12 | JANUARY 13 • 2022
J
ust as it did in the fall,
Congregation Shaarey
Zedek of Southfield will
offer weekly in-person, free
and study sessions open to the
public that broadly
cover the sweep-
ing concepts of
Judaism beginning
10 a.m. Sunday,
Jan. 30.
The hour-long
classes will be con-
structed from the Thoughtful
Judaism curriculum, devel-
oped by the Shalom Hartman
Institute of North America and
made possible by a grant from
the Hermelin-Davidson Center
for Congregation Excellence.
They will be taught by Rabbi
Aaron Starr, Rabbi Yoni
Dahlen and Rebecca Starr,
director of regional programs
for Hartman Institute of North
America. Classes will meet
in-person at the synagogue,
and there will be no online
alternative to take the class on
Zoom.
This semester, Rabbi Starr
expects to welcome attendees
from a diverse background of
observance and exposure to
Judaism.
Last semester, Starr said
enrolled students ranged in
ages from 20 to 90. The classes
are geared to attract a diverse
audience including interfaith
couples and Jews of Choice
who are seeking an informal
Jewish learning setting to delve
deeply into the philosophical
questions about Judaism.
Coursework begins with the
notion of Judaism as an inter-
pretive tradition and dovetails
into the notion of what it
means to be a Jew and to live
Jewishly.
“Jews do not read the Bible
as fundamentalists, and I
remember a student from last
semester saying to me that
she did not realize how inno-
vated and unique is Judaism’s
approach to the Bible,” Starr
said. “The Hartman Institute
uses the language being and
becoming and examining iden-
tity versus practice. These con-
cepts reinforce the principle
that we hold dear at Shaarey
Zedek that everybody is wel-
come. The classes are intended
to spark conversations about
the big ideas that animate
Judaism, the central concepts
that inspire us and guide us.”
To register, call the syn-
agogue office at (248) 357-
5544 or https://shaareyzedek.
shulcloud.com/event/founda-
tions-for-a-thoughtful-juda-
ism2.html.
FOUR THEMES
Components of Thoughtful
Judaism were first offered in
the Detroit Metro area last
fall through JLearn at the
Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Thoughtful Judaism revolves
around four themes:
Peoplehood: The meaning
and definition and purpose
of Jewish community, how it
can be diverse and hold shared
values and a shared history
and an exploration of the main
centers of Jewish life: Israel
and North America.
Faith: An exploration of
questions relating to one’s rela-
tionship with God and what
a life of faith entails, models
in Judaism that exemplify the
complexities of having a rela-
tionship with God as well as
viewpoints on where Jews who
do not believe in God fit in.
Practice: What is the mean-
ing of the system of mitzvot
and what does it accomplish?
In an age that encourages
independent and self-minded
thinking, how can one find rel-
evance in rituals and how the
sanctification of time, space
and body can lead to holiness.
Ethics: In what ways is the
individual obligated to the
widest and innermost circles
of community according to
Jewish tradition? How to
maintain relationships even
when one party wrongs anoth-
er, and the obligations parents
and children have to one
another.
OTHER CHANCES
TO LEARN
In addition to the class-
es planned at CSZ, other
Thoughtful Judaism classes
taught online over Zoom
through JLearn are slated for
the new year. To register, call
(248) 205-2557 or visit https://
tinyurl.com/yckpcwkw.
Choices include:
“Engaging Israel,
Foundations for a New
Relationship; A Hartman
Institute Curriculum,” ongoing
noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursdays
through March 3. Instructor:
Rabbi Brent Gutmann of
Temple Kol Ami. Through
discussion, text and video lec-
tures, Gutmann reframes the
discussion about the enduring
significance of the State of
Israel for contemporary Jews
worldwide. The class will
cover the concepts of Jewish
sovereignty, ethics in military
power, maintaining a Jewish
democracy, and the relation-
ship between American and
Israeli Jews. Tuition: $165.
“Thoughtful Judaism:
Peoplehood and Practice.” 7
to 8:15 p.m. Tuesdays begin-
ning Jan. 25 through May 3.
Instructor: Rabbi Michele
Faudem. The class will cover
concepts of Jewish faith,
belonging, challenges of Jewish
peoplehood, ethical obligations
to God ourselves and our com-
munity. Tuition: $175.
OUR COMMUNITY
CSZ
The new year of
ers plenty of chances to learn.
The new year of
ers plenty of chances to learn.
Thoughtful Judaism
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rabbi
Aaron Starr