SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 11AM 
MEN'S GROUP (CHOCHAMIM)

Dear Friends,

I hope you all are well, that you had a wonderful thanksgiving and that December brings much good cheer.  We meet this coming Sunday morning at 11am.  Saturday night is the first night of Chanukah, so Sunday morning we'll be in our first day of Chanukah.  Surprise, I'd like to think about our question -- "What do we want to tell our children/grandchildren . . . " through a Chanukah lens.

A primary idea or question we'll talk about is: "If/when have we ever felt like the underdog, the small and powerless one?"  That was the situation the Maccabees found themselves in, in 165 BC.  The Hanukah story offers two very different kinds of ideas.  

What advice do we have for our grandchildren on this subject?  We will look at a few Chanukah texts and also pages 192-195 of our Heschel article, which can be found through my blog, below.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.  May this Chanukah season be filled with light and warmth and passion.

Chag urim sameach (a happy and luminous holiday to all),

Meir

The Individual Jew and His Obligations, (part 1) Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Individual Jew and His Obligations, (part 2) Abraham Joshua Heschel

OCTOBER 21, 9AM, SUNDAY MEN'S GROUP

Hi Sunday Morning Friends (chochamim),

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning, Oct. 21 at 9:30am.  The meta-question we will ask this year is: "What do we want to tell our children and grandchildren about (multiple 
subjects) ?"  (i) About the essence of life; (ii) About what it means to be a Jew versus an American;  (iii)  About why am I a Reform Jew; (iv) About the role of community in life;  (v) About where we came from, the significance of our family history; (vi) About what we would want in the 'ethical will' we might write to our children and grand-children; (vii) About the Holocaust; and lastly, (viii) About who might say kaddish for us.

At the end of last year, we briefly encountered the wonderful essay by Abraham Joshua Heschel, entitled The Individual Jew and his Obligations.  I want us to begin the year with that essay.  For our first gathering, Sunday, October 21, 9am, please read this essay (which can be found at the blog link below) and select two or three passages that you find powerful.

Click on this link to find the essay by Abraham Joshua Heschel, entitled The Individual Jew and his Obligations.  Enjoy!


Meir