Melton Course on Jewish Learning Slated at Tikvat Israel

Rabbi Benjamin Shull of Tikvat Israel and Rabbi Uri Topolosky of Beth Joshua Congregation will teach the core courses of the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning beginning Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Tikvat Israel.

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The first year of the two-year Melton core curriculum will be offered in 2016-17 at TI, taught back to back by the two rabbis on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., with a break for minyan with congregants in the TI chapel.
The Melton school is a global adult Jewish learning program created and directed by the Melton Center of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The inspiring, text-based course is open to anyone, teen-age or older, in the congregation and in the greater community.

The tuition for this university-level course is $560, which includes printed/digital course materials.
The Melton School core curriculum is a comprehensive, sequential series. The curriculum comprises the following four courses. The first two take place during Year 1.

• Rhythms of Jewish Living (25 lessons). What’s the point of living Jewishly? What ideas, beliefs and practices are involved? This course examines Jewish sources to discover the deeper meanings underlying Jewish holidays, lifecycle observances and Jewish practice.
• Purposes of Jewish Living (25 lessons). Why do Jews believe as they do? What are the big questions of life and how do Jewish thinkers answer these questions? This course explores ancient and modern sources in pursuit of major issues of Jewish thought and theology.
• Ethics of Jewish Living (25 lessons). How do Jewish teachings shed light on contemporary issues such as the environment, inter-personal relationships, end-of-life decisions and stem-cell research? This course explores the wisdom of ancient and modern rabbis, scholars and thinkers, offering multiple Jewish approaches to conducting our lives in the communal and private spheres.
• Crossroads of Jewish History (25 lessons). This course merges the concepts of history and memory to better understand how each has shaped Judaism today. With an emphasis on reclaiming the richness of Jewish history, the chronological exploration investigates significant crossroads where Jews took major decisions that shaped our shared identity and destiny.

The first session will be Tuesday evening November 15 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Register as soon as possible and no later than Tuesday November 8.

Registration takes place on the Melton website (www.meltonschool.org), though Rabbi Shull is willing to answer questions (301-762-7338, ext. 115; rabbishull@tikvatisrael.org).