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
*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 Divine Feminine and Rebbe Nachman of Breslov with Rabbi Shlomo Barya Schachter
12pm Pacific Time
Mondays Nov. 4, 11*, 18, 25 and December 2 (Rabbi Jonathan Seidel subs for Rabbi Schachter on Nov.11)
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation of $72 for all five sessions of this class. Class recordings will be provided to all who register
The kabbalistic tradition has long embraced and articulated the idea of the Shekhina as the indwelling Feminine presence of the Divine. Personified as the Shabbat Queen, She is also the beloved bride, the mourning widow and the long-suffering mother. Rebbe Nachman has extensive teachings regarding the Feminine Face of God. In particular, his epic stories give a vision of the Shekhina as proactive, powerful and wise. Join Rabbi Barya Shlomo Barya Schacter as we delve into a five week discussion of Rebbe Nachman's portrayal of the Divine Feminine and examine his teachings on how we can best interact with Her.
About Rabbi Barya Schachter
Rabbi Barya Schachter, grew up in the Jewish Renewal movement as it coalesced around his father, Reb Zalman and received Orthodox Semicha from Rabbi Riskin of Efrat after spending nine years studying in Israel. A modern Breslever Chassid, he strives to draw on the experiential piety of Hasidut in order to face the challenges of the contemporary world. He sees halacha more as instructions for shamanic rights rather than a system of law, and as such particularly enjoys DIY mitzvah projects like doing his own Shechita, making homemade Matzah and tying Tzitzit. Striving to integrate his experiences with martial arts, football and alternative medicine, he approaches Torah and prayer with an eye towards embodiment practice as an emerging modality in serving Hashem. He can be reached at:
Exploring the Talmud: God, Self, and Family
with Rabbi Jonathan Freirich
Tuesdays at 12pm Pacific
October 15, 22, 29 and November 12
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation of $60 for all four weeks of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register
Join us for an exciting discussion guided by Rabbi Jonathan Freirich who draws his inspiration from Rabbi Amy Scheinerman’s fascinating conversations about Talmud. Over the four weeks of this class, we will explore the following topics in her text and the original sources from the Talmud, Mishnah, and Midrash:
* Why Jews have both Written and Oral Traditions, Torah and Talmud
* Prayer and Worship - Ideas and Reflections from Rabbinic Sources
* Honoring Our Parents - Obligations and Exceptions Between Generations
* Balancing Family and Study - Ancient and Contemporary Work-Life Balance
About Rabbi Jonathan Freirich
Rabbi Jonathan Freirich, a Reconstructionist and Reform rabbi who learned at the Conservative Yeshiva and Hebrew University in Jerusalem, also has training in public policy and community organizing. Originally from New York City, Rabbi Jonathan now coalition-builds, facilitates, listens, learns, and writes, in Buffalo, New York. Dedicated to compassion and cooperation, thoughtfulness and thinking, and effective collaborative actions, Jonathan aims to contribute to a better connected, more peaceful, and more sustainable world. He is an experienced and compassionate teacher dedicated to making Jewish texts accessible to beginners and beyond.
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:
Who Is A Jew? How Persons of Multiple Judaisms Connect to God and the Jewish People with Yoreshet D’vorah Grenn, Ph.D
NOTE: THIS CLASS IS NOW RESCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAYS BEGINNING JANUARY 8.
Registration will re-open soon-watch this space!
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.
The Texture of Time: The Hasidic Masters on the Temporal Journey with Rabbi Or Rose
NOTICE: This class has been cancelled. For questions, please contact our Rosh Yeshiva: