Weekly Daf Yomi - Talmud Study 2009 Winter/Spring Semester Underway
Our weekly Daf Yomi class meets each Erev Shabbat morning at our Council office in Newton. Now in its third year, it is led by our recent past-President, Dr. Jesse Hefter of Brookline. The class, led in English and accessible to everyone, is open to women and men of all backgrounds and follows the world-wide cycle of daily Talmud study. We meet from 7:30-8:30 AM. The Spring Semester started on Friday, January 30 and runs through April 3. The subject matter is from the Tractate of Bava Kamma (Torts and Liability Law) but may, as the Talmud often does, cover a wide and stimulating array of subjects!
To provide some background information about the development of the Oral Tradition and the Talmud, here are some relvant notes you might find of assistance. The notes include:
- Historical time chart from Moses to today...
- A chart of all the tractates of the Talmud
- Definition of Baraitot
The International Cycle of Daf Yomi (a page of talmud studied each day) was initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of the Lubliner Yeshiva on September 11, 1923. The 2,711 pages of the talmud requires about 7 and a half years to complete on a "page-a-day" pace. The same page of Talmud is learned around the world by thousands of Jews in dozens of languages, in synagogues, homes, buses, cars, trains, and offices, and studied via classes, audio and video tapes, iPod and Palm downloads, and over the Internet. Come join us this Winter/Spring; secure online registration is available online. It's free to come by once to try it out and there's always some cofee!
New Synagogue Council/Boston-Haifa Women's Initiative! Siach: Women's Dialogue
, has been established as a women's communication and study group between Boston and Haifa. This project was borne largely out of the incredible bonds of friendship forged since our Israel Unity Mission in January 2007, especially between several women in the group. We have been emailing and meeting with our partners in Haifa, mostly women who have expressed interest in dialogue and Jewish learning, to work toward the goal of establishing a pluralistic dialogue group for women in both cities. The groups are comprised of 12 women on each side of the ocean from across the Jewish religious and cultural spectrum and spanning a wide age range. Meeting monthly, each group will discuss the same topics separately, with every third meeting taking the form of a teleconference between Boston and Haifa. A blog is being set up for the women to interact throughout the year. We are very excited about this program, which we hope and believe will open new doors of communication between our two communities, and be a catalyst for deepening relationships and respect for all Jews, whatever paths we choose to follow.
Women's Dialogue Group
Bringing together select women of diverse Jewish backgrounds, the Synagogue Council's Women's Dialogue Group meets monthly throughout the year. Group members share a concern for the divisions within our Jewish community and a desire to seek greater knowledge of that which unites us as Jews.
Staff Study
For its office staff and that of neighboring Jewish communal organizations which affords the opportunity to spend lunch hour nourishing not only the body but the Jewish soul as well.