Donniel Hartman on Jewish Identity

Rabbi Donniel Hartman gave an outstanding talk on Jewish identity earlier this year in May. There have been many requests to hear this again. He has granted permission to have this talk available. If you are interested in his approach you will find a kindred spirit in Panim Hadashot.

Download donniel_hartman_on_jewish_identity_52005.WMA

Panim Hadashot Weekly Email: Dec 7-13, 2005

New Faces of Judaism: Weekly E-Newsletter
Wednesday, December 7, 2005-Tuesday Dec. 13, 2005
6-12 Kislev 5766. ______________________________________________________________________
A Brief Word from Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

Panim Hadashot-New Faces of Judaism continues its groundbreaking efforts in outreach and education. I welcome you to join us for our Shabbat afternoon learning and gatherings. My aim is not only to provide stimulating and meaningful learning, but to also create a community of learners. This week I shared two pieces on rabbiblog about the the experience of learning at Panim Hadashot. The Big Alef and A Wrestling Community. These pieces should stimulate your thinking about the role of learning in contemporary Jewish life. While I will continue to examine contemporary Judaism in the blog, the programs listed below are the concrete efforts to build a new model of Jewish life and to provide new points of access for people to reconnect to Judaism.

I recommend a new book that by the great biblical scholar, Yochanan Muffs, called The Personhood of God. It is published by Jewish Lights: LINK. This is a powerful book which calls for a reencounter with the biblical God to discover the 'humanity of God'. It is beautifully written and extremely thought provoking. I will use it in my study sessions during the month of January and February.

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

Panim Hadashot Activities This Week:
Fri. 12/9 6:30pm Shabbat around Seattle in Medina. A Shabbat for adults, singles and couples at the home of Aytan Stromberg with Rabbi Dov Gartenberg. LINK

Sat. 12/10 1:15pm 70 Faces of Torah, Interactive Torah study on Wrestling Jacob LINK

Sat. 12/10 4:00 25th Hour: Topic: December Dillemmas for Intercultural Couples LINK

Some Upcoming Panim Hadashot Activities

Study: The Non Jew in Jewish Tradition LINK

Discussion: Jewish Boundaries with non-Jewish relatives. LINK

Celebration: Dec. 24th: An Evening of Jewish Song LINK

Celebration: Jan 1st: Shaarei Tikvah- Gates of Hope Hanukkah Celebration for Developmentally Disabled persons and the community. LINK

Study: Jan. 19-22nd Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, Bierman Scholar-in-Residence on Jewish Spirituality in Contemporary Judaism. LINK

Support the Groundbreaking Work of Panim Hadashot. Become a Haver-Friend LINK
_______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot, New Faces of Judaism, is a new endeavor of Jewish learning, celebration, and outreach. Our website is at www.panimhadashot.com. Panim Hadashot is the winner of the Levitan Innovation Award and is endorsed by the Union of Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Panim Hadashot is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Founder and Rabbi, Dov Gartenberg: rabbidov@panimhadashot.com or 206 525-0648
To contact us: Call 206 280-3715 or email dorothy@panimhadashot.com. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send request to dorothy@panimhadashot.com.

Panim Hadashot Weekly Newsletter: Nov. 21, 2006

New Faces of Judaism: Weekly E-Newsletter
Monday, November 21, 2005-Sunday November 27, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving 19-25 Heshvan 5766. ______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot Activities This Week:

Fri. 11/25 6:00pm A Jewish Thanksgiving: It's called Shabbat. Join Rabbi Dov Gartenberg for a Shabbat feast at his home. LINK

Sat. 11/26 1-2:30pm. Havruta: Interpersonal Jewish Learning: Theme: A Non-Fundamentalist God. LINK See HIGHLIGHT below for a description of this unique Shabbat learning activity.

Some Upcoming Panim Hadashot Activities
Fri. 12/2 Shabbat Dinner for Interfaith, Intercultural Couples and Families LINK
Sat. 12/3 Shabbat Afternoon Together: 1st Shabbat of the Month Open House for Families
Sat. 12/3 1:15pm. 70 Faces of Torah for Families: LINK
Sat. 12/3 4:00pm Shabbas Stew. A Shabbat Ending Celebration for Families. LINK
Sat. 12/9 6:30pm Shabbat around Seattle in Medina. A Shabbat for adults, singles and couples at the home of Aytan Stromberg with Rabbi Dov Gartenberg. LINK

Support the Groundbreaking Work of Panim Hadashot. Become a Haver-Friend LINK

HIGHLIGHT
Havruta: Interpersonal Jewish Learning
Rabbi Gartenberg believes that Jewish study is all about searching, questioning, digging for meaning and insight. Jewish learning is not an academic exercise, but rather it is a spiritual practice that is a form of worship, a way of relating to God. The method of Jewish learning is about relating to others: Traditional Jewish learning is interpersonal and social. The sacred text (whether it be Bible, Talmud, Midrash, etc.) is studied not alone but with at least one other person. This shared learning is called Havruta and the person who studies with us is called Havruta-Friend. Our Havruta program then has two goals: Studying the great Jewish texts and themes with the guidance of a skilled rabbi and engaging in these texts with others so that we create a shared experience.

Rabbi Gartenberg chooses one or two texts for each session. The themes are announced in the calendar. For more information on this approach to Jewish learning go to Rabbiblog at www.panimhadashot.com. where Rabbi Gartenberg has posted a piece on this.
Who is invited: Panim Hadashot welcomes all Jews, secular and religious and all those in between. We welcome interfaith and intercultural couples, and non-Jews who are drawn to a Judaism that prizes learning, questioning, open mindedness, and concern about the world. We welcome anyone who wants to engage Judaism through its great texts and ancient conversations.
_______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot, New Faces of Judaism, is a new endeavor of Jewish learning, celebration, and outreach. Our website is at www.panimhadashot.com. Panim Hadashot is the winner of the Levitan Innovation Award and is endorsed by the Union of Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Panim Hadashot is a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Founder and Rabbi, Dov Gartenberg: rabbidov@panimhadashot.com or 206 525-0648
To contact us: Call 206 280-3715 or email dorothy@panimhadashot.com.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send request to dorothy@panimhadashot.com.

New Faces of Judaism: Weekly E-Newsletter
Wednesday, November 16 2005-Sunday November 20, 2005
14-18 Heshvan 5766. ______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot Activities This Week:
Sat. 11/19 1-2:30pm. Havruta: Interpersonal Jewish Learning: Theme: The Different Faces of God. LINK See HIGHLIGHT below for a description of this unique Shabbat learning activity.
Sun. 11/20 9:00-11:00am Shalom Hartman Long Distance Video-Conference Seminar on "Religion, Ethics, and Violence" for Jewish Community Leaders. Please contact Rabbi Gartenberg for more information.

Some Upcoming Panim Hadashot Activities after Nov. 13th
Fri. 12/2 Shabbat Dinner for Interfaith, Intercultural Couples and Families LINK

Update on Other Programs on the Calendar
Call Rabbi Gartenberg 206 525-0648 if you are interested in the Shabbat around Seattle on Capital Hill on Fri. 11/18.

Shabbas Stew, scheduled for 11/19 has been moved to December 3rd. In the future this will take place on the 1st Shabbat of the month.

Support the Groundbreaking Work of Panim Hadashot. Become a Haver-Friend LINK

HIGHLIGHT
Havruta: Interpersonal Jewish Learning
Rabbi Gartenberg believes that Jewish study is all about searching, questioning, digging for meaning and insight. Jewish learning is not an academic exercise, but rather it is a spiritual practice that is a form of worship, a way of relating to God. The method of Jewish learning is about relating to others: Traditional Jewish learning is interpersonal and social. The sacred text (whether it be Bible, Talmud, Midrash, etc.) is studied not alone but with at least one other person. This shared learning is called Havruta and the person who studies with us is called Havruta-Friend. Our Havruta program then has two goals: Studying the great Jewish texts and themes with the guidance of a skilled rabbi and engaging in these texts with others so that we create a shared experience.

Rabbi Gartenberg chooses one or two texts for each session. The themes are announced in the calendar. For more information on this approach to Jewish learning go to Rabbiblog at www.panimhadashot.com. where Rabbi Gartenberg has posted a piece on this.
Who is invited: Panim Hadashot welcomes all Jews, secular and religious and all those in between. We welcome interfaith and intercultural couples, and non-Jews who are drawn to a Judaism that prizes learning, questioning, open mindedness, and concern about the world. We welcome anyone who wants to engage Judaism through its great texts and ancient conversations.
_______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot, New Faces of Judaism, is a new endeavor of Jewish learning, celebration, and outreach. Our website is at www.panimhadashot.com. Panim Hadashot is the winner of the Levitan Innovation Award and is endorsed by the Union of Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Panim Hadashot is a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Founder and Rabbi, Dov Gartenberg: rabbidov@panimhadashot.com or 206 525-0648
To contact us: Call 206 280-3715 or email dorothy@panimhadashot.com.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send request to dorothy@panimhadashot.com.

Verses for Children

This posting is for Families participating in the 70 Faces of Torah for Families on December 3rd:

Voice Recordings of Verses for Study are posted here. Please study the Hebrew first, then practice the verse. Rabbi Dov G and Gavy Stern will coach you before the session.

For Naomi Savin Download naomi_savin_gen_2811.WMA
For Daniel Kipnis Download daniel_kipnis_gen_2812.WMA

An Introduction to Havruta Study

An Introduction to Havruta Study:

Classical Form of Jewish Learning in Pairs and Small Groups

A World of Interpretations

Our tradition has understood Torah as multi-vocal and open to a world of interpretation. Rabbi Marc-Alain Ouaknin has written that while most of Western thought is primarily concerned with the ‘Answer’, Jewish thought is preoccupied with the ‘Question’. Judaism, through the study of our sacred texts, affirms the dialectic, a search for clarification in a world of uncertainty. Jewish study is all about struggle, searching and questioning.

The Methodology of Jewish Learning

1. Contrast the Greek notion of the university with the Jewish notion of the Beit Midrash (the study hall). In the university, a student is lectured on the Truth. In the Beit Midrash, students argue over a text that has many opinions. The truth emerges for Jews only out of the dialectic of the argument, only from the debates between students, and between students and teachers. Think of how important questions are in our tradition. The Talmud itself begins with a question ("At what time may one recite the shema?") The Passover seder can only take place in response to the four questions ("Why is this night different from all other nights?"). Even two Jews who know all the laws of Passover are obligated to recite the four questions, because the rabbis understood that questioning is the only way we learn.

2. “Torah is acquired only in a group.” (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 63b). In a tradition that honors multiple interpretations it makes sense that the same tradition honors and encourages cooperative learning in pairs and small groups. This interpersonal learning is called Havruta.
Havruta comes from the word, ‘Haver’, which in Hebrew means friend. A famous rabbinic texts states: “Hence, say the sages, a person should acquire a ‘Haver’ for everything: for reading Scripture with him, studying Mishnah with him, eating with him, drinking with him, and disclosing all his secrets to him. (Sifre Deuteronomy #305) Studying together is one of ways we build friendship and fellowship in Jewish tradition. The tradition of group text study fosters the exchange of ideas, insights, and knowledge as well informal sharing and trust building.
How do We Study a Jewish Text?

Our first approach might be to determine what we can learn from the text. Even those texts which reflect an historical reality different from our own will have something to teach us about our lives.

Second, What is the most straightforward way of understanding this text in its original context? Transport yourself to the time which produced these words. Try to reconstruct the life of our people who produced this text. Look at the language of the text.

Third, look at the text existentially. How does it have meaning? How might this text apply to your life? Does it contain wisdom that illuminates or insight that clarifies? Does the text move you or trouble you? Does the text raise more questions?

Fourth, does the text lead to or influence action? Are you moved to respond? Would you change your behavior or priorities because of this text?

• Find a Havruta partner. Do not form groups larger than four to maximize participation.
• Jewish tradition places high value on the oral reading of texts. Thus in Havruta it is preferable to read the texts out loud to each other. Turns are taken as one reads through the materials.
• Any Havruta partner can raise questions at any time.
• The Rabbi of the Beit Midrash is always present during Havruta study for questions and clarification.
• If you finish early, join another group in progress and share your wisdom. At the end of Havruta study the larger group will convene for a shiur-a lesson by the Rabbi or teacher. This is a time to test your reading with that of the teacher. It is appropriate to challenge the teacher’s reading and to ask further questions on the text.

Terms:
Beit Midrash: House of Study or House of the Book
Havruta: Study of Holy Texts in Pairs or Small Study Groups
Torah she’Bichtav: Written Tradition (5 Books of Moses)
Torah She’ba’al Peh: Oral Tradition (Rabbinical Literature)
Shi’ur: Teaching by the Rabbi or Educator that follows Havruta study Seder: The period of Havruta learning for that precedes a Shi’ur.

A Roadmap to Eternity

Dear Rabbiblog readers,

After an absence of a couple of weeks, I am back at the blog. I share with you a lovely letter of praise from one of our hosts of the Shabbat around Seattle program of Panim Hadashot, New Faces of Judaism. I bring this letter to your attention because the writer expresses so clearly what the approach I am taking to sharing Judaism and to modeling a Jewish life. I will conclude with a few observations at the conclusion of the letter.

Rabbi,
Our family struggled for years while the children were growing up to have the kind of Shabbat experience we had the evening you brought Panim Hadashot to our home. Gone were the stress and the fights we remember from those years. They were replaced by a sense of joy and peace, singing, laughter and involvement. You helped create the most beautiful Shabbat experience my family has ever known in our home.

I am inspired now to try to recreate the experience on Friday nights in the future. You gave us the roadmap and the tools so that I feel confident that we can achieve that goal. We are also grateful to you for introducing us to the new faces who joined us for dinner. It is remarkable how much richness it adds to the experience to also make new friends with people whose background and life experiences is so different from our own!

Finally, the wisdom you shared and the contributions of the others to the discussion of the evening's topic, living with religious differences, were awesome! I feel that the ideas and views that were shared will impact me and my family for a long time, As I mentioned when I asked that this be the topic, our family, like most of the other families present that night, has struggled with the issue, found ways to accommodate, but still struggle. I now have a sense that the path to Shalom Bayit, peace in the house, is clearer for all of us.Again, thank you and Panim Hadashot for a truly wonderful and moving Shabbat!

*******
This letter helps to confirm for me the value of the original idea of Panim Hadashot: If Judaism is to become meaningful again for many Jews, connected or disconnected, from Jewish life, it has to start at home. I realized after 20 years in the congregational pulpit that sermons rarely change people, but going into Jewish homes to share the loveliness of Shabbat would deeply touch those around the table. It isn't even enough to invite people to the rabbi's home. A rabbi should be willing to teach and model Judaism in the home of other Jews. In this way, Jews will begin to imagine the roadmap to restoring a joyous Shabbat in their homes.

This realization meant a radical rethinking of the role and activities of the rabbi. It led me to question the effectiveness of the modern synagogue as it is now constituted. It led me to question the expectations put on contemporary rabbis which are so destructive to the rabbinate and the communities rabbi's serve. It led me to question the over emphasis on communal worship in big sanctuaries Heschel wrote that modern Jews are totally focused on the ephemeral and have abandoned the eternal. I believe deeply that Shabbat is the Jewish expression of eternity. Like any spiritual practice, it requires attention and mentoring. How could we dare neglect the greatest spiritual resource and teaching in our tradition. This understanding forced me to focus on a model of the rabbinate that would allow me to teach, mentor, and model a taste of eternity.

Panim Hadashot means new faces. The host wrote of the joy of having new faces at her table. I am deeply committed to restoring the centrality of Hachnasat Orchim-hospitality to Jewish life. Hospitality is not about serving cookies. It is a spiritual and philosophical openness to the other. This is expressed in Judaism by the act of sharing our Shabbat tables not only with our family and friends, but with acquaintances and strangers. A commitment to hospitality engenders a regard for the other, a respect for human diversity, a tolerance for difference, and ultimately a 'ahavat haberiot' a love for people. I consider the act of inviting a stranger to the Shabbat table a fulfillment of the Torah's command, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Contemporary Judaism suffers from many different forms of insularity: the separateness inherited from the tradition that insisted we distance ourselves from non-Jews; the pervasive social cliquishness of many Jewish communities; the inflated elitism of many committed Jews who look down on those who know or do less. While we can be proud that our tradition does not insist on saving the souls of every non-believer, we should not be proud of a pervasive insularity that has so diminished the value of true hospitality in our tradition. I have set as my goal to bring back this openness and graciousness to Jewish life. Shabbat is our door into eternity. How could we not share it with others?

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg 11/8/05 - 6 Heshvan 5766

New Faces of Judaism: Weekly E-Newsletter
Monday, November 7-Sunday November 13, 2005
5 Heshvan 5766. Portion of the Week: Lech Lecha Genesis 12
______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot Activities This Week:
Sat. 11/12 1-2:30pm. NEW Time 70 Faces of Torah (for adults) Interactive Torah Reading: LINK

Sat. 11/12 4-5:30pm. Handling Old Baggage: Discussion-"Jewish Identity in a Confusing Age' led by Rabbi Gartenberg LINK

Sun. 11/13 11am-12. Rabbi Gartenberg brings Torah to Barnes and Noble, Downtown Bellevue. LINK

Some Upcoming Panim Hadashot Activities after Nov. 13th

Sat. 11/19 NEW Havruta-Interpersonal Jewish Learning. "Different Faces of God" LINK

Fri. 12/2 Shabbat Dinner for Interfaith Couples and Families LINK

Support the Groundbreaking Work of Panim Hadashot. Become a Haver-Friend LINK
_______________________________________________________________________
Panim Hadashot, New Faces of Judaism, is a new endeavor of Jewish learning, celebration, and outreach. Our website is at www.panimhadashot.com. Panim Hadashot is the winner of the Levitan Innovation Award and is endorsed by the Union of Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Panim Hadashot is a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Founder and Rabbi, Dov Gartenberg: rabbidov@panimhadashot.com or 206 525-0648
To contact us: Call 206 280-3715 or email dorothy@panimhadashot.com.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send request to dorothy@panimhadashot.com.