Limmud Bay Area 2016

Religion & Philosophy, Spirituality-Meditation

We will learn the practice of offering loving blessings to others and of opening our hearts to receive the love offered by others and by the Holy One. We will read a few texts about this practice from Hasidic rebbes.

Presenter

Jacob Staub

Rabbi Jacob Staub is Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. At RRC, he co-founded in 1998 and still directs the Program in Jewish Spiritual Direction. This past year, he co-founded and co-directs Bekhol Levavkha... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 3:00pm - 4:10pm PDT
SC2085 Bennett Valley

3:00pm PDT

Putting Together the Pieces: Reconstructing Tanakh / Double Session

DOUBLE SESSION (This session meets, with a break, until 5:40pm.) The books of the Tanakh are often subtly interconnected. Narratives, particular words or phrases, the names of places and general themes echo across passages in ways that were probably quite clear to those hearing the stories in earlier times but have become obscure to later readers. Indeed, without the opportunity to place some of these texts side by side and explore them, we easily miss much of their meaning.

We will explore one illustrative set of fruitful connections. We will study three quite disparate Biblical texts in separate study groups and then “jigsaw” into newly integrated groups of “experts” who have read those separate texts but now need to create an interpretation that depends on finding the connections, contradictions and echoes that the texts have with one another. In this session, based on an essay by Ken Cohen, a frequent teacher at Lehrhaus Judaica, we will read texts from Genesis, Judges, and Samuel 1, and then form new study groups whose members draw on their newly developed expertise to address a broader question. We will put together the pieces.

Presenter

Lee Shulman

Lee Shulman met his wife Judy in 1957 at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin where he was a counselor and teacher. Since then, he has been enthusiastic about opportunities for social and cognitive interaction in places for Jewish learning. He has devoted many years to research and writing on... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 3:00pm - 5:40pm PDT
Student Center Ballroom C

4:30pm PDT

Let There Be Light: How Etymology Reveals the Sod of Torah

The Sod of Torah is neither the Kabbalah nor Gematria. Rather, hidden in the Torah is a word for word translation based on Hebrew etymology that informs a deep and specific understanding of the human mind and how it functions in a complex world. Adam is not named after the red earth from which he is said to have been made, but rather as an expression of his essence as a representation of the first true thinker, his name being derived from the Hebrew verb DaMaH meaning to consider, to imagine, to plan, and to compare. Avram is not only the first of our patriarchs, the first to recognize haShem, he is also a representation of the human willingness to fully engage with the world that haShem created, his name being derived from the Hebrew verb aVaH meaning to be willing to give forth of oneself and RaM meaning elevated of exalted. Come and explore a level of Torah beyond your expectations.

Presenter

David Kolinsky

Delving deeply into the Sod component of the PaRDeS of Torah for the past 16 years, Dr. David Kolinsky, will be elucidating a world of Torah that few have explored. A physician from Monterey, California, David has been a lay leader at the conservative congregation B'nai Torah and... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 4:30pm - 5:40pm PDT
SC2081 Knight's Valley

4:30pm PDT

PANEL: Walk With Me, Talk With Me: The New/Old Practice of Jewish Spiritual Direction

Religion & Philosophy, Spiritual Direction, Spirituality-Meditation

Launch your LimmudBA 2016 journey by exploring the quiet revolution of spiritual direction with an extraordinary panel of leaders in this new/old form of Jewish practice. Unknown to most Jews, even though it is being offered in four rabbinical schools and three independent training programs, and Jewish spiritual directors are active in many communities across the US and around the world, spiritual direction helps cultivate our ability to discern the holiness/God’s presence in our daily lives - in the difficult, the joyful, and the everyday moments. Throughout Jewish history, mentors such as a mashpia or rebbe have provided a place to talk about and explore the spiritual life. Come learn about this new/old model of spiritual companionship with trainers and leaders in the spiritual direction movement and start your weekend by (re)introducing your soul to the idea that soul care and growth is one of the primary joys and responsibilities of a Jew.

Moderators

Wendie Bernstein Lash

Wendie Bernstein Lash, M.S., is a spiritual director, supervisor, and mentor. Wendie is the Co-director of the Morei Derekh Jewish Spiritual Direction training program and the Yedidya Center for Jewish Spiritual Direction and is a board member of Spiritual Director’s International... Read More →

Presenter

Yesh Ballon

Yeshaya Douglas Ballon is certified as a Vatik (Sage-ing Mentor) by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. He is a trained facilitator of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's Wise Aging program and is nearing completion of ALEPH's 3-year Hashpa'ah (Spiritual Direction) certification... Read More →

Amy Eilberg

Director, Pardes Rodef Shalom Communities Program

Rabbi Amy Eilberg is the first woman ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She serves as the director of the Pardes Rodef Shalom Communities Program, helping synagogues and Jewish organizations place the pursuit of peace in interpersonal relationships... Read More →

Jacob Staub

Friday June 24, 2016 4:30pm - 5:40pm PDT
Student Center Ballroom B

4:30pm PDT

Putting Together the Pieces: Reconstructing Tanakh (cont. from 3pm)

This is a continuation of the session that began at 3:00pm.

Presenter

Lee Shulman

Friday June 24, 2016 4:30pm - 5:40pm PDT
Student Center Ballroom C

9:20pm PDT

A Woman Mohel: Yes, No, Maybe?

Enjoy a text based session exploring the Talmudic perspectives on women preforming circumcisions and it's modern day ramifications.

Presenter

Joel Landau

Rabbi, Education Advocate

Rabbi Joel Landau is the Rabbi of Adath Israel Congregation in San Francisco. He studied with both the Rabbi of Jerusalem’s Old City, Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, and the former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Shlomo Goren obm. Joel was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem, has... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 9:20pm - 10:30pm PDT
SC2084 Alexander Valley

9:20pm PDT

Elijah: Fierce Prophet, Time Traveler, Harbinger of the Messiah, Folksy Hero

From Biblical zealot to the ever-helpful folk hero, Elijah has captured the imagination of Jews throughout our history. How is it that Elijah appears in so many different guises? What is it about Elijah that Jews around the world and throughout the generations have felt so connected to his character and story? How is it that so many people feel a direct connection to Elijah? Have you ever had an Elijah moment? And, what's the deal with opening the door on Pesach? In this session, we will look at source texts that illuminate the various roles Elijah plays in our tradition.

Presenter

Abra Greenspan

Abra Greenspan has been engaged in Jewish learning in the Bay Area for a long time! She has taught in a variety of settings including camps, synagogue schools, Hillel, Kevah classes and Limmud. She was the Director of Youth Education at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco for 12... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 9:20pm - 10:30pm PDT
SC2085 Bennett Valley

9:20pm PDT

Forgiveness and 'The Sunflower'

"While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to--and obtain absolution from--a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing. But even years after the war had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place?" (From the Amazon blurb to "The Sunflower.") You don't have to have read the book. Short presentation. Much discussion. Some Jewish learning, too.

Presenter

Cary Rosenzweig

A simple 'civilian' in the broader Jewish community, Cary is interested in a wide variety of Jewish topics. Cary "sheps nachus" from his son and daughter-in-law, Adam and Jessica, and their beautiful baby, Judah William. Professionally, Cary is a mentor/coach to CEOs of venture capital... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 9:20pm - 10:30pm PDT
Student Center Ballroom B

Religion & Philosophy, Shoah

9:20pm PDT

Midot (Qualities of Soul) for the Rodef Shalom (Pursuer of Peace)

The Psalmist commands us to be seekers and pursuers of peace in our lives. The best preparation to being rod'fei shalom (pursuers of peace) in our relationships, families, and communities is the state of our own souls. In this workshop we study and practice a number of middot/qualities of soul that are particularly important for the pursuit of peace.

Presenter

Amy Eilberg

Director, Pardes Rodef Shalom Communities Program

Friday June 24, 2016 9:20pm - 10:30pm PDT
SC2083 Sonoma Valley

Religion & Philosophy, Mussar

9:20pm PDT

On Becoming Human 1: How to Be an Image of God — Understood in Secular and Religious Terms

One of Judaism's most revolutionary teachings is that every human being is an image of God. We will try to understand this claim in both secular and religious terms, delving into the evolution of life, the nature of human dignities and human capacities, and the implications for ethics and ritual.

Presenter

Yitz Greenberg

Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg has founded, led and inspired organizations that enrich the religious, cultural and institutional life of American Jewry. For decades, he has had an immense impact on Jewish life and learning. An ordained Orthodox rabbi, a Harvard Ph.D. and scholar... Read More →

Friday June 24, 2016 9:20pm - 10:30pm PDT
Darwin 103

9:15am PDT

The Limits of Belief or Does God Care?

In this session we will look at classical and contemporary Jewish texts (all in translation and accessible to all) to see how the Jewish tradition sets limits with regard to believing in the existence and behavior of God. In an age when inherited notions of the divine are increasingly hard to identify with, this session will present alternatives for the believer and non-believer alike.

Presenter

Darren Kleinberg

Darren Kleinberg is Head of School at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto, CA. Ordained in 2005, Rabbi Kleinberg received his doctorate in 2014. The working title of his forthcoming book is Hybrid Judaism: Irving Greenberg and the Encounter with American Jewish Identity. He is... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 9:15am - 11:00am PDT
SC2082 Russian River Valley

11:15am PDT

Community Beit Midrash

One of the thrills of Limmud is the unique opportunity to consume tons of learning in generous helpings. This year, we continue the tradition of a Community Beit Midrash/Study Hall before Shabbat lunch. We'll enjoy a feast of learning before we feast again. The intellectual banquet laid out before us is overflowing with delights. After our text is presented by Yaffa Epstein, we will dive deep into chevruta study and a group conversation on the text, prompted by guiding questions. Then we'll return to the larger group to share reflections and insights.

Presenter

Yaffa Epstein

Yaffa serves as the director of education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Yaffa received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and holds a law degree from Bar-Ilan University. Rabbah Epstein has been a teacher of Talmud, Jewish law, and liturgy at Pardes... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 11:15am - 12:25pm PDT
Student Center Ballroom

2:00pm PDT

Actually It Does Matter Who Wrote the Torah

Some claim that it does not matter who wrote the Torah, what's important is what it says. I beg to differ. Come hear what Eliezer Berkovits (liberal orthodox), Harold Schulweis (conservative-reconstructionist), Louis Jacobs (conservative) and Tamar Ross (feminist orthodox) have to say on this issue and see how authorship affects what kind of Jew I am and how I practice.

Presenter

David Levin-Kruss

Rabbi David Levin-Kruss sees himself as a bridge between Jewish tradition and those wanting to connect to that tradition. He directs special programs and is on the faculty of the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem as well as teaching and helping to organize the Silicon Valley Beit Midrash... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 2:00pm - 3:10pm PDT
SC2085 Bennett Valley

2:00pm PDT

Fire in the Bones: Hanna and Prayer of Outrage

Do you ever feel like raging to the heavens over the confounded, difficult, contradictory human condition? Feel like hurling the prayerbook aside, running from organized religion and loony religious leaders? So did Hannah, and the Talmud follows her as she prays to God, before God and then (as if) on God the prayer of righteous protest.

Presenter

Peretz Wolf-Prusan

Rabbi, Printmaker, Calligrapher

Peretz Wolf-Prusan came to the Bay Area to teach printmaking at UAHC Camp Swig and to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. After a decade of creating Ketubot (Illuminated Wedding Documents), printmaking, and working in informal education, he traveled back to Israel in 1985... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 2:00pm - 3:10pm PDT
Under the Oak (outside between the Student Center and Salazar)

Religion & Philosophy, Prayer, Text

2:00pm PDT

Mussar: The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions

If we all had what it takes to be a mensch, a person of extraordinary character, wouldn’t we all be one? In fact, everyone has what it takes; we just haven’t been trained to make it happen. Judaism has a program of extreme spiritual fitness that can teach each and every one of us to become a mensch; it’s called Mussar. For over 1000 years, Mussar has taught how to develop character, not simply to overcome our weaknesses but to shine and thrive in life. Join us for a highly interactive program to explore the Soul Trait of Humility. Mussar teaches that Humility is not about being meek, but rather finding the appropriate balance between meekness and arrogance. Whether you are the type of person who wants more courage to speak out, or someone who deep inside knows that you should be a better listener, you’ll come away energized and empowered to take one step closer to your best self.

Presenter

Greg Marcus

Mussar Facilitator and Future Rabbi, American Mussar

Greg Marcus has been practicing and facilitating Mussar for seven years. He is the founder of AmericanMussar.com and the author of "The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions: Finding Balance Through the Soul Traits of Mussar". In August, he will begin training to become a Rabbi... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 2:00pm - 3:10pm PDT
SC2086 Dry Creek Valley

Religion & Philosophy, Mussar

2:00pm PDT

Pirkei Avot/Sage Advice: Life Wisdom from the Rabbis of the Talmud

Since the tenth century, there is a tradition to regularly study a Talmudic book of wisdom, Pirkei Avot (Chapters of the Fathers). The book was specially edited for popular consumption and it consists of short, pithy, wisdom-for-life statements collected from 66 Rabbis who lived in the first two centuries of the Common Era. The six chapters of the book are studied every Shabbat, one chapter at a time, in three complete cycles, from Passover until Rosh HaShanah. Our text is chapter 2, and it is taken from Yitz Greenberg's just published book, Sage Advice, a new edition of "Chapters of the Fathers" with his translation, a historical introduction offering his theory of the distinctive rabbinic interpretation of Judaism and a new commentary applying its wisdom to our contemporary situation.

Presenter

Yitz Greenberg

Saturday June 25, 2016 2:00pm - 3:10pm PDT
Darwin 103

3:30pm PDT

Five Ways to Save The Jewish People

In the midst of political intrigue and personal tension, R. Akiva taught five cases that seem to be obscure and to have absolutely nothing to do with each other. We will become Talmudic detectives and discover what they have in common and how their insights can guide us in building better, more exciting, more robust Jewish life.

Presenter

David Levin-Kruss

Saturday June 25, 2016 3:30pm - 4:40pm PDT
SC2083 Sonoma Valley

3:30pm PDT

Judaism and Reincarnation

A text base class exploring traditional Jewish sources on soul transmigration.

Presenter

Joel Landau

Rabbi, Education Advocate

Saturday June 25, 2016 3:30pm - 4:40pm PDT
Student Center Ballroom B

3:30pm PDT

On Becoming Human 2: Choose Life — How Every Act in Living Can be Made into a Choice of Life

At the heart of the Jewish religion is the idea that we (actually, all human beings) are in a covenant (commitment/partnership) to repair the world. Jewish tradition teaches that this should be translated not only in community building and social action, but also on a very personal level. To live a life of covenant is to reshape every personal behavior into a maximum choice of life (rather than death). How does this work today ?

Presenter

Yitz Greenberg

Saturday June 25, 2016 3:30pm - 4:40pm PDT
Darwin 103

3:30pm PDT

Queering Jewish Beliefs

LGBTQ+ Jews often trip over homophobic, heteronormative, and hierarchical aspects of the Jewish heritage. In hevruta pairs and in a group as a whole, we will queer traditional texts and engage in imaginative exercises to reframe aspects of Jewish traditions. The objective will be to prepare participants to continue this sacred, lifelong project.

Presenter

Jacob Staub

Saturday June 25, 2016 3:30pm - 4:40pm PDT
SC2081 Knight's Valley

Religion & Philosophy, LGBTQ, Text

3:30pm PDT

Spirituality in the Third Half

Religion & Philosophy, Spiritual Direction

As Boomers face decades of retirement where do they look for meaning? Is there a personal theology for non-believers (as well as for believers)? At long last, is it possible to connect to Spirit, Source, Divine Mystery, or the G-word by any other name? What does “Spiritual Direction” offer? Why now? Explore these and/or other questions about discerning the presence of the ineffable in the most sublime as well as mundane moments of life.

Presenter

Yesh Ballon

Saturday June 25, 2016 3:30pm - 4:40pm PDT
Under the Oak (outside between the Student Center and Salazar)

5:00pm PDT

Angels on the Margins

Torah is full of quick glimpses of angels playing pivotal roles in key stories, then disappearing. They hover in our siddur and populate our Midrash. We will look at some examples of familiar and unfamiliar Jewish texts and begin to explore the role of angels. Why are they in the stories? What do they say about how we imagine God? Are they meant symbolically – or might they be there because they are there?

Presenter

Irwin Keller

Irwin Keller is the spiritual leader of Congregation Ner Shalom, just down the block in Cotati, since 2008. For 21 years he performed as “Winnie” in the Kinsey Sicks, America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet. Irwin blogs about Torah, God, Israel, Earth, queerness, hope... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 5:00pm - 6:10pm PDT
Under the Oak (outside between the Student Center and Salazar)

5:00pm PDT

Biblical Psychoanalysis

What would it be like to be a fly on the wall in Moses' one hour session with his therapist? What about for Cain after he killed his brother? Using the DSM V, what do you think Abraham struggles with just before or immediately following the Binding of Isaac? Let's take Torah study to a whole new level. Instead of just engaging our tradition through the lens of what Torah can teach us, this session will give us an opportunity to critique, unpack, and psychoanalyze some of our favorite Biblical players. Perhaps when we see them as individuals, as human beings, we can begin to relate to them in a whole new way. More poignantly, our ancient ancestors of the past seem alive and well even today.

Presenter

Corey Helfand

Rabbi Corey Helfand received his rabbinic ordination in May 2011 from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, along with a Masters in Talmud and Jewish Law. He has a certificate in pastoral care and completed two 400-hour units of Clinical Pastoral Education, one unit at the... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 5:00pm - 6:10pm PDT
SC2086 Dry Creek Valley

5:00pm PDT

Sacred Wisdom for Living from the Tomer Devorah

The Tomer Devorah is a magnificent book written by the renowned kabbalist, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (16th century Tsfat). In this book-length midrash on the 13 qualities of the divine, Cordovero offers profound inspiration on the nature of God and how we are to fashion our lives in the divine image.

Presenter

Amy Eilberg

Director, Pardes Rodef Shalom Communities Program

Saturday June 25, 2016 5:00pm - 6:10pm PDT
SC2083 Sonoma Valley

Religion & Philosophy, Spirituality-Meditation, Text

5:00pm PDT

Scandals of the Talmud 1: Stories They Didn't Teach You in Hebrew School / Ugly Men and Beautiful Rabbis

Ugly Men and Beautiful Rabbis: What is beauty in Judaism? Let's face it - looks matter! But should they matter in Judaism? How do looks play a role in the world and in Jewish life? This class will look at the concept of beauty and ugliness in the Talmud, and try to shed some light on Judaism's perspective on beauty.

Presenter

Yaffa Epstein

Saturday June 25, 2016 5:00pm - 6:10pm PDT
Darwin 103

7:50pm PDT

Developing Sacred Chutzpah

Religion & Philosophy, Spirituality-Meditation

Sacred or Holy Audacity/Brazenness/Chutzpah...there is something deep-rooted, a fundamental matter, that without it, one’s spiritual journey – the entirety of a life journey in general – is not able to succeed. From a teaching by Rav Raz Hartman Kehilat V’ani Tefilah, Nachlaot-Yerushalayim, Parshat Shelach, 5774/2014.

Presenter

Yiscah Smith

Yiscah Smith is a spiritual activist, Jewish educator and mentor. Her life has been an inspiring and courageous journey of the joy and struggles with her spirituality, gender identity and commitment to living a life of authenticity. She recently published her memoir: Forty Years in... Read More →

Saturday June 25, 2016 7:50pm - 9:00pm PDT
SC2081 Knight's Valley

7:50pm PDT

I Place God Before Me Perpetually: Jewish Spiritual Direction

Religion & Philosophy, Spiritual Direction

We will engage in the practices of discernment (hitlamdut) and contemplative listening as we explore ways to increase our sense of the sacred Presence in our lives at every moment.

Presenter

Jacob Staub

Saturday June 25, 2016 7:50pm - 9:00pm PDT
SC2086 Dry Creek Valley

7:50pm PDT

Scandals of the Talmud 2: Stories They Didn't Teach You in Hebrew School / Suffering is Precious

Suffering is Precious: Physical pain as Spiritual Redemption. There are several stories in the Talmud where the Rabbis praise, extol and even request physical pain, in order to prevent some sort of greater punishment. We will examine these stories, and explore the connection between physical and spiritual pain.

Presenter

Yaffa Epstein

Saturday June 25, 2016 7:50pm - 9:00pm PDT
Darwin 102

8:00am PDT

Sephardi Piyyutim, Spirituality and Movement

Religion & Philosophy, Movement-Pilates-Yoga, Prayer & Ritual

Begin your day with study, meditation and movement. Piyyutim are liturgical poems recited in Jewish prayer services and life cycle celebrations. For centuries piyyutim have been composed across the Jewish diaspora. In the Middle Ages Sephardic poets such as Judah Ha-Levi, Shlomo Ibn Gabirol and Avrahm ibn Ezra composed piyyutim that found their way into prayer books and services. Later, Ashkenazi poets composed piyyutim that have also found a place in prayer books. And today, piyyutim continue to be composed. Piyyutim fill the gaps between prayers of praise and supplication, and are sung to any number of melodies. This session will examine the general structure of piyyutim, concentrating on two or three classic Sephardic piyyutim, exploring the meaning and central themes of the texts. We will learn to sing them together. Finally, we will combine melody and movement for a total immersion in the piyyutim that unites melody, voice, breath and body.

Presenter

Rivka Amado

Rivka Amado was born in Israel in a Sephardic family and grew up listening to her grandmother singing Ladino lullabies. As a child Rivka sang Ladino songs, played the piano informally, and sang in her synagogue choir in Jerusalem. Then for over two decades, Rivka taught at several... Read More →

Sunday June 26, 2016 8:00am - 8:45am PDT
SC2083 Sonoma Valley

9:30am PDT

Taharah and Shmirah: What Happens to You Between Death and Burial?

Religion & Philosophy, Prayer & Ritual

In this session I will teach about the Jewish traditions of taharah and shmirah, describing what happens to a person in the time between death and burial. We will explore both the spiritual and physical aspects of this liminal time, which we will all go through at some point. I will be sure to allow plenty of time for questions from the participants.

Presenter

Susan Esther Barnes

Susan Barnes is a founding member of her synagogue's Chevra Kadisha, the group of volunteers who visit the sick, comfort mourners and prepare people who have died for burial by performing taharah (ritual washing and placing the body in a coffin) and shmirah (guarding the dead person... Read More →

Sunday June 26, 2016 9:30am - 10:40am PDT
SC2081 Knight's Valley

9:30am PDT

The Alphabet That Changed the World

Learn how the letters of the rabbinic Hebrew alphabet are generated by hand gestures, whose natural meanings are the meaning of each letter. The Hebrew letter-gestures engage all of us with Hebrew, our lashon kodesh/holy language, by teaching and embodying it in a way that is both experiential and meaningful. When children learn the Hebrew alphabet while expressing the gestures, they also get that Hebrew learning as a whole is not just intellectual; it has a spiritual component which embodies the golden rule and how we treat each other.

Presenter

Daniel Gil

Daniel Gil is a composer, musicologist, folk musician, producer, arranger, teacher and performer living in the Boston area. He earned his degree in Composition from Berklee College of Music and has composed and performed music across many genres including classical and folk. Daniel... Read More →

Sunday June 26, 2016 9:30am - 10:40am PDT
SC2086 Dry Creek Valley

9:30am PDT

Torah Trope on One Foot

Religion & Philosophy, Prayer & Ritual

Learn everything you need to know to be able to chant from the Torah scroll. Then practice, practice, practice.

Presenter

David Gaskill

Dovid HaSandlar is an apprentice Maggid and B'nai Mitzvah tutor, and was once a well known sandal maker. He is still in the business of molding souls.

Sunday June 26, 2016 9:30am - 10:40am PDT
SC2085 Bennett Valley

9:30am PDT

What *Else* Did Moses Bring Down from Sinai?

We will look at the remarkable convergence of archeological and Torah evidence showing that the Hebrew alphabet was a powerful and disruptive new technology that Moses deployed in Pharaoh's court to liberate the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. It gifted them with extraordinary cognitive and cultural talents, and began a cultural revolution that resonates for millenia.

Presenter

David Porush

David was CEO of MentorNet, Executive Director of Learning Environments for the 64 State University of New York campuses, and an award-winning professor of media and literature for 20 plus years at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in... Read More →

Sunday June 26, 2016 9:30am - 10:40am PDT
Darwin 102

1:20pm PDT

Falling with Our Angels, So Human: Zoharic Afterglow in Leonard Cohen

How can our own falling, like the angels, teach us about our spiritual journey? Join this journey of falling angels to develop a deeper appreciation of Leonard Cohen’s embrace of this motif as human spiritual yearning. This session, based on my forthcoming book, Tangle of Matter & Ghost: Leonard Cohen’s Post-Secular Songbook of Mysticism(s) Jewish & Beyond, analyzes the lyrical poetry of Leonard Cohen, fusing sophisticated theory and popular culture with critical analysis that is lacking in most biographies about Cohen. How does this mystical maestro’s songbook illuminate questions of meaning making in a post-secular context? We will analyze Cohen's mysticism in relationship to Kabbalah, Hasidism and Rinzai Buddhism.

Presenter

Aubrey Glazer

Aubrey L. Glazer, Ph.D. (University of Toronto) is rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom, San Francisco. As a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Aubrey continues studying and practicing Jewish meditation. Aubrey publishes reflections on contemporary spirituality, including... Read More →

Sunday June 26, 2016 1:20pm - 2:30pm PDT
SC2083 Sonoma Valley

Religion & Philosophy, Kabbalah

1:20pm PDT

With my Eyelashes All in Curl: Queer Panic in the Story of Joseph

Many elements of Joseph's story read like a queer biography. Gifted child, different from his brothers, brutalized by them, transplanted, new identity. The sages are uncomfortable with Joseph's beauty and apparent femininity - describing him primping eyes and hair before a mirror. In kabbalistic tradition Joseph is considered as associated with sexuality. Together we'll look at text and commentary and celebrate one of Torah's queerest stories.

Presenter

Irwin Keller

Sunday June 26, 2016 1:20pm - 2:30pm PDT
Under the Oak (outside between the Student Center and Salazar)

Religion & Philosophy, LGBTQ, Text

1:20pm PDT

Scandals of the Talmud 3: Stories They Didn't Teach You in Hebrew School / Bruriah

Bruriah: Truth, Myth, and the Construction of the Ideal Jewish Woman. Bruriah is one of the few women named in the Talmud. More interestingly, she is one of the only learned women mentioned. We will examine the stories told about her, and ask the question - who do the Rabbis see as the Ideal Woman? In 2016, is Bruriah a role model for the Modern Woman or a relic of the patriarchy?

Presenter

Yaffa Epstein

Sunday June 26, 2016 1:20pm - 2:40pm PDT
Darwin 102

1:20pm PDT

Yitz Greenberg in Conversation with Darren Kleinberg

Rabbi Dr. Irving “Yitz” Greenberg is the most influential American Jewish leader of the past half century. Yitz has been a pioneer in the realm of intra-Jewish and Christian-Jewish dialogue, a groundbreaking theologian, a strident defender of Holocaust memory, and a visionary communal leader. In this session, he will be engaged in a far-reaching conversation with Darren Kleinberg, author of the forthcoming book Hybrid Judaism: Irving Greenberg, Encounter, and the Changing Nature of American Jewish Identity (Academic Studies Press, October 2016), and Head of School at Kehillah Jewish High School, in Palo Alto.

Presenter

Yitz Greenberg

Darren Kleinberg

Sunday June 26, 2016 1:20pm - 2:40pm PDT
Darwin 103

2:50pm PDT

On Becoming Human 3: Humanity Comes of Age — Human Power, World Transformation and Their Limits

Humanity has "come of age" in modern and post-modern civilization. Humans have taken charge of every area: politics, economics, culture, technology, medicine and health. We have developed disciplines for change and powers for world transformation. Nothing seems fixed and the sky's the limit. Yet worrisome pathologies have developed as well. What can Jewry and Jewish wisdom contribute at this moment in history?

Presenter

Yitz Greenberg

Sunday June 26, 2016 2:50pm - 4:00pm PDT
Darwin 103

2:50pm PDT

The Spiritual Journey to Authentic Living

We will explore sections from “The Quest for Authenticity: The Thought of Reb Simhah Bunim” (of Preshischa, d.1827), by Michael Rosen, Urim Publications, 2008. “The emphasis was not on trying to understand God, but on trying to understand oneself. It was clear to Reb Simhah Bunim that one could not stand with any sense of integrity before the Divine Presence unless one first had some clarity of who one really was.”

Presenter

Yiscah Smith

Sunday June 26, 2016 2:50pm - 4:00pm PDT
SC2085 Bennett Valley

Religion & Philosophy, Spirituality-Meditation, Text

2:50pm PDT

What the Talmud Actually Teaches About Sexual Relations

Any Talmud student knows that our Sages debate all sorts of subjects in great detail. So it should come as no surprise that they also discuss every aspect of sexual relations—how, when, where, with whom—often in startlingly explicit fashion. Author Maggie Anton reveals how Jewish tradition is progressive in many respects—and more bawdy, than one might think.

Presenter

Maggie Anton

Maggie Anton is the award-winning author of the historical fiction trilogy 'Rashi's Daughters' and new series 'Rav Hisda's Daughter.' The first volume, 'Apprentice,' was a National Jewish Book Award finalist. A Los Angeles native, Maggie worked for 33 years as a clinical chemist for... Read More →

Sunday June 26, 2016 2:50pm - 4:00pm PDT
SC2083 Sonoma Valley