Events & Happenings

What is “joyful learning” — in a Jewish context?

Joyful learning comes from a deep appreciation of our interaction with text, and our empowerment of one another to become interpreters of text. Our attitude toward the sacred texts of the Jewish tradition is that they are, as the liturgy tells us, ‘from the mouth of G!d through the hand of Moses.’ It is the interaction of the human and the divine that informs our study. We are open to the most recent studies in Jewish interpretation as well as medieval commentaries and Biblical midrashim. All of them serve our essential desire – to seek in our texts deeper, often unseen meanings that can inform (even trans-form) our day-to-day existence.

At TBZ, we have many avenues of textual study – for example:

• Our Shabbat Morning Torah Study is an opportunity to review the Five Books of Moses;
• Our Bet Midrash: Evenings of Learning program brings a Jewish perspective to special topics of interest;
• Our Me’ah program offers 100 hours of intensive study on Jewish history, law, and practice; and
• Our monthly encounter with contemporary authors in a “Bagels & Books“ series brings the community together with leading authors of the day.

At TBZ, we view ongoing, lifelong, joyful learning as a prerequisite for spiritual growth.