New ALEPH tele-classes--maybe they are perfect for you?!

Dear Ones,

The first course in our new mechinah program, Torah in Hebrew, is now fully subscribed and we have had to close registrations for this cycle.

At the same time, our second course, Introduction to Jewish Thought, is now available for registration and I encourage you to circulate the announcement below to those who fit the criteria for this program as outlined on the ALEPH website. There are two units from which we will select one, based on the preferences of those enrolling. Anyone who registers but decides that the unit offered is not for them at this moment will be able to withdraw without penalty before the course begins. We will charge credit cards only after the course has begun.

This is a wonderful beginning.
Daniel

Introduction to Jewish Texts: This course will provide an introduction to the main bodies of traditional Jewish literature that build upon the foundation of the Bible. It will include an overview and specific examples from Mishnah, Gemara, Midrash, Biblical Commentaries, Jewish Philosophy, the Siddur, Kabbalah, Chassidism, and Mussar. Proficiency in Hebrew is not a prerequisite. The course will provide a solid sense of the vast body of Jewish spiritual resources to facilitate a deeper encounter with this Tradition.

Introduction to Kabbalah description: This course will introduce the participant to the vast body of the Jewish mystical tradition. We will cover its history, its fundamental concepts, and its major phases concentrating on Kabbalah and Chassidism. Samples of texts will be studied so that students will experience the literature itself. We will encounter Sefer Yetzirah, the Zohar, Abulafia, Cordovero, Isaac Luria, and Chassidic masters. Proficiency in Hebrew is not a prerequisite.

Mark Elber did his graduate work in Kabbalah at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at the University of Pennsylvania in addition to studying privately with various chassidic teachers. He is a graduate of the first class to certify teachers of Jewish Meditation at Chochmat HaLev in California. He has been teaching Kabbalah and Hebrew for over 30 years. He is the author of The Everything Kabbalah Book and is a published poet and songwriter.

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Dear All! Shalom!

We are writing to all the extraordinary individuals in our extended Jewish Renewal community who:

• have initiated a serious inquiry into an ALEPH Ordination Program;
• might be thinking of initiating a serious inquiry into an ALEPH Ordination Program; and/or
• are looking for a higher level of the study of Torah Lishma, Torah for its own sake.

We are currently designing a series of courses with you in mind and are ready to offer the first of these courses now.

There are diverse areas of learning that are required in preparation for entering our programs. The coursework that we offer in our tele/ video-conference courses presumes that you have this background.

However there are often too few opportunities to learn this material. This leaves prospective students with difficulty meeting the entrance requirements.

We now are taking this opportunity to offer a series of short (six- week) teleconference or videoconference courses that meet this need.

You can take all, one, or just a few, depending on your level of learning in these areas.

Some rabbinic, cantorial and rabbinic pastor students from our programs will also be in these courses from time to time, as some of these courses will meet requirements of the core program. These courses will also bring you into the circle of our teachers and talmidim / students so that you can begin to participate in our chevra while still being in your process of discernment and/or application to the program.

This first course is called "Torah in Hebrew (Unit One)." The goals for this course are:

• To open a Chumash to a section of simple narrative Hebrew text and read and translate reasonably and comfortably, with a sense of the nuances in the Hebrew vocabulary.
• To acquire a basic knowledge of biblical syntax and grammar, as well as basic Chumash vocabulary. To become familiar with the basic concepts of the modern, critical approach to the study of Torah.
• To appreciate the annual and triennial cycles of Torah reading and a sense of how to read Torah in a spiritual way. To become familiar with the styles of the major, classical biblical commentaries.

This course will be offered in two, six week units. Unit One focuses on reading and translating skills. Unit Two focuses on methods of interpretation. (e.g. Pardes: archaeological/historical, Jungian)

To access the full description of this course and to register, do the following: First, go to this page of the ALEPH website: https://www.aleph.org/distance_learning.htm Then, log in (or join ALEPH if you haven't already). After you've logged in, you'll need to return to the distance learning page where you started and then click on "View Current Classes." There you will find the links for the full description of the course and how to register.

Reb Daniel Siegel for the ALEPH Bet Midrash
Reb Marcia Prager for the ALEPH Ordination Programs