Learning

Jewish Learning for Adults
Course Offerings, Fall-Winter 2017-2018

Community Torah Learning Project, Year 2
613 hours of learning from Simchat Torah to Shavuot!
Let's climb a mountain of Torah! We are thrilled to launch the second year of our community-wide learning campaign that will take us from Simchat Torah to Shavuot! Torah learning is the beating heart of a vibrant, engaged Jewish community. Our goal is 613 hours of learning. We came very close last year, but we know we can do it this time!

You can fulfill hours of learning on your own, with a study partner, or with
the FTJC course offerings below:

Click here to pledge hours, note fulfillment of hours, and to see our community's progress!

Courses are open to members and non-members alike, and are accessible to learners at multiple levels.

Pirkei Avot: Teachings of the Early Masters
Five Shabbat afternoons, from Saturday April 7 through May 5, 5:00-6:30 PM

Pirkei Avot is both a classic source of Jewish ethics and a great wisdom book in world literature. In our class, we will examine the highlights of this work together. The questions we will consider include: How did our Sages understand their most important ethical principles? How relevant are these principles today? How can they help shape our Jewish lives and our actions in love, work, family, and community? The class will meet Shabbat afternoon for five weeks during the traditional time for studying Pirkei Avot - between Pesach and Shavuot.  Material will be available in original and translation -- discussion accessible to learners at all levels.
Led by FTJC member Dr. Sandy Kessler, who taught political theory at North Carolina State University for over forty years, has done considerable scholarly work on religion and modern political thought, and is a long-time reader of Pirkei Avot.

Hosted in participants’ homes. Please register for address of first session.
Suggested donation: $18-36 for the series. All are welcome, no one turned away for lack of donation.
Pre-Registration requested here

Introduction to Sofrut
Three sessions: Monday April 9, Thursday April 12, Monday April 16, 7:30 - 9:30 PM.

Ever want to know what a sofer is looking at when determining if a mezuzah is kosher, or what to look for when buying tefillin, or how to do basic repairs on a Torah? In this course, aimed at future clergy, gabai’im, and interested community members, we’ll do a deep dive into how Torahs, tefillin, mezuzahs, and megillahs (STa”M) are made, what you need to know to maintain and repair them, how to determine when they need repairs, and what advice to offer congregants and friends who ask you to help them chose an item of STa”M. We’ll look at the halachic sources and learn practical skills via a hands-on practicum. Translations will be available although basic facility with rabbinic sources and halachic concepts is assumed. Space is limited -- please pre-register.

Led by FTJC member Dov Berger, a trained sofer and lawyer who writes and repairs all sorts of STa”M. He is currently writing his first Torah.

Hosted in participants’ homes. Please register for address of first session.
Suggested donation: $18-36 for the series. All are welcome, no one turned away for lack of donation.
Pre-Registration required here

Talmud Chaburah (Learning Community)
Four Sessions: Wednesday April 25, Wednesday May 2, Wednesday May 9, Thursday May 17, 7:45 - 9:30 PM.

In this mixed-level community beit midrash, we'll encounter text from Talmud together -- first in chevrutot (study pairs), with materials and resources available to support and challenge everyone at their level, then weaving our ideas together in a larger discussion. The class will be consecutive, as we will learn through a chapter from week to week. Our learning will focus on the 9th chapter of Masechet Sotah, a tractate traditionally studied between Pesach and Shavuot, which deals with questions of communal responsibility, power, and leadership. Ability to sound out Hebrew letters and phrases is a pre-requisite, but no previous experience learning Talmud is necessary. Wondering if this is the right space for your learning? E-mail Laynie, laynie.soloman@gmail.com

Led by FTJC member Laynie Soloman, a faculty member and Director of Educational Initiatives at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. They are pursuing a Dual M.A. in Talmud/Rabbinics & Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

LOCATION: The Kitchen at the Cornerstone Center (OSA Lutheran church), 178 Bennett Ave. at 189th St.  Primary entrance is northernmost door, up five stairs. Wheelchair accessible entrance: southernmost entrance, then go through sanctuary to reach Kitchen.

Suggested donation: $18-36 for the series. All are welcome, no one turned away for lack of donation.
Pre-Registration requested here

More Learning Opportunities?
If you have ideas about something you want to learn, and you have a hunch that you could pull together a group of others who want to learn it too, e-mail Rabbi Guy Austrian and let's talk about it.