The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2016 - Page 8
Jewish Learning Institute Introduces a Fascinating New Course This February
The Jewish Course of Why
Jews always have questions
and Judaism offers many tradi
tions and eustoms that leave us
with the question of “Why?” Why
do we plaee a pebble on a head
stone? Why do we say Mazal
Tov? Why are Jews singled out
for perseeution?
The Jewish Course of Why
spans a diverse range of topies,
from fun, light, and off-the-
beaten-traek questions, to more
eomplex and eontroversial issues.
Enjoy a fun and dynamie learning
experienee, eneounter rational in
sights into the most intriguing as-
peets of Judaism, and give your
Jewish knowledge a boost. Sign
up today for an unusually enlight
ening experienee. Please visit
ehabadne.org or myjli.eom to reg
ister.
The six week eourse begins on
February 9 with the evening
eourse and February 10 with the
morning eourse. The evening
eourse will meet six eonseeutive
Does someone important in your iife:
with
♦ Appear to listen but not hear?
♦ Have difficulty understanding
background noise?
♦ Have difficulty following
conversations in a group?
♦ Speak louder than necessary?
♦ Experience an annoying
ringing in the ears?
If you answered “Yes,” WE CAN HELP!
Offering hearing evaiuations for chiidren and aduits, hearing
aid saies and service, auditory processing disorder evaiuation
and treatment.
Dr. Melissa Karp, Au.D, FA A A
Board certified audiologist
The listening^
(earning ^pnter
1040 Edgewater Corporate Parkway, Indian Land, SC 29707
(5 minutes from Ballantyne)
803-323-8909
www.hearlistenlearn.com
A LIFETIME OF LEARNING BEGINS
WITH A WALKTHROUGH OUR DOORS.
Charlotte Prep understands children are inherently
hungry to learn. Our child-centered focus and
innovative approach to education ensures that each
one of our children reaches their full potential.
Visit us today: charlotteprep.org I 704-366-5994
CHARLOTTE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Tuesdays at 7:30 PM and will be
led by Rabbi Yossi Groner. The
morning elass will meet on six
eonseeutive Wednesdays at 11 and
will be led by Rabbi Shlomo
Cohen.
Partieipants will be provided
with artful text books and useful
tools to eontinue their quest for
knowledge. Fees for the JLI: $99
per person, $180 per eouple. You
ean eall our offiee for more infor
mation 704-366-3984.
Most Frequently Asked Ques
tions
To develop the eourse and to
seleet the most frequently won-
dered-about questions, JLI
reaehed out to its student base and
asked them to submit their most
perplexing questions about Jewish
eulture and religion.
In a style that allows for easy
eonversation and in-depth diseus-
sion, the highly aeelaimed eourse
endeavors to taekle fifty “why”
questions about Judaism. The
eourse is not about the “what?”
and “how?” It is about exploring
the seholarly and sophistieated ra
tionale behind mysterious Jewish
beliefs and praetiees. Debunking
eommon miseoneeptions and in-
trodueing little known but vital
faets, the eourse will surprise, in
trigue, and equip students with an
arsenal of ideas about the rieh-
ness, relevanee, and seope of their
heritage.
Starting a Deeper Discussion
There are few questions about
Judaism whose answer ean be
paekaged neatly in a nutshell and
deelared the answer. The eourse
therefore strives to a different
goal: to share perspeetives, spark
euriosity, deepen the eonversation,
shed light on oft-wondered-about
beliefs and praetiees, and let par
tieipants deeide on the answers for
themselves. The goal is for stu
dents to walk away from The Jew
ish Course of Why with an
understanding that Judaism eon-
tains a vastness of knowledge and
that it is waiting for them to dis-
eover its deep mysteries.
Some of the fifty questions in
the eourse:
lEwisH Learning iKSTtniTC
Why have the Jews outlasted so
many other groups of people
throughout history? Why were
there tribes that were “lost”? And
why were they never found? Why
is the Star of David a Jewish sym
bol? Why do some Jews say they
are the “ehosen people”? Is this
not ehauvinistie? Why is the Land
of Israel important to the Jews?
Why would anyone want to re
main Jewish after so mueh suffer
ing throughout the ages? Why
doesn’t Jewish law have provi
sions for someone who desires to
eonvert out of Judaism? Why
doesn’t Judaism seek eonverts?
Why are eggs pareve, when the
ehiekens that make the eggs are
not? Why aren’t vegan foods au-
tomatieally kosher? Why is Ju
daism eaught up with details?
Why does the Talmud preseribe
different requirements for men
and women? Why does Judaism
plaee emphasis on praying with a
eongregation? Shouldn’t prayer be
a personal experienee? Why do
we pray? Doesn’t God know what
Fie is doing? Do we think we ean
ehange Flis mind? Why am I re
sponsible for my aetions if God
knows what I will do in advanee?
Why are we bom with inelinations
that we are forbidden to aet upon?
Why don’t Jews aeeept Jesus?
Why does the Bible instraet us to
“fear” God? Isn’t fear a negative
emotion? Why did Moses have a
stutter? Why does the Bible eall
for animal saerifiee? Isn’t it inhu
mane and violent? Why is slavery
sanetioned by the Torah? Why do
Jews follow a lunar ealendar?
Why do some Jews eat gefilte fish
and eholent? Why do we plaee
pebbles on a headstone? Why do
we light eandles on a yahrtzeit?
Why do some people hold up a
little finger when the Torah is
lifted? Why do Jews toast with
“L’ehaim”? 4^
Pre-Tu BiShevat
Shabbaton Dinner on
Friday, January 22
Congregation Ohr FlaTorah in
vites all within the Charlotte Jew
ish eommunity to an inspirational
Friday night dinner honoring Tu
biShevat - New Year for trees
whieh falls this year on Monday
January 22.
Tu biShevat is one of the exeit-
ing holidays observed in Israel
eaeh winter as the Talmud desig
nated it as the Rosh Flashanah for
trees. In Israel new trees are
planted on this day and many Jew
ish eommunities in Diaspora eel-
ebrate by eating from the five
fiuits with whieh Israel is praised
in the Torah.
Ohr FlaTorah will host is mid
winter Shabbaton on Friday, Jan
uary 22 at 5:20 PM with a
fabulous Shabbaton dinner and
exeiting program for ehildren and
adults.
Join friends and family for an
uplifting evening with delieious
Shabbat euisine, featuring an
array of delightful Israeli wines as
we explore the deeper meaning of
the Tu biShevat holiday. Learn
about the signifieanee of this ex
eiting holiday and its rieh rituals
and why we people eelebrate a
New Year for trees.
The Shabbaton will begin with
eandle lighting at 5:23 PM. Fol
lowed by a Shabbat serviee at
5:30 and Shabbat Dinner at 6:30
PM. Cost of Shabbaton is $20 per
person - $54 per family. To re
serve, visit the payment page at
www.ehabadne.org or mail a
eheek to 6619 Sardis Road, Char
lotte, NC 28270. For more infor
mation, please eall 704-366-3984
or email: info@ehabadne.org. 4^