Local Rabbis To Speak at Community Education Event on February 2

What does the Torah tell us about driving above the posted speed limit on Route 4? How do we teach our children spirituality? What’s the nexus between American constitutionalism and Jewish covenantal theology? There are among the topics to be explored on Saturday evening, February 2, at Sweet Tastes of Torah, a community night of learning presented by the North Jersey Board of Rabbis (NJBR).

Three local rabbis are among the presenters at Sweet Tastes of Torah, which includes a smorgasbord of study, discussion, and fun, with 22 one-hour classes to choose from taught by members of the NJBR. The program will be held from 6:15 to 10:30 p.m. at Temple Emeth in Teaneck. Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, spiritual leader of the Reconstructionist Temple Beth Israel in Maywood; Rabbi Ronald Roth, spiritual leader of Fair Lawn Jewish Center/Congregation Etz Chaim, and Rabbi Baruch Zeilicovich, Temple Beth Sholom, Fair Lawn, will join their colleagues in presenting.

Rabbi Jaffe-Gill will look at “Jewish Women on the Small Screen.” Her session will look at how Jewish mothers and single gals have been presented on television and what messages these portrayals send to our mothers, daughters, and sisters. A fun, sometimes humorous, often-surprising, and interactive quiz on the Ten Commandments will be presented by Rabbi Roth. “Don’t worry,” says Rabbi Roth; “you will not be graded!” Rabbi Zeilicovich presents “In What Kind of God Do We Believe In?” His session will examine whether we believe in a God who is present or is absent, one who controls or one who allows the supremacy of human responsibility.

Sweet Tastes of Torah is also sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and more than two dozen synagogues and learning projects in northern New Jersey. View the program and register online with a credit card at www.jfnnj.org/sweettorah. Cost is $15 per person, pre-registered by January 31, or $20 (cash or check only) at the door. Or send your check (payable to the North Jersey Board of Rabbis) to 32 Franklin Place, Glen Rock, NJ 07452.

The North Jersey Board of Rabbis (NJBR), comprised of rabbis of all streams who live or work in Bergen, North Hudson, or eastern Passaic counties, seeks to enhance the life of the North Jersey Jewish community; better understand how to use their positions to enhance the long-term spiritual and fiscal health of congregations or Jewish community organizations; and take a united stand, when appropriate, on issues confronting the Jewish community.