The Festivals of the month of Tishrei are over, we got to dance with the Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah, and breathed a little easier as we watched the remaining 20 living hostages return home and ceasefire take effect.
Removing the sign dedicated to the return of hostages from our bimah felt powerful and overwhelming. As we begin a new Torah cycle, we are reminded that every ending is also a beginning — a chance to revisit familiar stories with new eyes and deeper understanding. Each year, the Torah invites us back into conversation with our tradition, with one another, and with the questions that guide our lives.
You can join TE’s ongoing Torah Study most Shabbat mornings. We move through the Torah text together at our own pace, exploring its stories, challenges, and wisdom in an open and engaging way. No prior knowledge is expected—just curiosity and a willingness to learn in community. In our informal setting, every voice adds to the conversation as we bring the Torah into dialogue with our lives today.
In addition, we are thrilled to launch our reinvigorated Adult Education series, bringing together guest scholars, and community voices to explore Jewish texts, ideas, and contemporary questions in a spirit of openness and curiosity. Whether you are returning to study or stepping in for the first time, this is an opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together.
On Tuesday, November 4, Professor Maurice Samuels will discuss his recent, highly acclaimed book Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the Affair and will offer his thoughts on the relevance of the Dreyfus trial in our own time. “The life of Dreyfus forces us to consider what it means when the institutions of liberal democracy come under assault and when half a nation commits to believing a lie. The life of Dreyfus also allows us to understand what it takes for truth to triumph, and how a nation can emerge from a political crisis with its faith in its institutions intact. As anti-Semitism …. stage(s) a comeback around the world today, the affair has much to tell us not only about the causes of hatred, but also about the ways it can be resisted.”
On Saturday, November 22, we are honored to welcome back Rabbis Michael Shire and Marcia Plumb whose visit will bring inspiring voices and new insights to our shared spiritual journey. On Saturday morning, Rabbi Plumb will offer us an opportunity to explore Torah through the lens of Mussar, Jewish spiritual practice, and later that day Rabbi Shire will host a special Family Havdalah program and experience (and there will be dinner too, I’m told – watch out for more details in the Shofar Blast!)
As the Torah begins anew, so too do we — learning, growing, and deepening our connections within this remarkable community. May this season of study and gathering bring meaning, joy, and renewal to us all.