Limmud AZ 2019

This presentation will be on the Dead Sea Scrolls and their Second Temple period context. More specifically, the discussion will be about the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves, the site of Qumran, and textual production and authority during the Second Temple period.  

Today diverse biomedical procedures constitute what we call “genetic engineering.”  These procedures include genetic mapping, genetic testing and screening, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, genetic surgery, and research that could to the cloning of humans constitute, and genome editing.  This lecture discusses the pro-biotechnology stance of Jewish ethicists who ground their stance in the commandment to heal (ve-rafo yerape; Exodus 21:19).  The lecture explains the theological justifications for the pro-biotechnology stance of most Jewish bioethicists, the existential and demographic stresses in Israel and the Diaspora that account for the pro-biotechnology stance, and some of the dissenting voices who have been critical of biotechnology.

We all know the names Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. But who knows the full stories behind women like Yael, Jephthah's Daughter, Jezebel, and more? Join us as we learn more about this characters and how our tradition has imagined their lives--both from rabbinic commentary and contemporary women's writings.

Sometimes change, whether personal, professional, or spiritual, is necessary for success. But how often do we stick to the path that we are on simply because we are already on it? How often do we forget that each moment of our lives contains within it a choice—to keep moving in the same direction or to change courses? In the story of the Akedah there is a pivotal moment when Abraham decides not to kill his son, and this moment changes the course of not only Abraham and Isaac’s lives, but the lives of the entire Jewish people. This session will explore that crucial moment in the story of the Akedah and will investigate the importance of listening to our own inner voices as well as what it takes to live lives in which we are more likely to hear those voices in the first place.  

If you thought Jewish feminism is your mother’s issue, think again. A woman rabbi, a woman Israeli Supreme Court judge, an Orthodox female Talmud scholar, an Orthodox synagogue where women read the Torah from their side of the mechitzah— once ridiculous scenarios are reaching the stage of “normative.” So, nu...what’s still left for Jewish feminism to accomplish? Is there a "third-wave" Jewish feminism?
Rabbi Goldstein's teaching at Limmud AZ is made possible by a grant from the Covenant Foundation.

The Lurianic Kabbalists, and the Hasidic masters after them, taught that God is in exile throughout the world in the form of sacred sparks, fragments of divinity hidden in creation. Our mission as human beings is to redeem God, to bring God home again, by gathering up those sparks. Rabbi Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl, one of the greatest of the early Hasidic masters, added that we bring God out of exile by going into exile ourselves – that is, by leaving our comfort zone, in search of sacred sparks that we cannot access in any other way. We must leave home to bring God home. We will discuss a teaching from his book, the Meor Einayim, on parshat B’reisheet, in which he develops that idea.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will examine how Hebrew letters have evolved over thousands of years and continue to be transformed. Playing together with letter forms, we will turn letters and words back into pictures transforming text into visual midrash. After an introduction to the history of the Hebrew alphabet we will create our own masterpieces with Hebrew letters.  

What are the origins of the current renaissance in Jewish mindfulness, meditation, and spirituality? What do we mean when we talk about building a radically inclusive spiritual community, and why is this kind of community needed now more than ever? We'll explore mindfulness and meditation practices from the heart of Judaism, updated for today's gender-diverse Jewish community. We'll learn spiritual practices from the teachings of contemporary Jewish meditation masters such as Perle Besserman (a student of the eminent Aryeh Kaplan z"l), Alan Lew z"l, Jonathan Omer-Man, and Estelle Fraenkel (things like inquiry practice,  blessings as mindfulness, spiritual journaling, and unifications) as well as meditation techniques such as linking the breath with the Divine name, guided visualization with gender-neutral Kabbalistic imagery, and using Jewish mantra (focus phrase), mudra (hand position), and mizrach (visual anchor).  

Come hear what a Baptist church taught a Reform Rabbi about tefillah. What is prayer and what is it not? What are we getting all wrong and what can we do about it?  Whether you find prayer meaningful or extremely difficult, this workshop will get you thinking about the role of prayer in your life.  
Rabbi Goldstein's teaching at Limmud AZ is made possible by a grant from the Covenant Foundation.