Me'ah Select
Led by outstanding faculty, Me'ah Select is a one semester, in-depth exploration of a specific theme, text, personality, or slice of Jewish history, taught at the college level, but without papers or exams. (Some reading is assigned between classes.)
You do not need to have taken Me'ah Classic to participate.
Classes in Lexington take place at either Temple Isaiah, Temple Emunah or Zoom and are open to the community. Additional Me'ah Select classes are offered around the Boston area and online.
A full list of courses and more information about Me'ah Select is available on the Hebrew College website.
Generous financial aid is available from Hebrew College, email meah@hebrewcollege.edu
Winter/Spring 2023
Encountering God Today
With Rabbi Neal Gold
10 sessions, Tuesdays, beginning February 7
9:30 am - 11:30 am
"Where is God to be found? Wherever you let God in”—These are the famous words of Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. Nonetheless, contemporary times call for new vocabulary and new ways of talking about God.
In this course, we’ll explore the various paths in contemporary Jewish thought, and we'll encourage one another to discover approaches that enhance our own understanding of God. We’ll read many wonderful and daring Jewish texts, with an emphasis on the Jewish writers who have searched for spiritual meaning in our own time.
After a brief look at Biblical and medieval ideas about God, the course will examine topics such as Big Bang Cosmology, the influence of modern Jewish feminism, neo-Hasidism, the Holocaust, and more, looking at thinkers such as Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Buber, Judith Plaskow, and others.
No special background or knowledge of Hebrew is required for this course.
Rabbi Neal Gold is a committed (and popular) teacher and writer, as well as a counselor and social activist. He graduated from HUC and holds a master’s degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis. He has served as a congregational rabbi, Director of Content & Programming for ARZA, and is currently Hillel Director and Chaplain at Babson College. Learn more about Rabbi Neal Gold here.
Tuition is $380. Generous scholarships are available from Hebrew College. Isaiah is also providing a $50 stipend for the first 10 Isaiah members who register; it will appear as a credit on your temple account.
Questions? Email Wendy Liebow, Co-Chair of Adult Learning.
For more information about Me'ah Select classes, please visit the Hebrew College website.
