This year’s evening Adult Education classes will be taught in three trimesters, each one focusing on an important theme in Judaism. Adults interested in deepening their understanding of Jewish theology and perspectives on human existence are urged to attend.
First Trimester - The Book of Job
Second Trimester - Probing the Heart and Soul - Insights of the Great Hasidic Masters
Third Trimester - Why the Jews Rejected Jesus
Classes will commence on Thursday, October 27, 2011, and will convene most Thursday evenings throughout the year.
Please check the class calendar for specific dates.
Click here to download a pdf file of this page
Registration and Fees: $100 per trimester for non Beth Torah members; $90 for Beth Torah members.
However, no one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay. We always welcome first-time visitors who would like to get a “taste” of what the class is like. We feel confident you will want to come back for more.
UPDATE: Fees for the 3rd Trimester class will be waived. For those who wish to support the program, the suggested contribution will be $54.
Please contact Gary Booth, for additional information at 972-818-6885 or garybooth18@yahoo.com. Checks should be made out to the Jewish Studies Initiative of North Texas (abbreviated JSI).
Class Summaries:
1st Trimester: The Book of Job: Confronting Suffering
Why do bad things happen to good people, and how can we make sense of seemingly undeserved pain and travail, are some of the oldest and most intractable questions human beings have had to grapple with, and up to and including the present day the biblical Book of Job has been at center stage of this struggle. In this class, we will read the Book of Job for ourselves and will study what it does and does not say, and as well as what previous generations have understood it to say.
2nd Trimester: Probing the Heart and Soul - Insights of the Great Hasidic Masters
The short stream of consciousness discourses of the latter Hasidic masters of Poland were always personal and always challenging, plumbing the depths of the human psyche. Rav Mordechai Yosef of Izbitch and Rav Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger were way ahead of their time, and even today they never fail to amaze and to intrigue us. Their ideas are nuanced, never straightforward. Not for the fainthearted, this material, arranged according to the weekly Torah portion, will richly reward those who are willing to allow themselves be confronted by it.
3rd Trimester: Why the Jews Rejected Jesus
We are not Christians; we did not accept the divinity of Jesus 2000 years ago and we do not accept him today … But why not? Why do we say ‘no’ to concepts like original sin, a personal messiah, direct individual messages from God, divine grace, and the abrogation of the commandments? And how do we respond to accusations of deicide and legalism? This course will help us to understand ourselves and our people, and our unique message for the world.
Click here to download a pdf file of this page
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Rav Hanan Schlesinger Rav Schlesinger is a gifted teacher and community rabbinic scholar from the Jewish Studies Initiative of North Texas, where he serves as Executive Director . Rav Schlesinger has taught several very popular and successful classes at CBT over the past three years. If you have not studied with him previously, treat yourself to this wonderful educational experience. His passion for learning, his eloquence as a speaker, and his insight into the complexities and deeper meanings of Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish writings make participation in his classes a joy. |
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