Congregation Beth Mordecai
Congregation Beth Mordecai
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
October 30, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
LIVE Today at 12 pm -- This Week's Online Parashah Class!
THIS WEEK...
Parashat Vayera 2015/5776: Where Is Home?
Beginning with Abraham, the Israelites are in constant search for home. Their existence is predicated upon the constant search for home and the reality of living in the diaspora or exile. Is it possible for the Israelites to truly ever reach home? Is it possible for us to ever find our true home? Or is life a constant search for it, with lots of stops along the way.
We'll look at this question through Abraham's search for home and in particular his sojourn in the land of the Philistines for "many days" (Genesis 21:34).
Join us for this fascinating class on finding home.
Classes from other years:
2012/5773[...]
Category : Online Parashah Class Tag : online parashah class parasha parsha weekly torah portion
September 4, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Ki Tavo 5775/2015 (Triennial II) -- The Power of Blessing
Blessings are all around us; some are hidden and some are plain to see. It is part of the human condition to search out blessings because we know they have power. But what is that power? What makes us yearn to say "I bless you" and to experience the feeling of being blessed?
Join us to discuss the power of blessing through the lens of four discrete blessings in this week's Torah portion (Deuteronomy 28:3-6).
Photo taken from -- Photo taken by C. Jill Reed on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulmatsherm/
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : k'li yakar k'li yaqar keli yakar keli yaqar Ki Tavo online learning online parashah class parasha parashah parsha
June 6, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat B'ha-alot'khah 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Does God Need Light?
At the beginning of this week's Torah portion, we learn how the Israelites (and particularly the Levites) are instructed to light the m'norah in the Temple. But why is that light there? Do the people need the light to see in the Temple? Or does God need the light of the people? Or is there another purpose to this light altogether! Come join us for this fascinating conversation about the usage of light in our sacred spaces.
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : b'ha-alot'khah behaalotecha candles God light m'norah menorah online learning online parashah class parasha parsha rabeinu bachya rashi weekly torah portion בהעלותך
May 16, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat B'hukkotai 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Is The Earth At Fault
We normally think of the earth and all it contains as being some of the most beautiful creations of God. Throughout the Torah, the earth is laid to waste when humans commit sins, a trope that has become very popular today in environmentalist circles. But is it possible that according to our Torah portion today, Parashat B'hukkotai, the blame for human transgression should not be laid solely at the feet of humanity? Should the earth bear some responsibility for the transgressions that lay it bare? Check out today's class for this fascinating conversation!
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : abundance earth environmentalism human impact human nature k'li yakar keli yakar keli yaqar online learning online parashah class parasha parsha parshah torah weekly torah portion בחוקותי
January 3, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Last week's Online Parashah Class: Parashat Bo 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Pharaoh’s Egypt: By the People, For the People? By most accounts, the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were God-like figures who had God-like powers over their subjects. Yet, in our Parashah which describes the last moments before the Israelites are freed from Egypt, it seems that the people have a little more power than you’d expect under Pharaoh’s rule. Is this example of populous pressure a hint of the move towards more popular centered rule, like democracy? Classes from other years... (2013/5773) Triennial III -- Leaving in Haste: On the Israelites Being Freed From Egypt
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : democracy egypt israelites online learning online parashah class parasha parsha people pharaoh populist revolution torah weekly torah portion
July 26, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
2013/5773 (Triennial III) -- More Than Just Us (PART I) Every day we learn more about life. The experiences we have, the teachings that we gain all amount to the unique oral Torah that each one of us carries along, and it is by seeing life through the lens of that unique Torah which gives us the ability to understand the nature of reality. Reality is thus through the eyes of the beholder. Yet, aren't there moments when we become aware of the limitations of our vision? Aren't there opportunities for us to see reality as something more, as something greater than what we experience in our own individual lives? These are the questions that we will investigate today through[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : eikev ekev online parashah class parasha parsha unique torah vision
July 19, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
2013/5773 (Triennial III) -- Are Certain Parts of the Torah More Important Than Others? This week we read Parashat Va-ethanan which includes two of the most famous sections of the Torah -- the Shema and the 10 Commandments. It is customary for the congregation to stand during the public reading of the 10 Commandments, yet this custom has been debated throughout rabbinic literature because standing for the 10 commandments seems to overemphasize their importance. During this week's class, we will look at some of these rabbinic sources together as we explore whether or not it's appropriate to emphasize certain sections of the Torah.
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : 10 commandments online parashah class parasha parsha torah vaetchanan vaethanan
July 12, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
2013/5773 (Triennial III) -- Can God Be the Ultimate General? In this week's Parashah, we read Moses' retelling of the Israelites' military victories over other peoples of the ancient near east, and directs the Israelites on which peoples they will defeat in the future. Throughout this re-telling, God plays a central role -- it is not the Israelites' decision on which lands to conquer but rather God's decision based on God's promises to other nations on what lands belong to them. In this regard, God is acting like the Ultimate General, deciding what territory belongs to which people. Can this vision of God as an Ultimate General resonate with us today? Are we in control of our own land or are there other[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : ancient near east d'varim deuteronomy devarim general God israelites online learning online parashah class parasha parashah parsha
January 25, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
2013/5773 (Triennial III) -- Interpreting God's Gifts Classes from other years: 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- How Do We and God Interact in this World?
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : b'shallach b'shallah beshallach beshallah gifts God online learning online parashah class parasha parsha triennial
December 21, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
2012/5773 (Triennial III) What do you need to have closure? What do you need in order to say goodbye?
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : closure final goodbye learning online parashah class parasha parsha reconciliation triennial vayigash vayiggash vayyigash weekly torah portion