Talmud for the 99%
Talmud for the 99%: Class Info Page
Introductory Class: Hebrew Roots and Dictionary Skills Crash Course
Thursday, March 25, 7-8pm
Talmud
Sundays, April 11, 18 and 25, May 2, 4:30-6:30pm
Join Earnest for a four session Talmud class between Passover and Shavuot. In this class we will prepare for Shavuat, which commemorates the Jewish people entering into a covenantal relationship with God, by decoding a wild Talmudic story that completely reimagines the covenantal moment. We will explore the rabbis' motivation for their subversive reimagining, and their vision for a more liberatory relationship with the divine.
We will be providing materials for this class. Please SIGN UP by April 1st so we can prepare your Talmud learning goodies! After signing up you will receive an email with a survey to help me make chevruta pairs.
Sign up by April 1st for Talmud for the 99% at this link!
Read through for important information!
Supplies Pick Up
Each learner will receive a masechet (a book fo Talmud) and a resource folder. These Talmud learning packs will be available to pick up at CDT, 2nd Church, along with the loaner dictionaries.
April 4th, 1-2pm Supplies Pick up @ CDT
April 8th, 9-5pm Supplies Pick Up @ CDT
If you can not come to CDT to pick your learning pack, please fill out the survey you will receive via email after registering. We will mail learning packs to those who can not come to pick up.
Talmud for the 99%: Class Schedule Breakdown
Chevruta Learning (study in pairs):
Each class begins with chevruta learning (in class, you don't need to prepare outside of class time): sitting with your chevruta (study partner), your text, and your dictionaries (read on for info about materials) and working to prepare the text.
We will not use any translations, your text is in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, no matter your learning experience. Learning in the original language slows us down and gives us the opportunity to create our own meaning of the text. The process of looking up words demands our attentiona nd presence, asking us to use "beginner's mind," dropping our expectations of what we think we know and opening up to multiple possibilities.
Shiur (whole group lesson)
After everyone has spent time deciphering the day's text, we will come together as a group to unpack what we've learned and discuss it -- that is called shiur. Together we will translate and discuss the text, and share our questions and insights.
Chazara (review)
After shiur, you'll return to chevruta for chazara (review) of that session's text to the point of deep understand, ownership, and memorization (it isn't as scary as it sounds!!).
Everyone will be celebrated for what they own and memorize, whether it is 2 or 10 words. Memorizaiton helps us check our understanding of the text and experience owndership of the tradition. Finally there is a chance to recite, everyone who recites gets clapped up, now matter how much they were able to do!
Dictionaries
We will use two dictionaries: Marcus Jastrow's Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud, and Midrashic Literature and Yitzhak Frank's Practical Talmud Dictionary.
We have 13 loaner copies of each that will be available for pick.
Online version: There is an online version of the Jastrow dictionary. Jastrow is the primary dictionary and will be sufficient for this course if you can't get a Frank dictionary.
Purchase: You can purchase Jastrow and Frank directly from their publishers. These books are pricey. I hope we can provide loaner copies to most who attend.
Magnifying Glass
The print in the masechet (book of Talmud) is small. Everyone will receive a blown up copy of our text on cardstock. To aid reading the original text, you may want to purchase a magnifying glass.
Magnabrite is a high quality magnifying glass. You can find less expensive ones as well.
Sat, April 17 2021
5 Iyyar 5781
Upcoming Events
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Saturday ,
AprApril 17 , 2021Earth Day Shabbat
Shabbat, Apr 17th 10:00a to 12:00p
Our Shabbat morning service will celebrate our connections to the Earth, and at 11am, CDT member Ezra Hausman will lead a Torah discussion addressing obstacles to successfully addressing the climate crisis. Ezra has a Ph.D. in climate science and 20+ years experience in the electric energy industry, including support for efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants at the state, regional, and national level. -
Saturday ,
AprApril 17 , 2021
Shabbat, Apr 17th 3:30p to 4:30p
-
Sunday ,
AprApril 18 , 2021
Sunday, Apr 18th 1:00p to 2:30p
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Sunday ,
AprApril 18 , 2021Talmud for the 99%
Sunday, Apr 18th 4:30p to 6:30p
Join Earnest for a four session Talmud class between Passover and Shavuot. In this class we will prepare for Shavuot, which commemorates the Jewish people entering into a covenantal relationship with God, by decoding a wild Talmudic story that completely reimagines the covenantal moment. We will explore the rabbis’ motivation for their subversive reimagining, and their vision for a more liberatory relationship with the Divine. This is a SVARA-Method class, each session will begin with chevruta (study partner) learning. You and your chevruta will work with the text in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, using dictionaries to decipher each word. All you need to begin learning is your alef-bet (the ability to sound out the Hebrew alphabet) and you’re ready to go! Still working on your alef-bet? Check out these resources and contact Earnest, e.vener@dorsheitzedek.org, for support. Please register by April 1st, so that we can get everyone all the supplies they need! Questions? Come to the Talmud for the 99% Info Session immediately following Shabbat morning services on March 13th at 12pm. Not sure if it is right for you? Come to the Hebrew Roots & Dictionary Skills Crash Course on Wednesday, March 17th from 7-8pm. This session is open to the whole congregation. We will learn how to identify root letters and look them up in dictionaries. We will decode a text from the Passover Haggadah together and you will get a taste of SVARA method’s joyful and rigorous pedagogy. Read below for a description of SVARA-Method learning. -
Wednesday ,
AprApril 21 , 2021Torah Study
Wednesday, Apr 21st 8:00a to 9:00a
Start your Wednesday mornings with Torah Study! Join Director of Congregational Learning Earnest Vener for a weekly hour-long study of the weekly Torah portion on Wednesdays at 8am. You are welcome to drop in or come weekly. All are welcome and no prior knowledge is required. Please email Earnest at e.vener@dorsheitzedek.org with any questions. -
Wednesday ,
AprApril 21 , 2021
Wednesday, Apr 21st 5:30p to 5:45p
All are welcome to join Rabbi Toba for a moment of calm each week. The content will vary - a brief teaching, a meditative moment, some music, or another contemplative practice. We will start promptly at 5:30pm each Wednesday, but feel free to drop in at any time. Each session will end with an opportunity for those in mourning or observing a yahrzeit to recite Mourners Kaddish. Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/97091443951?pwd=dVk4bFZIVitMcDViYllNQnRIdmhmZz09 -
Thursday ,
AprApril 22 , 2021Purity Politics and the Problem of Jewish Solidarity
Thursday, Apr 22nd 1:30p to 2:30p
This talk explores the relationship between the rise in purity politics among American Jews and the problems it raises for building solidarities in the context of such things as the Women’s March and BLM. This is part of a Reconstructing Judaism free online lecture series on Jews, Race, & Religion. -
Thursday ,
AprApril 22 , 2021
Thursday, Apr 22nd 7:30p to 9:00p
CDT member Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will read from and talk about her newly published book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred. To purchase the book ahead of the talk, go to https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/chanda-prescod-weinstein/the-disordered-cosmos/9781541724709/ -
Saturday ,
AprApril 24 , 2021Shabbat Morning Service & B'nai Mitzvah of Nuriel Gutman
Shabbat, Apr 24th 10:00a to 12:00p
All are welcome to join us for Shabbat morning services as we call Nuriel Gutman to the Torah as a B Mitzvah. -
Sunday ,
AprApril 25 , 2021Talmud for the 99%
Sunday, Apr 25th 4:30p to 6:30p
Join Earnest for a four session Talmud class between Passover and Shavuot. In this class we will prepare for Shavuot, which commemorates the Jewish people entering into a covenantal relationship with God, by decoding a wild Talmudic story that completely reimagines the covenantal moment. We will explore the rabbis’ motivation for their subversive reimagining, and their vision for a more liberatory relationship with the Divine. This is a SVARA-Method class, each session will begin with chevruta (study partner) learning. You and your chevruta will work with the text in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, using dictionaries to decipher each word. All you need to begin learning is your alef-bet (the ability to sound out the Hebrew alphabet) and you’re ready to go! Still working on your alef-bet? Check out these resources and contact Earnest, e.vener@dorsheitzedek.org, for support. Please register by April 1st, so that we can get everyone all the supplies they need! Questions? Come to the Talmud for the 99% Info Session immediately following Shabbat morning services on March 13th at 12pm. Not sure if it is right for you? Come to the Hebrew Roots & Dictionary Skills Crash Course on Wednesday, March 17th from 7-8pm. This session is open to the whole congregation. We will learn how to identify root letters and look them up in dictionaries. We will decode a text from the Passover Haggadah together and you will get a taste of SVARA method’s joyful and rigorous pedagogy. Read below for a description of SVARA-Method learning.
Zmanim
Alot Hashachar | 4:31a |
Earliest Tallit | 5:07a |
Netz (Sunrise) | 6:01a |
Latest Shema | 9:23a |
Zman Tefillah | 10:30a |
Chatzot (Midday) | 12:45p |
Mincha Gedola | 1:19p |
Mincha Ketana | 4:40p |
Plag HaMincha | 6:04p |
Shkiah (Sunset) | 7:29p |
Havdalah | 8:19p |
Tzeit Hakochavim | 8:12p |
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