Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said:
“If there is no Torah, there is no proper conduct;
if there is no proper conduct, there is no Torah.
If there is no wisdom, there is no reverence for God;
if there is no reverence for God, there is no wisdom.
If there is no knowledge, there is no understanding;
if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge.
If there is no flour, there is no Torah;
if there is no Torah, there is no flour.”
Mishnah Pirkei Avot 3.21

Rabbi Elazar’s final couplet is from the translation of the Hebrew text above. In his world of nearly 2,000 years ago, flour and the bread that comes from it is the staff of life. He teaches us that without sustaining our bodies, the Torah is meaningless. At the same time, without sustaining our souls through the study of Torah, even the food of a gourmet chef will taste like ashes!

We share this teaching to encourage you to nourish your own soul by participating in Adult Jewish Learning at Congregation B’nai Israel. There are many offerings at various times to meet your needs. If there is something you wish we offered, let us know! Rabbi Elazar also connects us to the things we will learn and do with our Brotherhood Artists-in-Residence.

Finally, several offerings are a part of our Israel Engagement Initiative and are supported by a grant from the Legacy Heritage Innovation Project of Legacy Heritage Programming, an affiliate of the Legacy Heritage Fund.

They are indicated by this symbol:

Rabbi David Nelson, Ph.D. joins us for a weekend of learning. Following Shabbat Dinner we will learn about Judaism, Physics, and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World. On Shabbat morning he will elad Torah study, and for Havdalah his topic will be The Mythic and the Real in Israel — What do we think of when we hear the word “Israel”?
Click here for details.

Join us for a taste (quite literally) of hands-on Judaism! Our teachers are a husband and wife clergy team at Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs, NY. Rabbi Rubenstein is a baker and co-founder of Slice of Heaven Breads, and Rabbi Motzkin has trained as a soferet – a Torah scribe – and will be bringing her Community Torah Project, an incredible opportunity to contribute to the making of a Sefer Torah. Click here for details!

As the Jewish state begins its 61st year, we look at movies filmed in or about Israel. The three films will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Click here for dates, titles and details!

These programs are weekly or monthly sessions designed to create a sense of continuity. Be a regular or occasional participant and find a chevrah — a group of fellow learners. Click here.

Single session courses, lectures and learning opportunities that require their own category! Click here to see what's available.

Many in our community have entered into the gateway of adult Jewish learning to enrich, challenge, and transform our lives. Some have chosen to follow the path to become an adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah. This requires a two-year course of study, which includes both Hebrew language and general Judaica requirements. For those who are interested in becoming B'nai Mitzvah, please contact Rabbi Prosnit at 336-1858.