Tochnit Elul At The Jewish Center
How the Authors of the Midrash Read the Book of Yonah
Tuesdays at 7:30 PM | Beit Midrash
With Rabbi Yosie Levine
Join us for a special three-week, in-person learning series exploring how the Midrash interprets the Book of Yonah. Delve into the timeless themes of repentance, compassion, and Divine justice through the lens of Rabbinic literature.
Dates: September 9th, 16th, 30th
Journeys of Teshuva
A special three-week Zoom series
Mondays at 7:30 PM | on Zoom
Prepare for the Yamim Noraim with a special three-week learning series. Explore themes of teshuva, forgiveness, and renewal through history, rabbinic thought, and contemporary challenges.
September 8th – Lessons from Yamim Noraim in the Shadow of War: Testimonies from 1941 and 2024
Community Scholar Raizi Chechik
September 15th – The Heretic Rabbi and Repentance: Elisha Ben Avuyah and Us
Rabbinic Intern Aaron Soloveichik
September 29th – Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained: Teshuva in an Age of Cancel Culture
Rabbinic Intern Yonatan Kurz
Service of Smoke, Service of the Heart: Bridging the Kohen Gadol’s Ritual with our Personal Prayers
Tochnit Elul Series
With Community Educator Neti Penstein
Wednesdays at 7:30 PM | Beit Midrash
Amitz Koach, a centerpiece of the Yom Kippur Mussaf, is a piyyut that details the Kohen Gadol’s intricate service in the Beis HaMikdash on the holiest of days. Though these rituals can feel distant, this series will explore how they appear in our prayers, illuminating and deepening the central spiritual themes of Yom Kippur.
September 3th – Seven Days to the Summit: The Kohen Gadol’s Quarantine as a Model for Elul Introspection
September 10th – Confession in the Key of We: Viduy from the Temple to the Synagogue
September 17th – Fragrance and Fog: Searching for God on Yom Kippur
Why Do We Do That? Understanding the History and Meaning of High Holy Day Customs
With Rabbi Yehuda Goldberg
Shabbat Afternoons in September
The High Holy Days are filled with rich and meaningful customs. This series will uncover the history behind these practices and explore how they continue to shape the way we experience and celebrate the High Holy Days today.
September 13th – All About Eve? Eating an Esrog on Rosh Hashana (and Dipping an Apple in Honey)
September 20th – Swimming with the Fishes: The Custom of Tashlich
September 27th – Much Ado About Vows: Understanding the Pageantry of Kol Nidrei
The Lonely Man of Faith Returns: Exploring Rav Soloveitchik’s Writings on Teshuva
Young Leadership Beit Midrash Elul Series | Mondays at 7:30 PM
With Rabbi Yehuda Goldberg
This Elul, the Young Leadership Beit Midrash will explore the theme of Teshuva through the thought of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, with special attention to his work Al HaTeshuva (On Repentance). We will examine the Rav’s insights as they emerge from the Gemara and Rambam, reflecting on their meaning and practical relevance for our own lives.
Dates: September 8th, 15th, 29th
A special three-part Beit Midrash series