Click on the link below for a ten minute video on Yerushalayim:
March 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Interfaith Encounter Day for Religious Studies Students:
On this upcoming Thursday, March 7th, an interfaith seminar and tiyul is planned with Israeli Muslim students of Islamic studies. We plan to meet at 7:30 am and depart from Jerusalem, and return to Jerusalem at 1 pm. Breakfast will be provided on the bus.The seminar will take place at Yarkon National Park, near Petach Tikva, which extends over 3,250 acres, which includes theTel Afek (Antipatris) fortress overlooking the Yarkon springs, and the Yarkon sources, where the stream and its banks are rich in plant and animal life. Upon reaching the Yarkon National Park, we will meet a group of students of Islamic studies from Al Qasemi Academy, which is located in Baka Al Garbiya, near Hadera. Some of the male students in this program will go on to become imamim in Israel. The male and female students who will participate are between the ages of 18 and 23. The three-hour seminar will include icebreakers, a guided walk with a partner from Al Qasemi, and a group discussion.
Participants will be encouraged to discuss and share throughout the seminar. Transportation and lunch will be provided for registered participants. The seminar will be conducted in English and Hebrew, with translation provided. Participants should bring a hat and water.
About the Seminar Organizers:
The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD), based in Jerusalem, accesses the
Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) is the only rabbinic organization in Israel today that speaks about human rights in the voice of the Jewish tradition. The organization was founded in 1988, and today has over 100 members- ordained rabbis and rabbinical students. RHR is the only rabbinical organization in Israel in which Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Renewal rabbis work together. For more information on RHR please visit: http://rhr.org.il/eng/
The seminar is sponsored by Anne Frank Fonds, the British Shalom Salaam Trust, and The Julia Burke Foundation
Rabbi Eitan Tucker from Hadar speaks at Sulam Yaakov
March 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Rabbi Eitan Tucker from Yeshivat Hadar will present on the subject of Egalitarian practice and Halachik boundaries. The presentation will take place at 11:30 on Sunday March 1oth.
Rav Aaron at Limmud New York
February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
http://limmudny.org/
Sunday February 17th 10 am
To Many Words: Why the Siddur is Broken and How We Can Fix It.
It is often assumed that a Halachic approach to prayer need fully embrace the traditional liturgy. The reality is that for most people this is not working. Rav Aaron will share experimental liturgical formats he has been playing with that may offer a solution. Discussion and experiential workshop.
Sunday February 17th 5:45 pm
Can I trust you? Kashrut, Social Dynamics and Jewish Unity.
Every Halachic statement and standard has a value behind it. We will study classic halachic texts and responsa on the subject of kashrut, unpacking the underlying values and exploring how they affect us today. An alternative Halachic application being pioneered in Jerusalem today will be presented and offered for discussion.
Vision Quest Israel
January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
What is your vision for the State of Israel, and what’s holding us back?
In a season when pre-election media is drowning us in talking points and superficial images, take an evening to explore the elements of broad vision which could guide our country. Join a group of citizens and thinkers from across the political spectrum in using the tools of direct democracy to express our visions and examine their points of contact and conflict. Take the chance to listen and be heard, to examine the potential of the consensus decision-making model as a tool for social change, and to bring your vision to light.
Wednesday January 16th, 8 pm, at Sulam Yaakov.
Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/events/531781500165392
So see four short video spots of Sulam Yaakov staff and students speaking to this question go to: http://mad.ly/8b1273
On Debt – Background Reading
December 27, 2012 By 1 Comment
During the last few weeks as part of our study of “The Meaning of Money” we have been engaging the subject of “Debt”.
Here are a selection of online readings illustrating the significance of the topic in the current economic discourse.
Seminar on David Graebers book on Debt
Introduction to the book can be read here
Serious critical review of the book
Online Seminar of written responses and critiques of the book here
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectorportal/
Grassroots Kashrut
December 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Rav Aaron and Sulam Yaakov are leading the way in an initiative seeking to improve standards of Kashrut in Jerusalem, and use Kashrut as a tool to build community and solidarity between Dati and non Dati citizens. Here are some links to the Media attentions this project has received. Be sure to read Rav Aaron’s op-ed from the Jerusalem Post.
Grassroots Kashrut in Jerusalem – R Aaron Leibowitz Jerusalem Post
Jerusalem’s kashrut rebels unveil new ally: an Orthodox rabbi Haaretz
kosher-restaurant-revolt-brews-in-jerusalem Forward
משגיח לא בא Makor Rishon
New E-Learning: Around the Maggid’s Table: A Journey to the Heart of Hasidism with Ariel Evan Mayse
December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Around the Maggid’s Table: A Journey to the Heart of Hasidism
Sulam Yaakov Distance Learning with Ariel Evan Mayse
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENING CLASS IN ISRAEL WILL ALSO BE SIMULCAST AND WORKS AS A LUNCH AND LEARN ON THE US EAST COAST!
In the 1760s a group of talented young scholars assembled in the beit midrash of R. Dov Baer, better known as the Maggid of of Miezritch. They came to the Maggid to participate in a renaissance of Jewish spirituality inspired by his own teacher, the Ba’al Shem Tov.
The Maggid and his disciples gave shape to this new religious movement, but in those early years there was much debate as to how these ideas could be used to revive traditional observance.
Among the questions at the heart of their discussions were:
How, if at all, can Hasidism be spread to the masses?
Should radical spirituality be accessible to all, or only to the elite?
How do the stories of the Torah relate to our avodah?
What is the true meaning of Torah min ha-Shamayim?
What is the nature and purpose of prayer?
What is the ideal spiritual leader?
What is the role of song and dance in religious life?
What are the goals of Torah study?
How can we find spontaneous meaning in performing mitsvot?
How can we transform ordinary moments into encounters with the Divine?
What special inspiration do each of the holidays hold?
The diverse and rich spiritual vision we know as Hasidism emerged from the chorus of voices from around the Maggid’s table.
This course will offer a window into the teachings of Hasidism during the movement’s most creative years. We will follow the conversations of the Maggid and his students as they emerge from a selection of their derashot on the weekly parashah. In doing so we will learn to see each rebbe as a unique thinker, as well as identifying their role in the formation of Hasidism. We will enrich our readings of these texts by referencing the history of Hasidism and kabbalah, but most of our time will be devoted to studying the teachings of the Maggid and his students and exploring their contemporary significance. This course is also designed to help students develop the skills necessary for reading Hasidic texts on their own.
The texts used this course come from the forthcoming “Speaking Torah: Spiritual Teachings from Around the Maggid’s Table” (Jewish Lights 2013; Arthur Green, Ebn Leader, Ariel Mayse and Or Rose). This exciting new collection follows the cycle of Torah readings and holidays, offering lucid translation of early Hasidic teachings together with newly printed Hebrew original.
Come join the conversation!
No prior knowledge of Hasidut or Kabbalah is assumed.
Men and Women welcome.
Cost: 240 NIS for 12 Wednesday night sessions, By registration only.
email or call: info@sulamyaakov.com +972-54-4690330
Lecture: Chanukah – Character, Holiness and History. Rabbi Mike Feuer.
November 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Commitment is a trait which allows us to hold more than we believe we can, and its light shines strongest at Chanukah.
Join Rav Mike Feuer in an exploration of character, holiness and history through the lens of this midda and the guidance it offers in our time.
The annual shiur in honor of Rav Mike Feuers father’s, Betzalel ben Avraham z”l yartzeheit will be Ohr l’22 Kislev, Wednesday night December 5th at 8:30 pm in the bet midrash of Sulam Yaakov, 25 Beer Sheva, Nachlaot.
English. Open to both men and women.
Light refreshments with ma’ariv to follow.
(Photo by http://www.flickr.com/
Video of a Yom Iyun on Ne’emanut Bekashrut
November 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Rav Aaron Leibowitz and Rav Mike Feuer speak on the subject of trust and kashrut at the Sulam Yaakov Yom Iyun.
