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Purim: Dimensions of Leadership. Standing Up and Speaking Out
The Book of Esther plays a major role in our tradition related to standing up against anti-Semitism. The main characters represent archetypes of various types of leadership styles that impact the unfolding of the story. As we prepare to enter into Purim next month, let's get beyond the carnival and the shpiels. Let's explore the narrative together in terms of its power and politics relevant today.
Cheryl Weiner
Rabbi Cheryl Weiner is an award winning Jewish educator who connects ancient texts with modern relevance. She is a Staff Chaplain with Mishkan Miami/ Greater Miami Jewish Federation, where she is Director of the Refuat HaNefesh Program/training volunteers to visit those in need and... Read More →
Wisdom from Reb Zalman : Embracing the Jewish Spirit
Prepare to be inspired and challenged as "Reb Goldie" shares provocative vignettes from her newest book Wisdom from Reb Zalman. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924-2014) was both a sage and renaissance person who modeled how to bridge science and spirituality during the pre-war European to early 21st century Judaism. Topic areas explore tensions presented by patriarchy and feminism, tradition and innovation, Judaism and other world religions. Reb Zalman's influence is widely evident in Jewish life today and there's much to draw on for inspiration in your own life and work!
Goldie Milgram
Educator, Author, Storyteller, Artist, Reclaiming Judaism
Known for her sense of humor, scholarship, and as an innovator in the fields of Jewish experiential and spiritual education, Rabbi Dr. Goldie Milgram has been honored by the Covenant Foundation, National Jewish Book Council, and featured by the Jewish Futures Conference. Her recent... Read More →
A Biblical and Talmudic Understanding of Anti-Semitism Before the Word Was Invented
Imagine a life where every decision could be made so simply, that it's either "yes" or "no." Learn how the Jewish Mussar or ethics Movement and its focus on Middot or character trait Development has a strong relationship to the entrepreneurial world. Embodying Values-Based Decision-Making, Mussar is a practice that can be applied to everyone's life, regardless of background.
Edwin Farber
Rabbi Emeritus, Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus
Ed Farber is the Rabbi Emeritus of Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus where he served as Rabbi for 23 years. Prior to that Rabbi Farber was the founding Rabbi of Temple Samuel-El in Kendall where he served for 16 years. He is the Chairperson for the Rabbinical Assembly's conversion program... Read More →
All of the Above: Esther's Mordecai as Pious Jew, Assimilated Jew, Smooth Operative and Saintly Hero
Mordecai is a complex and polemical figure in the Bible. He brought redemption and salvation to a community on the verge of extermination. He is also far away from the traditional Biblical model of a hero or a pious leader. More than any other Biblical character, Mordecai embodies the dilemmas and the complexities of the modern Jew. He is of his time, a product of a foreign culture and an assimilated Jew to some extent. And, at the same time, he is someone who saved his people from tragic genocide.
Guido Cohen
Rabbi, Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center
Guido Cohen is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary affiliated Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano and is also a graduate of the University of Buenos Aires Law School. He worked many years at Colegio Tarbut, one of the largest... Read More →
The Transition from Temple to Synagogue
Within a few generations, Judaism made the transition from sacrificial offerings in the Temple to prayer in the synagogue, from the authority of the priests to the authority of the rabbis, from reliance upon the written Torah to the guidance of the oral Torah. How did that happen? We'll explore some of the texts and processes that facilitated that transition. And we'll ask how this relates to current times.
Mitchell Chefitz
Jewish Educator
Mitch is the author of "The Seventh Telling: The Kabbalah of Moshe Katan," and the widely translated story collection "The Curse of Blessings." He has participated in several international symposiums on spirituality and has been scholar-in-residence in communities throughout the... Read More →
What Queen Esther Might Have Known about the Holocaust
This is a text study, looking into the history of Amalek, the development of anti-Semitism and some clues in the Scroll of Esther that may hint at future events.
Jeremy Barras
Rabbi, Temple Beth Am
Jeremy Barras is a native of Wilkes-Barre, P.A. where he grew up in a strong Jewish community, attending an Orthodox day school until seventh grade. He descends from a long line of distinguished rabbis who have passed on the traditions of Jewish scholarship throughout the generations... Read More →
Mussar Practice: Closing the Gap Between How You Want to Behave and Actually Do!
The Hebrew term Mussar, means instruction toward ethical discipline, or conduct. The term was used by the Mussar Movement to refer to the disciplined efforts to further ethical and spiritual development. Join Deborah Newbrun for an experiential introduction to Mussar practice. We'll take a look at what are called our soul-traits, and what we can do to polish up our act.
Deborah Newbrun's participation in Limmud Miami is made possible with generous support from The Covenant Foundation.
Deborah Newbrun
Jewish Educator, Covenant Grant Winner, Get Set Go Community Adventures
Deborah Newbrun is the co-author of "Spirit In Nature/Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail." She has worked as a naturalist and Jewish educator for the past 35 years and served 26 of those years as Director of Camp Tawonga, a Jewish overnight camp near Yosemite. Deborah received... Read More →
The Sacrifice of the Beloved Child In Abrahamic Religions
Dive into the textual sources on this heated topic. Child sacrifice exists in the history of all Abrahamic (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) and other religions. What is the story behind this practice?
Haskell Bernat
Rabbi and Educator, Melton Graduate Program and Gulliver Prep
Haskell Bernat comes to the world of Jewish Education with an early background in Orthodox Yeshivot . He did his Undergraduate Studies at Yeshiva University, Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary and was ordained at HUC-JIR. He earned his Doctorate in Interreligious... Read More →