All times listed are Eastern.
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Prepare for your daily Shaharit practice with Rabbi Elie Kaunfer and Rabbi Aviva Richman! Throughout the 15-minute class, the rabbis will offer some song as well as brief text learning related to the blessings of the Amidah.
Perspectives on the Parashah continues! This class will explore insights on the Parashah, focusing mainly on midrash and considering new vantage points to familiar stories.
If any prayer is core to the Jewish tradition, it is the Amidah. In this series we will explore the beauty and complexity of this important prayer, whose language and themes remain closed to us, and ask: How can I interpret the siddur in a grounded and traditional yet creative manner? What do you do when you "disagree" with the prayer's content?
In this class, we will learn the sixth chapter of Sanhedrin (beginning on 42b) as we explore issues around capital punishment in rabbinic law. We will focus on the original text and Rashi, with occasional reference to a Tosafot and outside commentaries, both medieval and modern. This is a perfect class both for people with a background in Talmud as well as adventurous learners ready to jump in to the original text with a guide. We recommend you bring your own text if you are able to.
The eighth chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin touches on issues of parental authority, addiction, the enigmatic laws of the Ben Sorer U’Moreh (“stubborn and rebellious son”), and our obligation to protect others. In this course, we will consider these issues as well as the balance between observing mitzvot with the obligation to value human life. Under what circumstances are we commanded to sacrifice lives for the sake of mitzvot? We will emphasize the text of the Talmud, periodically touching on Rashi and Tosafot while also learning key terminology and the structure of the text. This course is intended for students who have some experience studying Talmud.
Details: Registration costs $72. No independent preparation is expected, though there may be some in-class havruta learning. In order to maintain an active and participatory learning environment, students will be expected to learn with cameras on. Class size will be capped at 25 participants.
We live in a time of unprecedented climate emergency: greenhouse gas emissions are causing vast — and irreversible — changes to earth’s climate. Droughts, floods, heat waves, extreme weather events and rise in sea-levels endanger millions of lives. How should religious people respond to the crisis? How does the way we imagine the relationship between God, humanity, and the rest of creation shape our sense of responsibility for the fate of the earth and its inhabitants? Beginning with the Bible and concluding with contemporary theology and environmental ethics, we’ll develop a textually-rooted Jewish theology for this precarious moment.
Study Psalm 104 with Rabbi Shai Held and Shira Hecht-Koller to mark the 929 Project learning the first 100 chapters of Psalms.
Psalm 104 is an impassioned celebration of both God and the world-- and of the world as God's gift to all creatures. Strikingly, the psalmist declares that all creatures, both human and non-human, share a profound dependence on God. Studying the psalm raises a series of fascinating questions, not least about the respective roles of human beings and the rest of creation. Together we will closely read and analyze the psalm, and then discuss different entry points for reflection and examination based on the model and writings of the 929 community.
Join us for an afternoon of virtual learning as we explore wisdom on second chances. We will hear from a diverse range of voices, including rabbis, policy experts, and activists who were formerly incarcerated. Students participating in this year’s Maimonides Moot Court Competition on “Ban the Box” are particularly encouraged to attend. Registration is free.
Every year, at Pesah, we tell the story of how the relationship between God and Israel began. In a way, it’s a love story. Project Zug is launching its first-ever Pesah Cycle, in which everyone will learn the same course at the same time. Taught by Rabbi Aviva Richman, The Seder and the Song of Songs: A Love Story in Four Scenes, will approach the story we tell at the Seder - maggid - through the lens of Song of Songs, the megillah associated with the holiday of Passover. The cycle will kick off on March 1 and conclude on March 23 with live online lectures, and in between, you will meet with your havruta four times and dive into four crucial Pesah rituals.
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Come explore Massekhet Megillah with Miriam Lichtenberg of Hadar’s Advanced Kollel. This part of the Mishnah deals with Purim and the laws around prayer and Torah reading. We will get through 1-2 mishnayot each day. There will be polls, breakout rooms, lessons in Hebrew and other fun interactive pieces. Spread the word--it is a great time for new people to jump in!
Join Rabbi Ethan and Yoav Tucker as they explore Massekhet Megillah-- the part of the Mishnah that deals with Purim and the laws around prayer and Torah reading. Kids will be encouraged to flex their independence through reading out loud and strengthening their textual comprehension skills. In addition, there will be polls, breakout rooms, lessons in Hebrew and other fun interactive pieces. Come to Middle School Mishnah Club prepared with a text of the Mishnah in front of you.
Become familiar with the content and sound of the parashah each week and psyched about Torah as a lens to engage real life questions! Explore each week's parashah through leyning, mixed media story-telling, and discussion.
Loss and uncertainty have overwhelmed this past year—but Jewish texts and tradition are no strangers to these feelings. In this 4-session cohort-based course, “Uncertainty and Resilience,” we’ll look to our own tradition for insight, referencing narratives from the Torah and events from Jewish history, and consider the different shapes that resilience might take. To participate, sign up through Hillel's Winterfest and select "Uncertainty and Reslience with Hadar."
If you feel passionate about sustaining egalitarian communities of Torah, Avodah, and Hesed, we invite you to apply for Hadar’s College/Young Adult Leadership Fellowship. Through deep text study, community building, and honest conversation, fellows will analyze topics central to Hadar’s vision. This program is running with support from the Manger Foundation. The fellowship kicks off with track learning from January 4-6, as part of Hadar’s Manger Winter Learning Seminar, and will continue with eight weekly 90-minute learning sessions thereafter.
Create your own group of 10 or more people and a faculty member will give a shiur or host a conversation virtually. Potential topics include: Halakhah and Morality, Faith and Resilience, Tefillah, Gender and Halakha, or an open conversation about Torah or Jewish practice.
Join Hadar and Adas Israel Congregation for a 3-part lecture series with Rabbi Yitz Greenberg on “The Triumph of Life: An Interpretation of Jewish Religion,” moderated by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, Rabbi Aaron Alexander, and Rabbi Tali Adler. In each session, we will explore different aspects of Judaism’s dedication to life as a central value and how this shapes the Torah’s message to the world. This series is graciously supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.