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Ak;

A Study In
Traditio

Shaarey Zedek's adult classes
emphasize cooperative learning.

Rabbi Stephen Weiss'
"Kabbala and
Mysticism" class attracted
more than 40 people.

Top: Debbie
Balkin:practices
trope (cantilla-
tions) in the
"Torah Tunes"
class.

JULIE WIENER
Staff Writer

f opening night

IIC of its new adult

education series was any indica-
tion, Congregation Shaarey
Zedek's Laker Complex is going to be
a hot Wednesday evening hangout.
One hundred adult Jewish learners,
mostly Shaarey Zedek members,
turned out there for a night of classes,
matched by another 100 at the con-
gregation's Southfield campus on the
previous evening.
The two evenings launched the
congregation's most comprehensive
series of adult education classes ever: a
seven-week program called Limud.
Offering hour-long classes on such
topics as Bible study, chanting Torah
and mysticism, Limud also includes a
beit midrash (house of study), in
which students explore texts with a
chevruta (partner).
Last Wednesday at the Laker .
Complex was busy, yet relaxed, with
students — ranging in age from twen-
tysomething to senior citizen — nosh-
ing on cookies and joking as they
studied. Students were not shy about
barraging their instructors with ques-
tions, ranging from "If God is in
everything, why is there evil?" to

"How are you getting all that?"
In the beit midrash class, the 36
students learned about the chevruta
tradition, based on the admonition
in the first chapter of Pirkei Avot,
which says, "Acquire a colleague for
study," then got down to busines
comparing two accounts from
Genesis.
"The best way to do this is to
try to find problems in the text,"
urged Rabbi Joseph Krakoff, with
Rabbi Stephen Weiss adding, "You
should talk nice and loud because
the beit midrash is supposed to have
noise."
In compliance, the volume quick-
ly crescendoed. The rabbis circulated
around the classroom, answering
questions when summoned, but
mostly just standing back and letting
the partners figure things out for
themselves.
One small group argued about
whether the Hebrew word "adam"
meant man or mankind in this con-
text and another woman could be
heard moaning, "I'm very confused
now!

"

Left: Leonard
Baruch, Karen
Lovinger and
Jeffry)! Eisman
study in the beit
midrash class.

Krakoff beamed with pleasure as he
surveyed the crowded room. "This
way, they can talk about how the text
speaks to them, and there's no right
answer," he said. "Everyone brings his
or her own reading to the text. It's
exciting to see people excited about
-
studying Jewish texts."
Rabbi Leonardo Bitran also was
pleased. "The congregation is begin-
ning to want to learn, to be aware of
tradition, and it can't be done in one
night or one sermon," he said. "Beit
midrash is meaningful because it's the
tradition, the way our ancestors stud-
ied."
Students said they were pleased so
far with the classes. "I quit Hebrew
school when I was 13 and I've always

regretted it," said Morry Levin. "Now
I want to fill in the gaps."
Levin said, "As long as there's no
test at the end and as long as the rab-
bis don't come around and hit you
with a ruler," as happened in his
Hebrew school experience, he would
be happy.
Another student, Helen Etkin,
came as part of her "journey of self
discovery." She said the evening had
been "interesting so far."
Jenny Dorfman, a member of
Shaarey Zedek's education committee,
said the beit midrash and mysticism
classes were the first Judaica classes
she'd taken in a long time. "I came to
support this, and while I'm supporting
it, learn something," she said.

11/

19

Detroit Jewish News

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