Course #1
Title: THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE JEW
Instructor: RABBI ROBERT D. BLOCK, ROSLYN SYNAGOGUE
Although Judaism addresses every activity of every day, we are most familiar with what it has to say about the root events of life. Or are we? In this course we will explore what our tradition says about birth, circumcision (Brith) redemption of the first born (Pidyon Haben), Bar and Bat Mitzvah, marriage and death. Traditional and modern sources will be employed and questions and class discussion will be encouraged.

Course #2
Title: GOSSIP, SLANDER AND THE INTERNET
Instructor: RABBI IRWIN HUBERMAN,
CONGREGATION TIFERETH ISRAEL
The Book of Proverbs warns us to “keep our tongues from evil.” But what about our thumbs? Each day 2.5 billion text messages and 250 billion e-mails are sent in America. Most of these unregulated messages are sent by teens. What are the laws of Lashon Hara (malicious speech) and how do they apply to the computer age? Rabbi Huberman will share his  roundbreaking research on teenagers, text messaging, laws of Lashon Hara, and the importance of grandparents, parents and teachers becoming aware. This has implications for all ages.

Course #3
Title: “THE WAY OF MAN”
Instructor: RABBI ALAN B. LUCAS, TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM
Martin Buber was one of the most significant religious thinkers of the 20th
century. In this short thirty-one page book, he presents the essential teachings of Hasidism, the mystical Jewish movement which swept through Europe in the 18^th and 19th centuries. Told through stories of imagination and spirit, together with Buber’s own unique insights, “The Way of Man,” offers us a way of understanding ourselves and our place in a spiritual world. Challenging us to recognize our own potential and to reach our true goal, “The Way of Man,” is a life-enhancing book. (If possible, please get a copy in advance and read it for the first session. Copies will be available the first night of class.) We will then explore this remarkable book and its implications for finding meaning in our lives.

Course # 4
Title: WHAT HAPPENED AT MT. SINAI?
Instructor: RABBI MICHAEL MISHKIN, TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL
“Matan Torah” (the giving of the Torah) is the most seminal event in Jewish
history. What happened at Mt. Sinai? What are some of the rabbinic understandings of Matan Torah? How do we understand what happened at Mt. Sinai? In this course we will examine these questions by looking at the Torah's accounts of the Mt. Sinai event, classical rabbinic commentary, medieval rabbinic writings and modern views.

Course # 5
Title: THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS: THEIR EMOTIONAL,
THEOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL BRILLIANCE
Instructor: RABBI MICHAEL WHITE, TEMPLE SINAI
We all know the holidays for their customs: Hanukah and the Menorah, Succot and the Lulav, Purim and its masks and hilarity. Yet these sacred days actually embody a sophisticated and enlightening way of thinking, and of relating to the world. By studying the way each of these sacred days has been constructed by our rabbis, along with the holy texts that have been assigned to them, we will gain a new insight into their deep meaning, and what they teach us about how to live our lives. This class is not a “how-to” class. We will not focus on the “what” of the Jewish holidays. Rather, we will study the “why,” the way the holidays enable us to see Judaism as a system of relating to each other and the broader world.

Course # 1A|
Title: HESTER PANIM: WHEN GOD WITHDRAWS
Instructor: RABBI CECELIA BEYER, TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM
In the Book of Exodus, God states that no person can see God’s face and live. The Book of Lamentations goes one step further, stating that God hid God’s face and blocked human prayer. What is the theological meaning of a God who sometimes withdraws from us? How can we turn to God in prayer, placing our trust and love in One who sometimes turns away? In this course we will explore what the Torah and our sacred texts have to say about God’s presence and God’s absence in our lives, in the course of history, and in our current events. We will use these sources to develop our own personal theologies about “Hester Panim,” God’s face that is hidden from us and our relationship with the Holy One.

Course # 2A|
Title: NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF OLD AND NEW BIBLE STORIES
Instructor: RABBI TODD CHIZNER, TEMPLE JUDEA
Is there really anything new to learn from Noah or Jonah or Adam and Eve? Yes, there is! In recent years, much work has been done in biblical scholarship that reveals how the Bible we have always loved and revered happens to be a masterful work of literature. This class will explore some of the fresh and original readings of the Bible that will be accessible to both novice and experienced readers. Together we will discover surprising parallels between biblical characters and passages. We will also focus in on the nuances of biblical language in order to reveal newly discovered intertextual structures.

Course # 3A
Title: THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL THROUGH SONG
Instructor: RABBI JUDY COHEN-ROSENBERG
COMMUNITY REFORM TEMPLE
Learn the history of the State of Israel by examining the lyrics to popular Israeli songs of the past six decades. No knowledge of music is required, but we might break into song every now and again!

Course # 4A|
Title: MARTIN BUBER
Instructor: RABBI STEVEN MOSKOWITZ
JEWISH CONGREGATION OF BROOKVILLE

Explore the thinking of one of the greatest modern Jewish thinkers, Martin Buber, who was one of the founders of Jerusalem's Hebrew University and continues to influence the modern State of Israel. Buber helped to popularize Hasidic thought with his publication of Hasidic stories. His impact continues to be felt in both the Jewish and Christian world. We will read from Buber’s masterpiece, “I and Thou,” and discuss how he suggests we find God. We will also discuss his presentation of Hasidism in “Hasidism and Modern Man” and his views about Zionism, detailed in the collected essays, “Israel and the World.” It is there that he openly argues with Ghandi's civil disobedience as well as advocating for the creation of a bi-national Jewish-Palestinian state.

Course # 5A
Title: THREE WISE MEN: THE LIVES AND LESSONS
OF HILLEL, AKIVA AND RASHI
Instructor: RABBI BENJAMIN DAVID, TEMPLE SINAI

We will explore the works of three early Rabbis who profoundly changed the very trajectory of Judaism. Hillel and Akiva helped to shape the Judaism of antiquity, contributing abundant material to what is now known as the Talmud. Their names are in many ways synonymous with classic Rabbinic literature. Rashi, a medieval French philosopher and commentator, has provided generations with brilliant insight into our most sacred texts. Who were these men? How did they become such iconic sages? Which of their lessons speaks most directly to us as modern day Jews? How might their thinking impact our own? Texts in Hebrew and English. All are welcome.