The Aquarian Minyan Yeshiva
CURRENT & UPCOMING CLASSES*
*All classes are offered virtually via Zoom, unless stated otherwise. Class times listed are for Pacific Standard Time
NEW FOR FALL 2024!
Liberators, Warlords and the Heavenly Voice: Critical Perspectives on the Books of Maccabees with Rabbi Jonathan Seidel PhD
Thursdays December 5,12,19
12pm Pacific/ 3pm Eastern
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum $50 for all three sessions of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register.
As we approach the Hanukkah season, the Image of the Maccabees and the Hasmonean dynasty remains controversial in Rabbinic perspective. Over the course of three weeks, we will discuss the reception of the Divine Miracles and the Maccabees in “Court History”, both through the Talmudic lens and in a more critical contemporary perspective.
With the understanding that there is no “pure” history but rather a construction of the past that often serves the historiography of those in power we will engage in lively discussion about this enigmatic last Jewish dynasty. Some questions we will consider are:
1)How did the Hasmoneans imagine the perfect new powerful Jew? A Spartan? A Roman? A Greek?
2)How did they interact with the Pharisees who preceded the Rabbinic movement?
3)Did the Hasmoneans actually force people to convert to Judaism at the borders of Judea?
4)What was their relationship to Gaza?
5) How did this over one hundred year long dynasty fall and ultimately give way to Roman conquest?
*Though digital study materials will be provided, students may find it helpful to read the First Book of Maccabees before the start of class
About Rabbi Jonathan Seidel
Rabbi Jonathan Seidel is Currently Rabbi in Residence at the Aquarian Minyan and Visiting Prof at the University of Portland where he teaches Comparative Religion, Bible and Theology. His High School Religious School project, written under the guidance of Rabbi Charles Kroloff was devoted to post Holocaust theology. At Oberlin College Rabbi Seidel studied Religion and Music, inter alia, and worked extensively in Interfaith programs. A Fullbright Scholar at the U. of Cambridge Jonathan holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. Rabbi Seidel is in his 41st year of teaching at the University level and has served as Rabbi for much of the past few decades as well. He is currently Chair of the Oregon Board of Rabbis and President of the Oregon Interfaith Hub. He divides his time between Oregon , the San Francisco Bay Area and the New York Metropolitan Area
The Nigun: Mystical Melodies That Awaken, Purify and Elevate Our Souls with Ami Goodman
Tuesdays 12PM Pacific Time / 3 PM Eastern
December 3/10/17/24
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation of $60 for all for sessions of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register.
Join us as we deeply explore the transformative power and nourishing gentleness of the wordless melodies known as Nigunim, reflections of the rhythms and vibrations of all that exists. In this 4-session series, we’ll discover the nature of the nigun and review a number of the many references to nigunim and melody in the Torah, Talmud and Chassidic mystical wisdom literature. We will learn the unique and distinctive musical styles of nigunim from a variety of Chassidic communities, from Modzits to Belz to Lubavitch. Many examples of nigunim will be presented and shared. Musical notation and, when possible, recordings will be provided, but no facility in reading music needed. Everyone will be invited to discover their own personal nigunim.
About Ami Goodman
Ami Goodman has had a lifelong love of Jewish music in all its forms. He enjoys discovering new melodies to incorporate into the liturgy, and new music to heal and help transform a broken heart and a broken world. He especially loves to guide the community in t’fila and facilitate the renewal of the prayers. He is a retired physician in San Francisco and lives with his wife Abby, a poet and physician, and their elusive and wise cat Cosette. He can be contacted at:
Coming in January 2025!
Understanding Jewish Identity in a Changed World: Honoring and Celebrating our Diversity with Yoreshet D’vorah Grenn, Ph.D
Wednesdays at 12pm Pacific/3pm Eastern
January 8, 15, 22 and 29
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation of $60 for all four sessions of this class (those who registered last month for this class under the previous title“Who Is A Jew..with Dvorah Green do not need to re-register)
How do people of multiple Judaisms connect with God and the Jewish people? There are cultural Jews, secular Jews, religious Jews, Jews by birth, Jews of color, Jews by choice, political Jews, Goddess Jews, “Jewitches”, Jewish pagans, and those who describe themselves as Jews who may not affiliate with any religious organization or who identify with any categories. In addition, this class taught by author Yoreshet D'vorah Grenn we will explore multiple and intersecting theologies: the ways we imagine, construct and connect with God? What are the limits of self-definition as “Jewish”? Come explore the exciting contemporary challenges of Jewish identity with an outstanding educator who brings a brilliant and inclusive perspective to the topic.
About Yoreshet D’vorah Grenn
Yoreshet D’vorah Grenn, Ph.D (she/her) is an educator, writer, Mashpi’ah Ruchanit / Spiritual Guide and Yoreshet. She founded The Lilith Institute, A Center for Feminist Spirituality in 1997, Co-Directed the Women’s Spirituality MA Program at ITP/Sofia University for eight years, and was a founding theorist of the Kohenet movement. She has taught Jewish Magic and Folklore, and The Sacred Feminine in Judaism for Hebrew College and Ner Shalom/Cotati, and Humanities and Philosophy classes at Napa Valley College. D’vorah also just completed a Women’s Sacred Conversations with G’d class for Hebrew College as well.