Service Description

For the fourth consecutive year, we are proud to partner with the Hadar Institute’s Elul Program based in New York. This program features a curated text study designed for traditional chavrutah learning. This approach recognizes that each of us engages with a text or story from unique perspectives and experiences, and by combining these viewpoints, we gain a deeper understanding of the wisdom passed down by our ancestors. In our program, participants engage in chavrutah study simultaneously in online breakout rooms. When we reconvene in the main session, facilitated by Rabbi Andi, our collective learning is enriched by the diverse perspectives shared. This year, our focus is: God of Our Mothers: What Our Matriarchs Teach Us About Connecting to God God of Our Mothers: What Our Matriarchs Teach Us About Connecting to God The image of God as “King” reverberates throughout the High Holiday liturgy. This image evokes a hierarchical relationship with God, suggesting that we relate to God as subjects. Rosh Hashanah’s Torah and Haftarah readings, however, center our foremothers. In this course, we will explore what these matriarchs – Hannah, Rachel, Hagar and Sarah – teach us about connecting to God. Each mother offers a different perspective on how we might understand God and our relationship with God. Perhaps most powerfully, their stories open up the metaphor for relating to God as “Mother.” While this course does indeed center matriarchs and the maternal experience, the wisdom it offers is for everyone, regardless of gender identity.