Beth Am University: Sophomore Year
When I started thinking about what adult education could look like in my dream world at Beth Am, I imagined one night a week of a buzzing campus of adult learners. I dreamed of various course selections, amazing expert teachers of the highest caliber, and eager and excited participants. I dreamed of great food, time for fellowship and friendship, and creating within our community a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) for anyone not involved.
After our freshman year, we are certainly moving in the right direction. It was heartwarming to see more than 200 students coming and enjoying learning, deepening their Jewish knowledge, and having a great time on our beautiful campus. I am so grateful to Rabbi Jaime Aklepi and Judy Cowan for taking the reins and coordinating Beth Am University. From my perspective, our freshman year was a great success and offers us something profound from which to build.
That is where you come in. In my dreams, I did not imagine what Beth Am University would look like in its first year. I imagined what it would look like in its fifth year, or in its tenth year. I imagined more than a thousand people coming every Wednesday evening to learn and socialize, and to connect with other members of our community. I imagined a campus teeming with learners heading to and fro to their classes around campus. I imagined the day when Torah and Jewish learning once
again was restored to its appropriate place among our highest priorities.
One of the most dramatic moments in the Tanach occurs in the Book of Second Kings when King Josiah ordered repairs to be done to parts of the Holy Temple that had begun to crumble. During the renovations, the High Priest came across a Torah scroll. For years Jews of his day had abandoned the study of Torah and were unsure what the Torah instructed. King Josiah gathered the people and read the Torah aloud. It led to a renewal of the covenant with the Almighty, and sweeping reforms that led to destruction of all the idols and cult practices that the Israelites had adopted. The discovery of the Torah scroll was seen as a revival of Jewish life and a blueprint for how to reinvigorate Jewish practice within a community.
At Temple Beth Am, the Torah has never been lost to us. It is the center of our lives and the anchor that holds us together. Nevertheless, in order to maintain and grow the spiritual, social and educational fabric of our congregation, we would greatly benefit from a sustained revival of Jewish education. I truly hope you will join us for our sophomore year, and help us grow to the heights I know we can reach.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Jeremy Barras