fter the Yom Kippur morning service, learn, study and reflect in one of the study sessions led by scholars of the Temple. Participation is open to all congregants and their guests. Sessions are held from 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM.| The Curious Case of the Suspected Sotah Lecturer: Rabbi Bruce Block Location: Room 628, Goldsmith Religious School Building (10 East 66th Street) The Sotah is the suspected wayward wife and the related ordeal of bitter water prescribed in Numbers 5 to ascertain guilt or innocence. Examine how the Rabbis dealt with jealousy, suspicion, trial by ordeal, and unfair accusations, and how they sought to balance the scale when it seemed weighted against the woman. If you have any qualms about the appropriateness of talking about something of a sexual nature on Yom Kippur, then read the Al Cheit and consider the traditional Torah reading for Yom Kippur afternoons. |
| Amos: The Call to Repentance Lecturer: Rabbi Bruce Cole Location: Room 602, Marvin and Elisabeth Cassell Community House (One East 65th Street) The prophet Amos is one of our most interesting prophetic figures. Plucked by God as he was sheepherding and picking sycamore tree figs, he was recruited to address the sins of Samaria and warn the people to repent, or else. His prophecy contains some of the most famous biblical quotes. The message in his story for Yom Kippur is manifold: First is the exhortation for repentance; second is the concept of the calling. Just as Amos was called, how are we called? Why are we gathered together on Yom Kippur? Is our coming together a satisfying spiritual moment, or are we seeking something more? |
| It Never Happened: Forgiveness According to Vladimir Jankélévitch and Emmanuel Levinas Lecturer: Rabbi Richard A. Davis, D.D. Location: The Leventritt Room (402), Marvin and Elisabeth Cassell Community House Levinas and Jankélévitch, friends and both 20th century philosophers at the Sorbonne, expressed different approaches to Judaism and ideas about forgiveness — very much an issue of our day. Multiple disciplines recently have expanded the understanding of the process of “forgiving and forgetting.” We will read brief selections and, as in previous years, engage in vigorous discussion in the round. |
| Postcard: T’shuvah (Special study session for people ages 18 to 35) Lecturer: Rabbi Benjamin J. Zeidman Location: Room 633, Goldsmith Religious School Building On Yom Kippur we atone for the sins of the past year. We attempt to make t’shuvah, to return ourselves to a state of sanctity and renew ourselves for the year ahead. Engaging in hands-on Jewish learning, we will examine the idea of making t’shuvah as expressed in ancient and modern texts. We then will undertake in a private, reflective way the act of making atonement for our own personal sins. |
| Faith and Doubt: The Daughter of Hope and Fear Lecturer: Rabbi Philip Hiat Location: Room 405, Marvin and Elisabeth Cassell Community House On a day of reflection, when we meditate about core questions that penetrate the essence of our being, join in a discussion of one of the most fundamental spiritual struggles — the uncertainty of faith. The conversation will be framed by the following thought: “Without God, the Bible is irrelevant; without history, religion becomes intellectual corruption.” |
| SPECIAL TEEN PROGRAM — The High Holy Days: Rated PG-13 (For 7th Grade and up, parents and teens together, or teens alone) Lecturers: Rabbi Amy Ehrlich, Director of Lifelong Learning Saul Kaiserman, Lifelong Learning staff members Missy Bell and Leah Kadosh Location: Gene L. Blumenthal Hall, Goldsmith Religious School Building This is a special time of year for Jews to reflect both backward and forward: We look back on the year that was, and we look forward to a better year to come. Participants will engage in a thoughtful, age-appropriate activity that connects teens and their parents to the High Holy Day season by reflecting upon the times when we missed the mark in the past while looking forward to a more meaningful, joyous and productive year to come.
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