber Beit Midrash will open with a class offered by a leading teacher in our community. The teacher will present a text from Talmud – the compilation of Mishna, the first major redaction of the oral law, and Gemara, rabbinic commentary on the Mishna, as well as the Zohar, mystical writings – each with English translation. Participants will gather with coffee in hand and study in chevruta (partnership). The teacher will then bring participants back together for discussion and explanation.

Monthly, the Beit Midrash will be followed with a presentation on Applied Judaism, as students encounter an issue or phenomena in society as presented by experts in their field. The values explored in the text study will inform the discussion in this section.

Free and Open to the community. No pre-registration required.  While we hope you’ll be able to attend every session, this is not a course. Each class is stand-alone. Join us for as many as you can.

The Tauber Jewish Studies Program is made possible by The Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation, reflecting the dynamic, generous, and enduring spirit of Dr. Laszlo N. Tauber.

A program of the Madeleine Haas Russell Institute of Jewish Learning.