Adult Education Schedule

Adult Education programs at Beth Israel are designed for adults who wish to continue or begin Jewish learning.  Members and non-members are welcome to attend.  The Rabbis,  Adult Education Chairs, and members of the committee plan the year’s educational offerings and welcome requests and ideas to consider for future years. Here is the 2023-24 Adult Education poster.  Below are some upcoming offerings as well as this year's entire schedule of classes. Please also check out mekomtorah.org for other offerings.

Torah Treks - First Saturday Mornings

Torah Treks takes place on the first Saturday of each month at 12:30pm, following 9:45am Shabbat services and an 11:45am Kiddush and potluck lunch. Each program is independent. Come for all the sessions or attend selectively. There is no charge for lunch or the study sessions and RSVPs are not necessary. Whether you are able to attend services or not, whether or not you are able to contribute to the pot-luck, whether or not you’ve engaged the texts before, you are welcome to come for lunch & study. Streaming will be available. Teachers and topics to be announced.

Learning with Rabbi Richard Hirsh - March 4, 11, 18

Learning about Liturgy with R. Richard Hirsh: 

1. The architecture/arrangement of (all) Jewish liturgies: Part 1 being the Creation-Revelation-Sh'ma-Redemption structure, Part 2 being the arrangement of the themes of the Amida.

2. The emergence in rabbinic literature 2,000 years ago of the roots of our liturgy. The evolution up to the earliest datable siddurim in the 8-10th centuries.  The impact of the printing press and the first mass-produced prayerbooks, and the drift into standardization.

3. The perceived problems of liturgy in the 19th -20th century and attempts to adapt.