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NO Torah Study
December 28, 2019
Shabbat morning Torah study discussion led by Rabbi Klein
This year’s topic: PARSHA AND POETRY
This year we return to a study of the Torah Portion of the week. There are 54 Torah portions in the Humash (the Torah, The Five Books of Moses, The Pentateuch), one for each week of the year. The Torah as a whole features a wide variety of genres: story, law, ritual, genealogy, poetry, instruction, lament and more. In addition, there are several master themes that weave their way through the Torah as a whole. Among them are: the formation and fortunes of covenant between human beings and G-d, the (incomplete; incompletable?) journey from vulnerability (the patriarchal and matriarchal period) and slavery (in Egypt) to security and freedom, the development of the ethical, ritual and historical foundations of community, the interplay between human assertion and divine command, the meaning and purpose of the historical process. The Torah’s stories are exciting, the laws and ethics challenging, and the leading personalities and their complex and deeply human relationships.
We will begin each session with a brief reading and discussion of a biblical psalm. This means that over the many months of weekly Torah study, we will cover almost a third of the Psalter’s 150 psalms. After a consideration of the psalm, we will take up the Torah portion for the week. Since the new cycle (starting with the Creation Story at the beginning of Genesis) does not commence this year until October 26, we will have plenty of time for an overview of the Bible: its formation; its structure, contents and high points; its many uses throughout our history; its “demand” for interpretation and for personal response from the reader. And then we will explore the final portions of The Book of Deuteronomy.
Bagels and coffee are served ~ All are welcome! Open to long-time participants and newcomers alike.
If you are unable to attend in person, we are pleased to stream Torah Study live every Saturday morning.
Click HERE to go to the Live Streaming page; then choose the portal for the HARTZMARK ROOM.