Intro to Judaism & Conversion

October 12:  Conversion as Coming Home;  Cultural vs Religious Judaism; Shepherd Spirituality (Nadav)

Oct 26 (Nadav):  Arab-Israel Conflict:   Watch these YouTube videos: First, Second, Third, Fourth. Fifth. Also, please consult the  Arab-Israel Conflict Timeline here plus videos and Materials below.

November 16  (Nadav) : Life Cycle: Baby Namings, Circumcision, Bar/t Mitzvah and Weddings
November 30 (Caine)- Life Cycle:  Death, Bereavement, Mourning. 
December 7 - (Caine) - Bereavement, Burial/Cremationl + Hanukkah, Menorah, Christmas, Freedom of Religion as a value; the folktale replaces the militarism and why.
Dec 21 - (Nadav) - Kashrut and Kashering. Assignment:  Donin chapters on Kashrut and on Treatment of Animals. Also read Rav Nadav's download here.
January 11 - Roman Period and Christianity/Sin (Reading: Christian New Testament Romans chapter 7.)
Jan 25, 2024 - "Sin" (cheit, avon, pesha vs yetser hara) and The Spiritual Practice of Midrash plus using Sefaria 
February 8:  Reading the Torah Jewishly 2.  Two Adams. (Optional Reading: Rabbi Soloveitchik, Lonely Man of Faith download, pages 10 forward as far as you get.) (Reading: Midrash download .)
Feb 22 - Prayer:  A Daily Practice, Shema, Amidah, Tefillin, Tallit. Reading: Shabbat Guide to Morning
March 7  - Purim and Passover (Haggadah, Seder, Themes etc.)
March 21 MOVED TO SATURDAY MARCH 23rd.  Come to services at Beth Israel and class will meet at Noon
April 11  - Jewish Law with the example of Kitniyot

Shabbat - Assignment:  Donin chapters on Shabbat plus as much of Heschel's The Sabbath as makes sense to you.
SATURDAY April 20 - Passover etc at shul!
May 9 - Holocaust, Anti-Semitism. These videos: First, Second, Third.
May 23 

Last year's Materials:

Second Class Session, November 6, 2022:  From Shepherds to the Promised Land -- Where We Come From.  Optional Reading:  The Gifts of the Jews book.

November 20, 2022:  Hanukkah etc..  (Reading: Glossary and Timeline download from here.)

December 4, 2022:  Reading the Torah Jewishly 1. (Reading: Midrash download .)

December 20, 2022:  Second Temple Period. Reading the Torah Jewishly 2.  Two Adams. (Optional Reading: Rabbi Soloveitchik, Lonely Man of Faith download, pages 10 forward as far as you get.)

January 8, 2023:  The Rabbinic Period and Christianity: Sin, Human Nature, and the Meaning of Holiness.  (Reading: Christian New Testament Romans chapter 7.)

January 15, 2023:  Kabbalah and Jewish Concepts of God.  Reading: Download here.

January 29, 2023:  [Rescheduled] Jewish Ritual Practice:  Mezuzah, Tallit, Tefillin, Candlelighting, Kippah.  "Taking a Step" vs "In or Out" approaches. 

February 12, 2023:  Kosher Dietary Laws Class 1:  Treyfe, Reasons for Laws, Dishes, Kosher slaughter, and Eating Out.  Assignment:  Donin chapters on Kashrut and on Treatment of Animals. Also read Rav Nadav's download here.

February 26, 2023:  Kashrut Class 2, and Purim.  (Read Donin's To Be A Jew on Purim and Kashering utensils.)

March 12, 2023 (SPECIAL TIME 1:30-3:00):  SHABBAT.   Assignment:  Donin chapters on Shabbat plus as much of Heschel's The Sabbath as makes sense to you.

March 26, 2023: 3 Phases of Shabbat. And the Three Festivals: Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot (Read Donin chapters 10, 11 and 12).

April 9, 2023:  Jewish Life Cycle: Birth, Babies, Bar/t Mitzvah, Weddings, Divorce, Burial, Bereavement (Read all Donin chapters Part Four).

 
April 23, 2023:   Memorial/Mourning/Birth life cycle events

May 7, 2023:  Synagogue service literacy. Prayer. Assignment: Read either Steinsaltz book or Donin's To Pray as a Jew. Read Rabbi Caine's Guide to the Service. Also read Rabbi Caine's "Science and Tefillah."  For reference, the afternoon and evening services can be found here.

May 21, 2023:  Anti-semitism, Holocaust, and Israel.  Please consult the  Arab-Israel Conflict Timeline here plus videos and Materials below.

TBA GRAND REVIEW:  High Holidays and a review of all of the holidays.
June 4, 2023:  Review, Immersion Ritual, and Beit Din practice.

• Create a Google-doc and list in it everything you are doing to learn and practice during the conversion process:  list every service you've attended, every book or article you've read, every seder and holiday you've observed, every class you've atttended, etc.
• Listen to “What Every Teacher Should Know About Judaism” on the “Judaism for the Thinking Person” podcast at ravnadav.podbean.com.  (You'll learn a lot about practical Torah by listening to other podcasts here.)
• Attend a minimum of two Friday night and two Saturday morning services per month at Beth Israel Congregation, in addition to holidays
• Attend Rabbi Caine's classes.
• Learn to read Hebrew phonetically (with a mastery of all letters and vowels)
• Familiarize Yourself with the History Timeline and Jewish Terms Glossary which you can download from here.
• Kasher one's kitchen for Passover (so as to show understanding of the dietary laws) and commit to a chosen level of kashrut in consultation with Rabbi Caine
• Keep one traditional Shabbat, including services and observing appropriate restrictions
• Prepare to answer questions on the material covered in To Be A Jew.
• Grasp the difference between joining a people and joining a religion.
• Gain a familiarity with the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
• Practice Torah commentary study.
• Write a 1 to 3 page essay for the Beit Din on your journey and the parts of Judaism you most connect with.
• To complete the process, appearance before a Beit Din of three rabbis, answering questions about yourself and Judaism, and immersion in a mikvah.  For me, circumcision or a pinprick (which we'll discuss).  Here is a link to the mikvah blessings.

Past Topics of Last Year's sessions if you want to get into the learning a.s.a.p.:

THE RULES OF SHABBAT (January 30 2022) VIDEO HERE.

THE EXPERIENCE OF SHABBAT (February 13, 2022), VIDEO HERE.

THE EXPERIENCE OF KASHRUT (February 27): VIDEO HERE

PASSOVER, MIKVAH, and DOES GOD LISTEN TO PRAYERS (and WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE) - forgot to press record!

The Tallit, plus Life Cycle 1:  Pregnancy/Birth, Circumcision, Marriage, and beginning of Death.  (April 10)

Death and Mourning Part 2 and an explanation of The Kaddish (April 24) 

May 8th:  High Holidays, and the 3-2-3 System

JUNE 12 with Rav Nadav: How to Read the Torah Jewishly
JUNE 26 with rabbinical student Naomi Gurt-Lind
JULY 3 with rabbinical student Naomi Gurt-Lind

Overview of Jewish History. The Transformation of Shepherd Hebrew Religion into the Formation of a New Israelite Country into a Portable Rabbinic Judaism into Diaspora, Modernity & Anti-Semitism.

The Bible and Its Interpretation. 2nd Temple Period. Delving into the first two chapters of Genesis.

How to Read the Torah Jewishly with Examples

The Rabbinic Period and Christianity.  Sin, Human Nature & The Debate with the early Church 

The Shared Doc "Contract" With Me.   Starting your Jewish practice:  Mezuzah, Tallit, Tefillin, Candlelighting,  Kippah, Jewish Star.   "Taking on a Mitzvah" or "Taking a Step" vs In or Out.  The Dietary Laws (plus:  “Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform”) part 1 - Getting Started, Treyfe, and Social Dimension.

Kosher Dietary Laws Part 2:  Reasons for Laws, Dishes, Kosher slaughter, and Eating Out.   Assignment:  Donin chapters on Kashrut and on Treatment of Animals

Prayer.  Assignment: Read either Steinsaltz book or Donin's To Pray as a Jew

Purim and Shabbat.  Assignment:  Donin chapters on Shabbat plus as much of Heschel's The Sabbath as makes sense to you.

Pesach 

Theology:  Kabbalah, Torah, and the Universe.  Background lecture: Kabbalah (video lecture) and Kabbalah #2.  The texts are here.

Israel.  (Please watch the 50 Years War, Elusive Peace, and The Oslo Diaries, or as much as possible.  Open this document.) 

The Holidays and the Jewish Paradigm of Journey

Candidates will make a Google-doc to share with the rabbi using this text:

As a conversion candidate, I agree to the following code of conduct.

    I agree to attend at least 12 Friday evening Shabbat services and at least 18 Saturday morning Shabbat services, as well as the holiday morning services of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and the evening services of Simchat Torah, Purim, Shavuot, and Tisha B’Av.  I will keep a record on this page with each service attended for the rabbi to review.

    I agree to attend all of the Intro to Judaism classes.  I will miss no more than three classes, and in those cases I will review the audio-or-video recordings from those topics in their entirety.  I will keep a record on this page of my class attendance.

    In addition to the Intro to Judaism classes, I agree to attend other classes offered by the rabbi when I am available, and I will keep a record of this attendance as well.

    I will also make sure that as a prospective member of Beth Israel Congregation, I will maintain a Beth Israel account (with login and password and my correct contact information), and I will join when the process is complete.  (First year membership is free for new converts.)  I will read the Beth Israel emails and attend programming that interests me.

    I understand that by not meeting the above expectations, I expect the rabbi to assume I’m no longer interested in the conversion process. 

    [USE THIS AREA TO ACCOUNT FOR ATTENDANCE:]