Winter Retreat
“Remembering the Retreat”
December 19: 6:00-9:30 pm ET
–Zoom login link is in the Zoom registration confirmation email–
For The National Havurah! mini-virtual-Winter Retreat:
Under the general theme of “Jewish spiritual renewal,” the National Havurah Committee has announced the details of its annual Winter Retreat for 2020, in a mini-virtual mode.
A musical Havdalah will begin the evening, followed by a series of mini-courses which we will split up to attend, and then we will come back together for our talent show.
Note – this will be a no-fee gathering! Donations to support scholarships for next year’s NHC Winter Retreat are welcome.
Please contact us at ne-retreat@havurah.org if you’d like to help, organize, or participate.
COURSES
You may choose 4, we cannot guarantee your choices. If you have the latest version of Zoom, you can choose your own course/breakout room. Get a FREE personal Zoom account and make sure it stays updated.
The latest version is 5.4.3.
Course 1- God’s Name and God’s Nature
God’s name, God’s nature and what God wants from us are bound up together in a few biblical texts. We’ll explore these texts based on the thoughts of Yoram Hazony in his book “The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture.”
Aliza Arzt is a member of Havurat Shalom, and a long-time teacher at NHC retreats.
Course 2- Pentateuch Pinky-Pointing
Do you point at the Torah with your pinky during hagbah (the lifting of the Torah at the end of the reading)? Find out why you do that.
Solomon Mowshowitz (aka Mosh) is a molecular biologist, a Past-Chair of the NHC, a frequent teacher at both the summer Institute and the winter retreat, and also taught gene-splicing at Columbia University.
Course 3- “Meditation on the Surrounding Angels”
There are 4 angels and the Shechina who surround us according to the bedtime Shema. Come and learn about them and we will do a guided meditation asking for Clear Vision, Understanding, Healing, Strength, and Divine Protection and Peace. We all need a little of that in these tough times!
Sue Gulack is a chaplain at 3 prisons and a psychiatric hospital. She reaches for strength and calm, patience and understanding on a regular basis.
Course 4– Risqué Jewish texts: Bible Stories You Didn’t Learn in Hebrew School -Those Midianite Women.
We will read several totally compromising texts from the Torah and/or the Prophets. Hebrew knowledge is not required.
Ronnie Levin holds a graduate degree in Bible and Tefilah, and has been a popular Havurah teacher for years.
Course 5- Reading Ahead – the practice of preparing to fully receive the weekly wisdom of the parsha.
Join me in a discussion to explore the benefits of studying the parshiot. We will share resources and Torah insights. Facilitated by Rayzl Feuer, Rev. Mashpiah Ruchanit.
Rayzl is the Spiritual Leader of the Havurah, PNAI shORe, on the shoreline of CT. She is also a Spiritual Counselor who accompanies folks as needed. She teaches and studies online.
Course 6- Acquiring Wealth
In this course, we will examine Ben Zoma’s mishnah in Pirkei Avot and discuss how we can apply his formulas for acquiring wealth, strength, and wisdom to our lives.
Joe Rosenstein, a long-time teacher at NHC events, is currently writing a book about Pirkei Avot. He is the author of Machzor Eit Ratzon and Siddur Eit Ratzon (newsiddur.org), and of Memorable Verses in the Torah (www.MemorableVerses.com).
Course 7- Do Our Pets Have Souls?
Do animals have souls and minds? Descartes and the civilization that followed him emphatically say, no! Today we are waking up from that sour dream and seeing different things. Looking at multiple sources, we will see that the rabbis of the classical period guided toward accepting that animals do have souls, and will explore how this affects our love of the non-human and for Nature itself.
David Seidenberg is a Rabbi and author of “Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World” and creator of neohasid.org. He lives in Northampton MA.
Be a star!
You’re invited to participate in COVID Friday Night, a short play by Miriam Diamond to be aired at our talent show. Miriam has roles available for a narrator and 4 adult characters (1 female-identifying and 3 male-identifying, with gender-blind and older teen casting options). Actors can read from scripts and the show will be prerecorded from the comfort of your own home. There will be 2 meetings (one rehearsal and one recording with costumes, props, etc.). If you’re interested, email miryam1918@gmail.com (including days and times you are available to meet) by December 5.
Miriam Diamond is a popular Jewish educator from Brookline, MA. She has taught at previous NHC winter retreats, Limmud Boston, and Limmud UK. Her play, Out of the Loop, has been performed and read in communities across New England and at Limmud UK.