Adult Education.
Judaism values education throughout the lifespan. Temple Israel maintains a robust schedule of offerings for adult learning taught by the rabbi and by other qualified members of the congregation. Offerings vary over time, and are described below.
Examples of adult classes offered
Torah study: we read the Torah portion for the week verse by verse, and discuss using a variety of sources and viewpoints. The sages say that each letter of the Torah has 70 facets; we seek to uncover at least a few of these.
Adult Hebrew: our teachers teach at different levels different years.
Adult B’nei Mitzvah: a class for those who did not have a celebration of their bar or bat mitzvah at age 13 and want to make up for that. The class culminates in the group leading a worship service.
Torah trope: the system for chanting Torah is taught.
Current events: we study everything from voting to abortion to LGBTQ issues, all through a Jewish lens.
Mussar: we learn about this Jewish approach to living an ethical life with the intention of applying what we learn.
The Jewish prayer service: we learn the parts of the service, with in-depth study of particular prayers.
Jewish texts: an overview of classical and more modern texts; this course covers everything from the Hebrew prophets to Midrash and Talmud; from Codes to Responsa literature, with examples of each kind of text.
Pirkei Avot: we study the verses of this chapter of the Mishnah, which includes many wise sayings of the ancient rabbis.
When we teach.
Classes meet on Sundays at the Temple, and on some weekdays at a location in Springfield or via Zoom. Check the calendar in Temple Talk for specific offerings.
How to get involved
Classes are open to Temple Israel members and to those who have been accepted as conversion students by the rabbi.
Interested?
“Adult education adds new ideas and sparks new interests while deepening our understanding of our past history and culture.”