Ongoing Classes
Check out our ongoing
adult education programs!
Education isn't just learning about the past.
It's also learning about one's self and one's
relationship to the world around us.
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Intermediate Hebrew:
The Poetic structure of the Torah Service
with meirav finley
MONDAYS, 6 PM PST
The Torah service is constructed of several poetic gems intended to create a spiritual journey. We will study each poetic unit and how all units work together to create a poetic marvel.
Aug 15, 22, 29 & Sept 12
parenting the soul of the child
Tuesdays, August 23 - September 20 at 7 PM PST
Parenting the Soul of the Child is rooted in the idea that there is no “one child,” no average of child and adolescent development and psychology. The primary job of the parent is threefold: understanding the inner life of the child and teenager, helping children understand their own inner lives and understanding our own inner lives as parents.
From there, we can work core duties of parents – shaping children to be (to start with) safe, moral, respectful, loving, insightful and self-aware, accountable, industrious, and creative, as paths to live lives of inner and interpersonal well-being. If there is sufficient interest, this class will be followed up in the fall with a weekly seminar on parenting issues and challenges.
with Rabbi finley
The theology of Leonard cohen through the selection of selected poems
Wednesdays, August 21 - September 21 at 6 PM PST
As many of you know, I had the extraordinary privilege of having been Leonard Cohen's rabbi. He and I were devoted to the study of certain aspects of the Kabbalah. In this class, I will introduce how certain themes of the Kabbalah are played out in selections of his songs and poems.
with rabbi finley
Introduction & Review of
Wisdom Work
Wednesdays, August 24 - September 21 at 7 PM PST
In the class, we will review the major concepts of Wisdom Work: a) the constant work of forming a vision for every important aspect of your life, b) marshaling the will to achieve that vision, c) developing the specific skills needed to achieve the vision, based on your personality and the nature of resistance we all encounter, and d) creating a practice of evaluating this work.
We will also study the procedure of mastering Wisdom Work: a) Virtue (restraining bad habits, cultivating better habits), b) Rationality (understanding our own inner lives and what happens between us and others), and c) Applied Wisdom – managing our inner life's ego states and processing well with others.
(In the fall term, we will study Applied Wisdom in depth. In addition, I will offer an introduction to Mussar literature, virtue and values rooted in the biblical books of Proverbs and Psalms.)