The Friday Noon Study Group will not meet on August 14.

Last Friday, our study group concluded its discussion of Barry Holtz’s Rabbi Akiva with a consideration of the following issues:

• The question of which is greater, the study of Torah or the practice of Judaism? Can we conclude, as the sages did, that because practice (ethical behavior) is the purpose of study, then study is greater because it leads to practice?  Is there evidence that clearly demonstrates this theoretical conclusion?

• The question of why Rabbi Akiva was so hardly regarded by Jewish mystics. Akiva achieved a superior position among the sages in part because he was the only sage to have emerged unscathed from the visit to Pardes.  It was alleged that he had actually seen the face of HaShem during that visit.

• The significance of Akiva’s meticulous methods of textual interpretation of the mysteries of Torah. Unlike Rabbi Ishmael, Akiva went beyond the plain sense of texts to examine their hidden meanings.  This point is aptly driven home in the Talmudic tale involving Moses questioning the elaborate calligraphic flourishes God put into his inscription of the Torah.  God gives Moses a glimpse into the future to watch Akiva explaining the significance of those flourishes (crowns on the letters) to his students.

Our group will reconvene for one more session in August when we meet on Friday, August 21 for a brief prelude to our next topic:  Biblical Archaeology.

On the 21^st, we will discuss material that can be found at the following links:

• https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/29/in-search-of-king-davids-lost-empire

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Letters

• https://library.brown.edu/iip/stories/bar_kokhba/

• http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/bar-kokhba-revolt-coin-08434.html

The Noon Study Group will not meet on August 28.  When we resume on Friday, September 4, we will be discussing Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman’s The Bible Unearthed:  Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts.  This book is available at a variety of internet outlets. 

Unless indicated to the contrary, our informal discussion group will be conducted 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.

The Friday Noon Study Group will not meet on August 14.

Last Friday, our study group concluded its discussion of Barry Holtz’s Rabbi Akiva with a consideration of the following issues:

• The question of which is greater, the study of Torah or the practice of Judaism? Can we conclude, as the sages did, that because practice (ethical behavior) is the purpose of study, then study is greater because it leads to practice?  Is there evidence that clearly demonstrates this theoretical conclusion?

• The question of why Rabbi Akiva was so hardly regarded by Jewish mystics. Akiva achieved a superior position among the sages in part because he was the only sage to have emerged unscathed from the visit to Pardes.  It was alleged that he had actually seen the face of HaShem during that visit.

• The significance of Akiva’s meticulous methods of textual interpretation of the mysteries of Torah. Unlike Rabbi Ishmael, Akiva went beyond the plain sense of texts to examine their hidden meanings.  This point is aptly driven home in the Talmudic tale involving Moses questioning the elaborate calligraphic flourishes God put into his inscription of the Torah.  God gives Moses a glimpse into the future to watch Akiva explaining the significance of those flourishes (crowns on the letters) to his students.

Our group will reconvene for one more session in August when we meet on Friday, August 21 for a brief prelude to our next topic:  Biblical Archaeology.

On the 21^st, we will discuss material that can be found at the following links:

• https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/29/in-search-of-king-davids-lost-empire

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Letters

• https://library.brown.edu/iip/stories/bar_kokhba/

• http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/bar-kokhba-revolt-coin-08434.html

The Noon Study Group will not meet on August 28.  When we resume on Friday, September 4, we will be discussing Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman’s The Bible Unearthed:  Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts.  This book is available at a variety of internet outlets. 

Unless indicated to the contrary, our informal discussion group will be conducted 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.

Jewish Prayer: What About the Pray – er?

Congregation Beth Israel

Tuesday, August 25 & Thursday, September 3, 7:00 – 8:00pm

Rabbi Neil Sandler

In a recent issue of Ha’shofar Walter Ziffer helped us to understand the
keva (fixed or routine)/kavannah (spontaneous or deeply – felt)
dialectic in Jewish worship.

In a two–part, pre–High Holiday program, “Jewish Prayer: What
About the Pray – er?,” we will delve further into this issue with Rabbi
Neil Sandler. In the first session on Tuesday, August 25, 7:00 – 8:00pm,
we will study primary Jewish sources on the issue of keva and kavannah
in prayer. What is the role and relative importance of each
characteristic? The Zoom link for this class is here.

In the second session on Thursday, September 3, 7:00 – 8:00pm, we will
pursue the worship direction that Walter has urged. Rabbi Sandler will
guide us through a process of creating our own prayers. The last
number of months provides us with one significant source for our
prayers as we look forward to the beginning of the new year. Perhaps
your prayer will be a heartfelt one to engage your family. Perhaps your
prayer, along with those of other Beth Israel congregants, can find its
way into an upcoming communal worship service. The Zoom link for
this class is here.

If you have read this far, you are probably asking, “So, who is this rabbi
and why should I study with him?” Rabbi Neil Sandler served as Senior
Rabbi of Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta for fifteen years. After a
thirty seven-year pulpit career, Neil now serves as a part–time
member of the congregation’s rabbinic team. He loves his interaction
with people and, most especially, the pastoral moments he has shared
with his congregants. Rabbi Sandler is married to Susan Hart Sandler, a
hospice social worker. Their adult children are married/engaged, and
the Sandlers look forward to the birth of their first grandchild in
October. Neil is a sports fan and especially enjoys his Atlanta Braves
(and Minnesota Twins from his youth)!
These programs are sponsored by Carol and Bob Deutsch.

The Friday Noon Study Group will not meet on August 14.

Last Friday, our study group concluded its discussion of Barry Holtz’s Rabbi Akiva with a consideration of the following issues:

• The question of which is greater, the study of Torah or the practice of Judaism? Can we conclude, as the sages did, that because practice (ethical behavior) is the purpose of study, then study is greater because it leads to practice?  Is there evidence that clearly demonstrates this theoretical conclusion?

• The question of why Rabbi Akiva was so hardly regarded by Jewish mystics. Akiva achieved a superior position among the sages in part because he was the only sage to have emerged unscathed from the visit to Pardes.  It was alleged that he had actually seen the face of HaShem during that visit.

• The significance of Akiva’s meticulous methods of textual interpretation of the mysteries of Torah. Unlike Rabbi Ishmael, Akiva went beyond the plain sense of texts to examine their hidden meanings.  This point is aptly driven home in the Talmudic tale involving Moses questioning the elaborate calligraphic flourishes God put into his inscription of the Torah.  God gives Moses a glimpse into the future to watch Akiva explaining the significance of those flourishes (crowns on the letters) to his students.

Our group will reconvene for one more session in August when we meet on Friday, August 21 for a brief prelude to our next topic:  Biblical Archaeology.

On the 21^st, we will discuss material that can be found at the following links:

• https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/29/in-search-of-king-davids-lost-empire

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Letters

• https://library.brown.edu/iip/stories/bar_kokhba/

• http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/bar-kokhba-revolt-coin-08434.html

The Noon Study Group will not meet on August 28.  When we resume on Friday, September 4, we will be discussing Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman’s The Bible Unearthed:  Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts.  This book is available at a variety of internet outlets. 

Unless indicated to the contrary, our informal discussion group will be conducted 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 so much of CBI’s programming unavoidably cancelled, we’re working hard to find ways we can support each other as a community when we can’t be together in person. Please join me this Sunday, April 26, at 4:00pm, when we will be holding Torah on Tap via Zoom. A link to the online discussion group is below.  Zoom is easy to use and will let us see and hear each other as we speak.  If you haven’t already downloaded Zoom to your computer or phone, you must do so before joining the meeting on Sunday at 4:00pm.  You only need to download Zoom once, after that you simply log in, always using the same Meeting ID: 819 7668 2790.  Easy instructions are below this message. This is a temporary measure to keep us all connected while we can’t be together physically. Alan Silverman Torah on Tap Host Instructions for Downloading Zoom The first time you ever use Zoom on a computer, do the following: Go to https://zoom.us Hover over (don’t click) “RESOURCES” on the top right and then click “Download Zoom Client” from the drop-down menu that appears Click “Download” under “Zoom Client for Meetings” If it asks you to allow it to download “zoom.us”, click “Allow” or “Yes” Open the downloaded file and follow the instructions to install Zoom on your computer The first time you ever use Zoom on a smart phone, do the following: Go to the App Store and find “Zoom Cloud Meetings” and download it (it is free) Instructions for attending Torah on Tap on CBI’s Zoom Account: Right before the start of services, either go to https://zoom.us on your computer or open your Zoom app on your smartphone Click “Join a Meeting” Type in this Meeting ID: 819 7668 2790 and click “Join” If you’re using the computer and Zoom asks you to allow it to open “zoom.us”, click “Allow” or “Yes” or “Open” and then click “Join With Computer Audio” If you’re using a smart phone and Zoom asks you to allow using the microphone/camera, allow it If it says “Waiting for the host to start this meeting”, just wait a few minutes for Alan to start the meeting Unless you’ve been out of the country for the last several weeks, you probably know that there’s some pretty important proceedings taking place in our nation’s capitol. In the 230-year history of the American presidency, only two sitting presidents have been impeached. President Trump may well be the third. The historicity of the proceedings, however, pale in comparison to real underlying battle. This is not just an investigation to determine whether impeachable offenses occurred; it is a tug war between strength and morality, and it’s as old as humanity itself. Join us this Sunday as we look at the dynamics of accountability from a Jewish perspective. More specifically, we will consider one very particular confrontation involving Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach and King Yannai. “Why is a king of Israel “not judged” [Mishnah Sanhedrin 2:1]? Because of what once happened.”  Intrigued? Wait until you see how many parallels there are between this 2,100-year-old Talmudic tale and what is happening now in our country. To see how the story unfolds and to unlock the universal lessons it holds, join us this Sunday at Archetype Brewing (the former Habitat Tavern, 174 Broadway St., Asheville). Rabbi Justin will help us understand this epic power struggle between the executive and legislative branches of ancient Israel. This program is free and open to all. Differing opinions are not only welcomed but encouraged. Non-alcoholic beverages are available, there is ample parking in the Moog Music parking lot off Bordeau Pl. Looking forward to seeing you there!!

Join us on the last Sunday of the month online for a refreshing and often provocative discussion. Each month, we take on a new topic – often ripped from the headlines of today’s news. We spend the first 45 minutes wrapping our arms around it, defining it, dissecting and analyzing it from various viewpoints. Then we spend the rest of the time discussing it from Judaism’s point of view.

• What’s Judaism’s take on universal healthcare?
• Would Moses walk the streets of Chicago today packing heat?
• Is it okay to punch a white supremacist?

Torah on Tap gives us a chance to learn, vent, share and, most of all, understand what 4,000 years of cultural development, debate and dialogue has to say about some of the issues that confront us today. Torah on Tap is free and open to all. Varying viewpoints are not only welcome, but encouraged.

See you there!