A Four-Session Lifelong Learning Course with Rabbi Susan Falk
Thursday evenings, August 27, September 3, 10, 17
7:00 - 8:30pm
The Jewish High Holy Days highlight and celebrate the Divine attributes of Din/Justice and Rachamim/Mercy, two of Judaism’s most pre-eminent values. Our focus at this time as individuals, and as a collective, is how to be our best selves and build a world of true justice and mercy and peace. But how do we get there? What are the building blocks for this “world-to-come”? During the Hebrew month of Elul as we prepare ourselves to enter the High Holy days, this class will explore four Jewish concepts (listed below), their origins and meanings, and how they function as year-round guiding values and practices for ourselves, our communities, and our society at large. We will also take time for reflection and discussion on how these values are of particular significance as we grapple with the issues of our time.
Session 1: B’Tzelem Elohim/In God’s Image
Session 2: Tikkun Olam/The Repair of the World
Session 3: Lashon Ha-ra/Evil Speech (Gossip and Slander)
Session 4: Teshuvah/Repentance
Open to HBT members (donation to the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund welcomed but not required)
Non-members are welcome for a fee of $18 per session.
To register, email hbtoffice@templehbt.org
Zoom link provided upon registration Space is limited Please register by Friday, August 21
Preparing for our High Holy Days: To Build a World of Justice and MercySession
1: B’Tzelem Elohim/In the Image of God
Session 1: Description In our time, there is hardly a statement that comes out from Liberal Jewish organizations or communities in support of equality or human rights that does not make use of the Jewish concept known as B’Tzelem Elohim or “In the Image of God”. In the opening chapter of the Torah, we are told that God creates humanity “b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image”. But what do these words actually mean? Surprisingly, the Torah does not say! Does God have an image? Isn’t the Jewish conception of God supposed to be “image-less”? In this session, we will learn about this intriguing Biblical statement that has become one of Judaism’s most central values. While studying texts from ancient to contemporary, we will discuss the nature of humanity and our role in the universe as we grapple with our own beliefs about who and what we are.
Rabbi Susan Falk (she, her)
“This is no time for neutrality. We Jews cannot remain aloof or indifferent. We, too, are either ministers of the sacred or slaves of evil.” (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel)
Rabbi Susan Falk Bio: Rabbi Susan Falk is a Reconstructionist rabbi, educator, and spiritual activist currently offering Jewish mindfulness meditation groups, creative musical worship services, tailored lifecycle rituals, and adult education classes on a variety of topics from end of life issues to environmental justice. She worked as the Director of Jewish Hospice at Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Philadelphia, and later served for 11 years as the rabbi of Congregation Kehilat Shalom in New Jersey. She is an ongoing student at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and she maintains a mindfulness meditation practice. Rabbi Falk loves teaching about all things Jewish, is a passionate advocate for social justice, and an avid birder in her spare time. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner, Elisabeth.