INTRODUCTION TO JEWISH MYSTICISM:

Classical and Modern

With RABBI LEONARD GORDON

APRIL 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, and June 5   10:00-11:15am

What are the roots and contemporary branches of Jewish mystical thought and practice?  How has Jewish mysticism influenced our prayer book and our ritual lives?  We will read texts from Biblical times (Ezekial and Isaiah), the Rabbinic era (El Adon), the Middle Ages (Zohar) and Modern Times (Hassidism and the writings of New Age Jewish mystics).

EZEKIEL CHAPTER ONE  p. 1

BABYLONIAN TALMUD, TRACTATE HAGIGAH (commenting on Ezekiel Chapter One) p. 2

FROM PIRKEI HEIKHALOT  pp. 3-19

FROM SEFER YETZIRAH (the Book of Creation) p. 20

CHARTS OF THE SEPHIROT p. 21-23

FROM THE ESSENTIAL KABBALAH  pp. 24-29

SUMMARY OF THE MYSTICAL ACCOUNT OF CREATION pp. 30-35

KABBALAH AND THE “BIG BANG”  p.36

ON MAASEH BERESHIT (Creation) p. 37

GOD AND CREATION FROM THE CONSERVATIVE AND RECONSTRUCTION PERSPECTIVES  pp. 38-43

MAIMONIDES on Creation p. 44

ROBERT FROST “West-Running Brook” pp. 45-47

Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street in Newton, is hosting a Grandparents Circle starting on Monday evening, Feb. 27. The Grandparents Circle provides free education and support for grandparents whose adult children are intermarried.

The program, through a combination of in-person sessions, interactive listserve participation and events for grandparents and their grandchildren, enables Jewish grandparents to share their Jewish heritage with their grandchildren from interfaith homes. For more information, contact Terri Swartz Russell at adultlearning@templeemanuel.com or (617) 558-8105.

Classes meet Wednesdays, for 14 sessions
6 – 9 p.m., Tuition: $360
Begins February 29, ends on June 13
Combined Jewish Philanthropies, 126 High Street, Boston

Have you launched your new business, or are you ready to? Looking for ways to improve your chance of success and maximize your potential in today’s competitive marketplace?

Join us for the new CJP/JVS Entrepreneurship Program, brought to you in partnership with Interise, Boston-based experts in small business development. This highly affordable program combines traditional classroom instruction, workshops, case studies, research and one-on-one consulting to guide you toward entrepreneurial success.

Who should attend:
Anyone who has
*    Recently started their own business
*    Is about to launch a business

What you’ll learn:
*    Compiling and executing a business plan
*    Financing your business
*    Marketing and sales fundamentals
*    Strategic planning and research techniques
*    Maximizing your ROI

Register by Friday, February 22! Space is limited.

For more information or to register for the program, contact Bill Ward at 617-399-3230 at bward@jvs-boston.org.

Join us for our havdalah service with singing and refreshments!

Book Club meets

In a dangerous world, one extraordinary woman can mean the difference between life and death.

Set against the disparate worlds of art and intelligence, Portrait of a Spy moves swiftly from the corridors of power in Washington to the glamorous auction houses of New York and London to the unforgiving landscape of the Saudi desert. Featuring a climax that will leave readers haunted long after they turn the final page, this deeply entertaining story is also a breathtaking portrait of courage in the face of unspeakable evil–and Daniel Silva’s most extraordinary novel to date.

Play-Reading Group Performance Scheduled for April 22

Save the date and circle your calendars for “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” a comedy by Neil Simons to be performed Sunday, April 22^nd in the Schwartz Social Hall at 3 p.m.  Our very own Mishkan Tefila Play Reading group will present their rendition.  Tickets are free.  We look forward to your attendance!

For questions or more information contact Judie Strauss at judieshel@verizon.net.

You’re invited to a communal Second Seder:  Saturday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. 

Join us for a family-friendly seder, co-sponsored by Sisterhood, which will include dynamic singing, new rituals, and storytelling as we introduce a new haggadah, A Different Night: The Family Participation Haggadah.  CMT members and their guests will receive first priority.

Member Rates:

• Adults: $54.00
• Kids (5-12): $27.00
• Kids (Under 5): Donation

Non-Member Rates:

• Adults:  $65.00
• Kids (5-12): $36.00
• Kids (Under 5): Donation

RSVP to Harriet at (617) 332-7770 to reserve your seat today!

Purim Carnival on Sunday, March 11

Join us for family fun from 12-2 p.m. at our annual Purim Carnival!

Join us to celebrate our Minyanaires on Sunday, March 11 at 9 a.m

Join us for the 2012 “Honor the Minyanaires Breakfast,” sponsored by Brotherhood and Minyan. Come and show your appreciation to our minyan regulars who help keep alive our spiritual life and enable those in need to honor the memory of their loves ones with Kaddish.

Our speaker will be Rabbi Karen Landy, Chaplain of the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center at Newbridge. She will discuss “God as a Healer of the Soul: Insights from the Jewish Chaplaincy”. The breakfast will feature an entertaining visit–”A Ritual Director from a Different Zone or Dimension.”

Call (617) 332-7770 to make your FREE reservation today!

Humor, Music, Insight, Camaraderie
An Unforgettable Event