The community is invited for a weekend with Dena Weiss from The Hadar Institute in New York City.  Join us Friday evening, March 29, for Shabbat dinner (advanced registration is required) and on Saturday, March 30, for lunch and learn.  Dena will share thoughts, insights, and teachings, throughout the weekend.

Friday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat services followed by dinner

Hosted in partnership by Congregation Beth Ahm, B'nai Israel Synagogue and IRP.
$25 per adult, children 18 and under are sponsored by The Nadis Family Fund.
Advanced registration (see below) is required by March 25.
If you have  food allergies, special dietary needs or a request to sit with another family, please enter it in the notes section of you registration.

At 8:15 p.m., Dena presents:

What Is The Value of Keeping Up Appearances?
In many places, Jewish law stresses that while an act may be strictly, technically permissible, it is prohibited due to how the act appears.  But, why should I care what you think if I know that I am right and you are wrong?  What about your obligation to judge me favorably?  In this session we will explore the dimensions of the principle of Mar’it Ayin and its larger moral applications and implications.

Saturday, March 30 at 12:30 p.m.
Shabbat Lunch & Learn - advanced registration is appreciated
Independence and Interdependence: 

When Do We Need To Stay Together and When Must We Strike Out On Our Own?
Participating in and belonging to a Jewish community is rightly considered to be central to living a full and meaningful Jewish life.  However, sometimes being enmeshed in community can present a challenge to exploring and pursuing our own personal goals and interests, both religious and not.  In this class we’ll explore a passage of the Ma’or vaShemesh, from the great Hassidic master R’ Kalonymos Kalman Epstein wherein he explores and defines the limitations of being in community and when a person must leave their peers to pursue their own path.

About our Scholar

Dena Weiss is the Rosh Beit Midrash (Director of Full-time Immersive Programs) at the Hadar Institute in NYC where she teaches Talmud, Midrash, and Hassidut.  She earned her BA in Religious Studies from NYU, her Masters in
Theology from Harvard Divinity School, and is an alum of the Pardes Kollel.  This year she is writing and recording Hadar’s weekly Dvar Torah and podcast; you can sign up to receive them at www.hadar.org/denaweiss

Scholar-in-Residence Weekend is sponsored by The Schreier Shabbat Limud Fund