Learn with our 2022 Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Neal Gold, Jewish Chaplain & Hillel Director at Babson College in Wellesley, MA and the Past President of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis.
All sessions are open to the public.
SIGN UP BELOW for 1, 2, or all 3 sessions and join us to learn together.
There is no charge for these events. Donations are accepted. For non-CBE members, we request a donation (suggested $36). Donations to the Adult Education Fund can be made by clicking HERE and selecting Adult Education Fund in the dropdown menu. You can also navigate to our website, www.bethelohim.org, and click on DONATE under the GIVE menu heading.
Theme for the weekend:
B’tzelem Elohim -- All Human Beings are Created in God’s Image
How does this key Jewish value inform us in these times of conflict?
On Sunday morning, Rabbi Gold will be joined by Dr. Mohamed Lazzouni, Imam from the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland.
About the Speaker:
Rabbi Neal Gold teaches and writes about Jewish texts, Israel, and the intersections between Jewish life and the contemporary world. Rabbi Gold is a lecturer for Me'ah through Hebrew College and teaches courses that empower adults to understand Judaism on a deeper level. He is the Jewish Chaplain & Hillel Director at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, and the Past President of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis. He has served as the national Director of Program & Content for ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, for which he writes about the weekly Torah portion. For over 18 years he led congregations in New Jersey and Massachusetts. He received smicha from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Neal is a prolific writer, teacher, counselor, and social activist, who loves how the beauty and power of Jewish texts and traditions unite communities, inform Jewish souls, and transform the world. In 2019 he created a rapidly expanding online platform for Jewish learning called A Tree with Roots.
Weekend Events:
This weekend, Rabbi Gold will provide a D’var Torah on Friday night services, Torah Study on Shabbat morning, and a presentation on Sunday morning at the CBE Brotherhood Breakfast.
The Friday evening and Saturday program will be conducted both in person at CBE and on ZOOM. The Sunday morning Brotherhood event will be conducted via ZOOM only. Register below for the events that you plan to attend in order to receive the ZOOM links. For congregants, you may also find the ZOOM links and passwords in the latest Star-Lite. For questions, email adulted@bethelohim.org.
For in person events, please refer to our CBE During COVID page to see our rules and guidelines for in person events. There are additional guidelines, but, in particular,
- Congregation activities, both indoors at CBE or indoors off-site must be limited to vaccinated individuals, for those 12 years old and up, and, effective February 1, 2022, those 5 years old and up.
- Masks must be properly worn at all times when inside the building.
Friday Evening, February 11
6:30 pm • Shabbat Service
Rabbi Gold will provide a D'var Torah:
Liberal Zionism in 2022: The Real-World Application of B'Tzelem Elohim
“In the Image of G-d”, the first principle of Jewish ethics, must be far more than a cliché or platitude: it has real world applications to the decisions we make values we hold. Nowhere is this clearer than in our support for the State of Israel. What are the expectations that Zionism makes of us, and what are the responsibilities of being a lover of Israel in the 21st Century?
Saturday Morning, February 12
9:30 am • Shabbat morning Service
Followed by:
10:45 am • Torah Study with Rabbi Gold
Understanding B’Tzelem Elohim in Its Torah Setting
The jumping-off point for all Jewish ethics is the idea that human beings, uniquely, are made in the Divine Image (tzelem elohim). We’ll explore what this subtle and groundshaking idea means in its original Torah context and how it is applied.
Participate in person or via ZOOM.
Sunday, February 13
8:30 am • Shacharit Minyan
Followed by:
9:15 am • Brotherhood Breakfast featuring Rabbi Neal Gold with Dr. Mohamed Lazzouni, Imam from the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland
Seeing the Divine Image in My Neighbors: A Muslim-Jewish Dialogue
In a dynamic interfaith conversation, Dr. Mohamed Lazzouni of the Islamic Center of Boston and Rabbi Neal Gold will explore the application of the Divine Image in the context of Muslim-Jewish understanding and bridge-building. Come join us for an honest and intimate dialogue towards a deeper understanding of what it means to be a neighbor and an ally.
Participate via ZOOM only.
Brotherhood "Breakfast" is the title of these recurring Brotherhood events with distinguished guest speakers. During the pandemic, there is no "breakfast" served or available.