Community Teachings

Click "Read More" to link to the 10+ years of archived columns by year and month. Congregant, Bob Ferrara, provides this explanation of this great resource, ten plus years of Q&A columns created by Bob, with Waky's help, and published in The STAR newsletter:

The “People of Chelm Want To Know” column was spawned by the excitement and enthusiasm developed years ago in the Me'ah and Adult Education classes at Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton, Massachusetts. Besides an active, engaged body of adult learners, we were also blessed to hear from many scholars and educators at the many local colleges, as well our own leaders. Rabbi Lewis Mintz was Beth Elohim’s founding rabbi, retiring in 2017. He was succeeded by Rabbi Mike Rothbaum, who brought an equally vast knowledge of  Judaism and a special focus on social justice.  And my friend Ellen "Waky" Waks, a longtime Beth Elohim religious school teacher has been the key editor and fact checker throughtout the entire life of this project.

Here is the link to the 10+ years of archived columns by year and month.

This archive is intended as a resource for any who enjoy exploring the many dimensions of Jewish learning. Do not be discouraged because many of these questions are fairly difficult and you should be congratulated for trying to wrestle with any of them. And as you learn, please share your new knowledge with your family, your neighbors, fellow congregants, and friends. We can all contribute to making the inspiring and uplifting lessons of Judaism accessible to everyone, even to the storied people of Chelm. The legend of the mythical people of Chelm may not be familiar to some, so this article may help you appreciate their plight.   

If you have an idea for a good question, you are always welcome to contact Bob Ferrara!