A Time to Learn and a Time to Reflect

by Rabbi Daniel Gropper

Indigenous People’s Day was also Rosh Hodesh Heshvan. Our sages call it mar Heshvan (bitter Heshvan from mar meaning bitter, as in maror, bitter herbs) because it’s the only month in the Hebrew calendar without a holiday. After the spiritual highs of the fall holidays, this can feel downright depressing. 

One of my teachers, Rabbi Richard Levy z’l said we should instead call it “Holy Heshvan.” Our task is to find holiness in the everyday. Heshvan then functions as an ideal time for grounded, everyday Jewish learning and spiritual integration.

With that in mind, here are three ways to engage with CSR this month and beyond:

The first is our annual Goodkind Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat. My good friend (and skiing buddy) Rabbi Elyse Frishman is joining us to help us explore our own spirituality and to help us wrestle with our concepts of God. Elyse edited our siddur Mishkan T’fillah and is an avid student of Kabbalah. Learn more and RSVP here. You are in for a treat! 

On Wednesday, October 21, our popular Jewish Information Class returns. You read about it last Friday. Now it’s time to sign up. In 14 bi-weekly sessions you will be introduced to Judaism’s major concepts, develop a deep understanding of our sacred days and learn to locate yourself within the arc of Jewish history. As one student from last year’s class reflected, “I walked away with a deeper appreciation for Judaism and would recommend this class to anyone looking to learn, grow, or reconnect."

With all the anti-zionist sentiment out there, knowing your story and your history will allow you to speak directly to where we are now. And you cannot speak to where you are now if you don’t know where you came from.

Space is limited, Click here to learn more and to register.

There is always a plethora of ongoing learning for adults here at CSR:

• CSR Book Club (to be placed on the email list for early notifications of the next book, email Melanie Appelbaum)

• Jewish film class with Cantor Cooperman and her playwright and screenwriter husband Allan Staples

• Roots of Faith

• Wake up Torah Study (2nd Friday of each month from 7:00-8:00 AM) and of course,

• Torah study every Shabbat (9:00-9:45 AM worship, 9:45-10:00 AM kiddush snack, 10:00-10:45 AM interactive learning - come for the part that works best for you). 

A man came to Hillel, asking him to teach him the whole Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel answered: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Zeil G’mor - Go and learn."

I hope you do the same. Torah means instruction. Mishna - the first layer of Jewish law - means repetition. Talmud means learning. See the connection? It is lifelong learning that has sustained us through the generations. 

Zeil G’mor - Go and learn!

Rabbi Daniel Gropper