For more information on any of our classes, please click on individual links, check out our full calendar or contact our Community and Membership Engagement Director, Sarah Greenberg.
Scholar in Residence
Click here for information about our annual Scholar in Residence program.
Empty Nesters, Endless Opportunities, and Food and Friends.
For more about Empty Nesters, please see Cybershul or the current Shavuon.
Current Endless Opportunities programs are listed here.
Food and Friends information can be found on our Social Groups page.
2018-19 Year-long Classes
Living Judaism – a basic introduction to Judaism, including holidays, texts, and home traditions and a Hebrew class (below). Living Judaism is our required course for conversion students. Please click here for more information and a registration form. A syllabus is available here. Class will be held on Tuesday evenings from September 25, 2018- April 30, 2019 with two High Holiday preparation sessions on August 28 and September 4.
Learners’ Minyan – This program is designed for those who are looking to understand parts of the Shabbat morning service. It is appropriate for complete beginners, and is part of our Living Judaism class. It is also appropriate for those looking to deepen their learning. Learner’s Minyan takes place on Saturdays once a month, 10:30-11:30 am, in the Beit Midrash. There is no cost to attend. Click here for more information and a complete schedule.
Language and Leyning Classes, beginning this Fall. Click the links below for more information and to sign up. To contact the teacher for a class, click on their name.
- Hebrew I – Alef Bet basics with Talya McCurdy
- Prayerbook Hebrew with Sharon Greenberg
- Beginning Modern Hebrew with Beth Broadway
- Intermediate Modern Hebrew with Beth Broadway
- Yiddish with Marianne Tatom
- Learn to Leyn: An Introduction to Torah Trope with Shira Orzech
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Classes for Fall 2018:
To contact the teacher for a class, click their name.
Tuesday Learning:
New Class with Beth Huppin: The Zohar Confronts Communal Crisis
In this class we’ll examine a story in the Zohar in which the community is facing an unnamed, but obviously serious crisis. Spiritual leaders of the time are called together for a special gathering. What can we learn from them? The Zohar is a foundational Jewish mystical text. No previous knowledge is necessary.
Tuesday mornings, 9:30-10:45am, and Tuesday nights, 7-8 pm. Classes in session October 9-23.
No charge. Everyone is welcome, including Drop-ins. Donations to CBS adult education are appreciated.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Shabbat, and What They’re all About, with Rabbi Rose
Shabbat observance sometimes comes across as a long list of “thou shalt nots,” with the potential to seem disjointed or haphazard. Together, we’ll search through some of the nitty gritty of the laws of Shabbat to discover underlying frameworks of meaning and substance, and we will explore how the rabbis’ vision of a day of rest might resonate for us. Learners of any and all observance levels welcome!
Tuesday nights, October 30th-December 11th (7 sessions) from 7-8pm.
No charge.
For more information, click here.
Wednesday Night Learning:
Jewish Values and Contemporary Society with Rabbi Borodin
Exploration of a few key Jewish values and what their expression looks like today in contemporary society, especially when they are counter to popular practice. In this class we will study a number of values to help us appreciate Jewish perspective on a number of contemporary questions such as tattooing, piercing, challenging authority, interpersonal relationships and sexuality. We will explore these questions through learning about the values of being created in the image of God, caring for yourself, caring for others, pursuing justice, compassion. This class is designed for both learners wanting to learn for themselves and for parents wanting these resources to help with their parenting, especially relevant (but not limited) to parenting teens.
Wednesday nights, October 10th-24th, from 8-9pm.
No charge.
For more information, click here.
Exploring Heschel’s Theology of Shabbat with Rabbi Borodin
One of the greatest philosophical books about Shabbat is a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel called The Sabbath where he weaves together hasidic, biblical and rabbinic concepts that have shaped the development of Shabbat. Come deepen your appreciation of Shabbat with this two session class where we will be reading and discussing excerpts of the book.
Wednesday nights, November 7th and 14th, from 8-9pm.
No charge.
For more information, click here.
Thinking in Nusach: Understanding the Music of Prayer with Carl Sayres
Whether or not you consider yourself a musician, this class will empower you to understand the traditional chants and music used in Ashkenaz prayer, and it will be highly participatory! Do these chants have meaning? Why should we care about them? We’ll see how cantors and composers have used music to add layers of intention that go far beyond the literal meaning of the text. Throughout this course, you’ll be actively listening to and analyzing music in many styles. You’ll be singing, chanting and honing your skills as a Sha’tz (prayer leader). And your final project will be composing your own melody for a prayer. (Don’t think you can do that? Take this course and I’ll prove you wrong!)
Wednesday nights, October 10th-November 14th, from 8-9pm.
For more information and registration, click here
Shabbat Afternoon Learning: Saturdays at 1:15 PM following Kiddush Lunch. No charge.
- October 6th: Critical Conversations – Important Thought Pieces Reading and Discussion Group with Rabbi Borodin
- October 13th: Sikh Community Connection with Satwinder Kaur
- October 27th: Project DVORA
- November 10th: Critical Conversations – Important Thought Pieces Reading and Discussion Group with Rabbi Borodin
**NEW** Sunday Morning Parent Ed Opportunities
Led by Rabbi Rose, each session will meet in the Social Hall following PreK-2nd grade Tefillah (approzimately 9:50-10:45). No charge.
Not attending Tefillah? Come and schmooze, or grab a coffee from 9:30-9:50 before class begins.
- September 23: Joy, Fragility, Gratitude: A look at the lessons of Sukkot and how to share them with our kids.
- November 4: “You Shall Call Shabbat a Delight” – Exploring meaningful ways of celebrating Shabbat with kids of all ages in an increasingly busy world.
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Technology Tip – Need to type in Hebrew? Installing a Hebrew keyboard on a smartphone.
