January/February 2018 – Scholar in Residence

I was so glad to see so many members of our community engage with our Scholar in Residence, Kabbalah expert, Dr. Daniel Matt over the November 3 – 5 weekend. As we have watched our Limmud education program and Keshet preschool flourish over the last few years it is again refreshing to see members of all ages engage with Jewish education at Temple Beth El.

We are working with Dr. Matt to continue engaging with Kabbalah and the texts he has worked on and hope to set up a number of study sessions where we will again engage with Dr. Matt over Skype. Please watch for details.

Like Rabbi Artson’s visit two years ago, Dr. Matt’s engagement with our community brought not only new voices and ideas into our building, but new faces and community members as well.

As we look forward into 2018 and beyond we plan to expand our adult education offerings and continue to offer educational opportunities to all members of our community. This year we will embark on a journey with the Sulam Leadership for Purposeful Living program to engage baby boomers in our community in seven sessions to reflect, re-energize, and re-imagine both their personal lives and the life of our community.

We also hope to provide a mashgiach class this year for anyone interested in deepening their understanding and ability to supervise and educate about kashrut. If you have future speakers, or scholars in residence you think would be of interest to our community please don’t hesitate to offer us your thoughts and suggestions.

Rabbi Leonardo Bitran