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Adult Education

Adult Education at OT includes classes, lectures, and seminars that enrich the Jewish culture of our adult members. We invite you to check out our ongoing and upcoming classes, and special events below.

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Ongoing Classes | Upcoming Classes | Scholar in Residence | PickleballPrevious Classes

Ongoing Classes

OT offers adult programs throughout the year. There is no fee unless specified. New students are welcome to join most continuing classes at any time.

Mishnah Study with Rabbi Kalender, Wednesdays, 9:15-10:15am, beginning November 1. Gather each Wednesday morning to discuss the first Jewish law code. Join this lively group as we consider this core text for Jewish ethics, ritual, and theology. No prior knowledge necessary and the English translation is provided. In 5784/2023-24 we will continue studying Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of Our Ancestors), beginning with Chapter 3. Email Erin Dreyfuss to be added to the class list.

Torah Study Lunch and Learn, Thursdays, 12:00pm on Zoom. Explore the weekly parsha together. Email Erin Dreyfuss to be added to the class list.

Talmud Study with Rabbi Bedo, Fridays, 10:00am, beginning October 27. Join Rabbi Bedo to study this rabbinic conversation across the ages. We will primarily learn text in English. Email Rabbi Bedo to be added to the class list.

Rosh Chodesh Singing Circle, every Rosh Chodesh after evening minyan. Join Rabbi Bedo after minyan to sing new melodies for each new month. Check the calendar and announcements each month to confirm the singing circle date.

Upcoming Classes

Body and Soul: When Two Become One with Rabbi Bedo, Wednesday, March 20, 7:30pm. Greek philosophy has strongly influenced our understanding of the concepts of “body” and “soul,” suggesting they are two separate entities. But what do Jewish texts say about what ultimately makes us human? What are Jewish attitudes towards our physical beings, and what does our tradition think of the “soul,” assuming it even exists? Register here.

Ta'anit Esther: Reading the Megillah After October 7, Thursday, March 21, 9:30am-2:20pm on Zoom. Olam Tikvah is proud to co-sponsor this virtual learning opportunity with Hadar. Purim parades itself as the most joyful day of the year, however, Megillat Esther is a story of intense crisis and violence. At the beginning, Jews face an existential threat, and at the end, Jews kill their enemies on a massive scale. In the wake of October 7th, these crises of Purim feel very real.  What can the Megillah teach us about understanding and holding together both realities of violence against Jews and violence by Jews? What theological and practical answers can we glean from the story this year, especially about how to respond in moments of deep fear? Join Hadar to explore these questions in preparation for reading the Megillah this year. Register here.

Where Were the Women: Revelation Through the Lens of Midrash and Poetry, Tuesday, April 2, 7:00pm. In this session, dedicated to the memory of Sarah Elpern, who continuously advocated for the inclusion of women in all parts of religious life, we'll turn to midrash and poetry to bring the women back into the story and place them exactly where they belong, at the heart of the revelation. The event is open to the community at no charge. In Sarah's memory, we suggest a donation be made to Bat Ami, an organization that combines Sarah's love of Israel and her work in mental health. Register here.

Greening Your Seder, Thursday, April 4, 7:00pm. Earth Day and Erev Pesach align this year, creating a wonderful opportunity to add green, sustainability elements to your seder. Join Rabbi Bedo to discuss different ways of greening your seder this year. Register here.

Yom HaShoah Author Talk with George Eisen, Sunday, May 5, 7:00pm. In commemoration of Yom HaShoah, author George Eisen shares his book, A Summer of Mass Murder, which weaves together the stories of victims, perpetrators and bystanders to explore the fate of Hungarian Jews in 1941. Register here.

Book Discussion with Rabbi Kalender: God in Search of Man by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Sunday, May 19, 6:30pm. Join a discussion of this classic text in modern Jewish theology. Heschel explores God's search for man - the notion of a Chosen People, an idea which he writes, "signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God." Register here.

Scholar in Residence

Scholar In Residence: Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin
Friday-Sunday, February 9-11

Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, a proud native of Maryland, is the co-founder and director of the Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights (MDEHR). She has been involved in environmental advocacy for more than fifteen years during which time she served as director of the national Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life; founded and directed the Baltimore Orchard Project for five years; served as chair of the Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the natural resources within the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and served as the Sustainability Consultant for the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council. Ordained as a rabbi in 1988 from the Jewish Theological Seminary in the first class of women to be ordained in that denomination, she served that institution in several capacities, including Assistant Dean of the Rabbinical School. She also is on the faculty of St. Mary’s Seminary’s Ecumenical Institute. Learn with her after dinner Friday night, d’var Torah and post-lunch lecture Saturday, and brunch discussion Sunday.

Weekend Schedule

Shabbat Dinner & Lecture, Friday, February 9

5:45pm Kabbalat Shabbat & Dinner (dinner registration is full)
Approx. 8:15pm Lecture: "Guardeners of our World: An Introduction to the Mitzvah of Yishuv Ha’Olam (the Habitability of the World)"

Shabbat Morning D'var Torah & Afternoon Discussion, Saturday, February 10

9:30am Shabbat Service & D'var Torah: "Genesis One vs. Genesis Two"
After-Lunch Discussion: "Holy Sparks are All Around Us"

Brunch & Teaching, Sunday, February 11

9:45am Brunch: "Study into Action: The Prohibition of Destruction and Waste" (brunch registration is full)

World of Hope Pickleball Tournament

Sunday, May 5

Say goodbye to golf and hello pickleball! Save the date Sunday, May 5. Keep an eye on the calendar for pickleball clinic dates to learn to play and improve your skills!

Pickleball Tournament Interest Survey

Previous Classes

Click the class titles below to watch some of our past class offerings.

Scholar in Residence 2023: Bex Stern Rosenblatt, February 3-5, 2023
   Download the Scholar in Residence Friday night handout
   Download the Scholar in Residence D'var Torah handout
   Download the Scholar in Residence Shabbat afternoon handout
   Download the Scholar in Residence Sunday brunch handout

Scholar in Residence: Jennifer Billinson, PhD, Sundays, March 27 & April 3, 2022
  Download the presentation from week 1

Israel Speaker: Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, Sunday, March 27, 2022

Women in the Bible with Susan Kristol, Mondays, February 28, March 7, April 4, 2022
  Download the Women in the Bible class resources from week 1
  Download the Women in the Bible class resources from week 2
  Download the Women in the Bible class resources from week 3

European Jews, Jewish Europe with Rabbi Viki Bedo, Wednesdays, January 19-February 9, 2022

On Rockingham Street discussion with David Kuney, Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Judaism in Popular Culture Revisited with Debra Beland Ackerman, Mondays, November 8-22, 2021

Dear Rabbi, I Have a Question with Rabbi Viki Bedo, Wednesdays, October 13-November 3, 2021
  Download the Dear Rabbi class resources from week 1
  Download the Dear Rabbi class resources from week 2

Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Sunday, May 16, 6:30-8:00pm, 2021

Us and Them with Debra Beland Ackerman, Fridays, April 9-23, 2021

Exploring Judaism's Denominational Divide with Rabbi Brett Isserow, Mondays, February 22-March 15, 2021
  Download the Denominational Divide class resources from week 1
  Download the Denominational Divide class resources from week 2
  Download the Denominational Divide class resources from week 3
  Download the Denominational Divide class resources for week 4

Scholar in Residence: Dr. Rachel B. Gross, Sundays, February 21 & 28, 2021

Psalms with Susan Kristol, Fridays, January 22-February 5, 2021
  Click here to download the Psalms class resources

Film Discussion of Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance, Sunday, December 20, 2020

Elijah: The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Fridays, October 16-December 11, 2020

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Religious Freedom, Sunday, November 29, 2020

Torah Study, Thursdays at 12:00pm

Talmud Study with Rabbi Bedo, Fridays at 10:00am

Contact

Co-Chairs Sharyn Stahl and Ellen Katkin

Tue, March 19 2024 9 Adar II 5784