nce again, after the Yom Kippur morning service on Thursday, October 9, 2008, Temple Emanu-El will offer a selection of study sessions to be held from 12:15 P.M. to 1:15 P.M. Participation is open to all congregants. | SESSION 1 — God, Satan and Job: A Yom Kippur Test Case Lecturer: Rabbi Bruce Cole Location: Room 602 WE WILL EXAMINE the actions of God, Satan (God’s special prosecutor) and Job and try to relate the story of Job to the essence of Yom Kippur. Allowing ample time for an exchange of views, we will explore Job’s internal crisis of conscience and inner being as represented by the three “comforters” and discuss the struggle between the Yetzer Tov (the good inclination) and the Yetzer Ha-ra (the evil inclinations). We then will consider the cleansing power of the “whirlwind,” the healing process of atonement (“at-one”-ment with one’s self), which is completed with N’eelah (the blowing of the shofar and the closing of the gates). |
| SESSION 2 — Is Yom Kippur Obsolete? Our Prayer Book Replies Lecturer: Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk Location: Leventritt (Room 402) WE ALWAYS MUST keep in mind that there are two words in Hebrew for “prayer book.” One is “siddur,” which refers to the book of Sabbath and daily prayer. The other word is “machzor,” which is used for the High Holy Day and festival prayer books. Machzor itself means “place of return.” We, therefore, shall return to our most authentic source for an answer to our question, “Is Yom Kippur obsolete?” |
| SESSION 3 — Buber and Levinas: What Happens When Two People Meet? Lecturer: Rabbi Richard A. Davis Location: Greenwald Hall THESE TWO massively creative and important (and problematic!) 20th century Jewish philosophers interpret the structure of the way we live: Buber by using the Bible as his baseline and Levinas with the Talmud as his springboard. This discussion will lead to a better understanding of what Levinas called “adult religion.” |
| SESSION 4 — I Have Sought Your Face: A Variation for the Quest for God Lecturer: Rabbi Philip Hiat Location: Room 405 THROUGHOUT THE TORAH, the phrase “the face of God” is used hundreds of times as a synonym for God’s presence. It seems that “seeing God’s face” has the meaning of a direct encounter with God’s presence. The Sages of the Rabbinic period and the philosophers of the Middle Ages had to reconcile this metaphor with a God who ultimately and essentially was unknowable. This session will explore these polarities. |
| SPECIAL TEEN PROGRAM — T’shuva: Rated PG-13 (For 7th Grade and up, parents and teens together, or teens alone) Location: Lowenstein Rabbi Amy Ehrlich, Director of Lifelong Learning Saul Kaiserman, and youth coordinators Danny Mishkin and David Wolkin will guide an age-appropriate program that connects teens and their parents to the spirit of the High Holy Day season. 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 activity that helps them reflect upon the times when we missed the mark in the past while looking forward to a more meaningful, joyous and productive year to come. |
Back to Holy Days & Festivals
