Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our “soul stream.” Meditation can be transformative, taking us from the intellectual awareness of ourselves to a deeper spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Each mitzvah, holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation is a practice of infusing their essence into our daily spiritual lives.

Ready to give it a try? Join us via Zoom (every Sunday from 2:30pm – 4pm. No previous meditation experience necessary.  This opportunity is free and open to all. Please contact Linda Wolf at linda@networktype.com for the online meeting information.

Friday, October 23,  12-1 

Last Friday our group discussed Chapter 11 of The Bible Unearthed, which deals with the ”Great Reformation” of Judah during King Josiah’s reign. By now, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that we went off on a few tangents during our discussion.  Here are some of the things we talked about:

• Josiah’s reign represented an ideal toward which Israel was heading; his efforts at religious reform (destruction of idols, deposing idolatrous priests, eliminating child sacrifice, i.e. overturning the sins of the past) offered the Jewish people their greatest hope for national redemption
• During the reign of King Josiah, there began the production of the Hebrew Bible, a literary expression of national identity and a moral code in Deuteronomy that emphasized social justice.
• The group spent some time discussing whether all civilizations required core documents/texts (written or oral), national epics or myths that we tell ourselves to establish some sense of moral authority.
• We also discussed how, overall, the Bible offered what our authors call a ”profoundly optimistic history” that invites its readers to become part of its happy ending.
• We discussed whether the text that was ”discovered” while purifying the Temple was in fact ”discovered” or was it created/composed during Josiah’s reign.
• We concluded by pondering the fact that all the good work that King Josiah seemed to have done crumbled during three generations of the kings who succeeded him, ultimately leading to the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Exile.
   

When we gather on October 23, our group will conclude its discussion of the The Bible Unearthed by looking at its final chapter ”Exile and Return” and the Epilogue, ”The Future of Biblical Israel” (pp. 296-318).   

Our informal discussion group is held online every Friday from 12-1.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous noon study group discussions. If you have questions, or would like the Zoom link, please contact Jay Jacoby at  jbjacoby@uncc.edu.

Join us for Shabbat morning services via Zoom every other Saturday morning at 10:00am.

Join the service by going to Our Virtual Community here, then scroll down and click on the blue Saturday Morning Service button.

Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our “soul stream.” Meditation can be transformative, taking us from the intellectual awareness of ourselves to a deeper spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Each mitzvah, holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation is a practice of infusing their essence into our daily spiritual lives.

Ready to give it a try? Join us via Zoom (every Sunday from 2:30pm – 4pm. No previous meditation experience necessary.  This opportunity is free and open to all. Please contact Linda Wolf at linda@networktype.com for the online meeting information.

Friday, October 23,  12-1 

Last Friday our group discussed Chapter 11 of The Bible Unearthed, which deals with the ”Great Reformation” of Judah during King Josiah’s reign. By now, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that we went off on a few tangents during our discussion.  Here are some of the things we talked about:

• Josiah’s reign represented an ideal toward which Israel was heading; his efforts at religious reform (destruction of idols, deposing idolatrous priests, eliminating child sacrifice, i.e. overturning the sins of the past) offered the Jewish people their greatest hope for national redemption
• During the reign of King Josiah, there began the production of the Hebrew Bible, a literary expression of national identity and a moral code in Deuteronomy that emphasized social justice.
• The group spent some time discussing whether all civilizations required core documents/texts (written or oral), national epics or myths that we tell ourselves to establish some sense of moral authority.
• We also discussed how, overall, the Bible offered what our authors call a ”profoundly optimistic history” that invites its readers to become part of its happy ending.
• We discussed whether the text that was ”discovered” while purifying the Temple was in fact ”discovered” or was it created/composed during Josiah’s reign.
• We concluded by pondering the fact that all the good work that King Josiah seemed to have done crumbled during three generations of the kings who succeeded him, ultimately leading to the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Exile.
   

When we gather on October 23, our group will conclude its discussion of the The Bible Unearthed by looking at its final chapter ”Exile and Return” and the Epilogue, ”The Future of Biblical Israel” (pp. 296-318).   

Our informal discussion group is held online every Friday from 12-1.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous noon study group discussions. If you have questions, or would like the Zoom link, please contact Jay Jacoby at  jbjacoby@uncc.edu.

With services unavoidably cancelled, the Ritual Committee is working hard to find ways we can support each other as a community when we can’t be together in person. It’s very distressing to be unable to say Kaddish for a loved one, or to contemplate not sharing a Seder meal with friends and family. We’d like to share with you some plans we have for filling these gaps in our lives.

Please join us for Kabbalat Shabbat services via Zoom.  As long as at least 10 adults log in, we’ll be able to say Kaddish, so please consider attending, even if you’re not a Friday night regular.

You can join the service by going to Our Virtual Community here, then scroll down and click on the blue Kabbalat Shabbat Service button.

If you’d like to borrow a siddur for use at home while services are cancelled, we’ll be happy to lend you one!  Please contact the office for details.

Join Justin Goldstein for an hour of Torah study and discussion of the week’s Torah portion.

All are welcome, link to join the Zoom meeting here.