Year-Round Adult Education

Adult Education
Fall 5787 Semester

Explore the Herzl-Ner Tamid Theme of the year: FIND YOUR JEWISH VOICE!

Together we will explore the myriad of ways in which we can all find our Jewish voice through lectures, music and conversation. We encourage you to explore Your Intellectual Voice, Your Musical Voice, Your Political Voice, Your Spiritual Voice, Your Verbal Voice and Voices from the Community.

This year we are offering a robust set of courses and learning opportunities for everyone! We hope you will sign up for those that pique your curiosity and your area of interest. Read on to discover more.

Fall 5787 Semester:

Project Zug – Beit Midrash – Chevruta Learning

For the first time ever HNT will be hosting chevrutah learning through an innovative platform called Project Zug (facilitated by Yeshivat Hadar). We’ll get into it, but to begin to understand what chevrutah learning is think: “brain-boosting buddy system, where two minds review one text, and sharpen each other’s thinking.” We’ve subscribed to a one-year membership of courses and text-based study that will be accessible to members! Rabbi Cahana will facilitate this so that participants get a taste of chevruta study.

Navigating Power Imbalances: A Jewish Approach

Often we are confronted by the reality that sometimes the people we hold up as great leaders, brilliant artists, effective politicians, and generous philanthropists, who have given much to society and have much more to offer, can also be deeply flawed individuals. What do we do when we find out that one of these people has crossed an ethical red line? What happens to their leadership and how do we respond?

Wednesdays – 7:00 – 8:30 PM

First Class October 21 is Free so you can come and see what Chevruta learning is all about and decide if you wish to continue participating in the project. We are sure you will!
Member Cost: $54/person or if doing with your spouse or significant other $72/both
Non-Member Cost: $72/person

2026 Dates
October 21 and 28
November 4, 11 and 18
December 2

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/project-zug—beit-midrash–chevruta-learning.html

The Jewish Don Quixote: Faith, Folly, and Love in The Bridal Canopy – Taught by Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum and Dikla Kafka

What happens when radical faith looks a lot like foolishness?

In this class, we’ll explore The Bridal Canopy by S. Y. Agnon—a novel that reads like a folktale yet reveals hidden layers of depth.

At its center is Reb Yudel, a poor, pious Hasid who sets out on a wandering journey to secure dowries for his daughters. Like a Jewish Don Quixote, he moves through a world that tests the boundary between faith and folly: trusting in divine providence, misreading situations, and encountering a parade of characters both generous and exploitative. We will consider: is Yudel’s unwavering trust a form of spiritual greatness—or a dangerous refusal to see reality?

At its deepest level, the novel explores what it means to live as a person of faith in an unpredictable, often unjust world. It is at once a loving portrayal of traditional Jewish life—and a subtle critique of its blind spots and social inequities.

In our study, we will explore questions such as:
• When does trust in God become irresponsibility?
• How does Agnon manage to both praise and satirize sacred Jewish practices and beliefs?
• What does this novel have to say about Jewish life in our own time?

This study group offers a space to read closely, argue vigorously, and discover how a deceptively simple story unsettles our assumptions about faith, love, and what it means to live responsibly in the world.

Sunday mornings, 9:30-11:15am – in person only
Cost: $25/person

2026 Dates
October 11
November 22
December 13

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/the-jewish-don-quixote-34faith-folly-and-love-in-the-bridal-canopy34.html

Can God Make a Mistake? Unconventional Jewish Approaches to God—and Why They Matter – Taught by Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum

The Jewish understanding of God is much more that it seems. It often defies expectation, is deliberately provocative and sometimes it seems downright heretical. Through a close study of Jewish classical texts, we will explore:

• Why do the Rabbis tell stories about God making mistakes and even asking for forgiveness?
• How is it possible for an all-powerful God to have emotional needs?
• Why does Kabbalah teach that human actions can enable God’s full potential? Can God be an underachiever?
• What can the Jewish understanding of God teach us about human freedom?
• What do Jewish beliefs about God teach us about how human beings should relate to each other?

Sunday mornings 9:30 – 11:30 am
Cost: $45/person

2026 Dates
October 18
October 25
November 1
November 8

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/can-god-make-a-mistake.html

The Instability of Jewish Meaning: How Meaning Changes, and Why It Should – Taught by Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum

What do we mean when we say that a moment, an experience, or a life is meaningful?

These are among the questions we will explore together:

• What Biblical heroes most embody a life of meaning, and why?
• How does Jewish practice train us to continually re-calibrate the meaning of our lives and thus perpetually renew ourselves?
• How are the observance of shabbat, the study of Torah and the recitation of the Shema connected to our need for meaning?
• How does the way we tell the stories of our lives and of our history change over time, and why?
• How can we find meaning in moments of pain and suffering?
• How is the search for meaning connected to the way Judaism speaks about God?

Recommended (but not required) reading:

• Victor Frankel, Man’s Search for Meaning
• David Kessler, Finding Meaning
• Arthur Brooks, The Meaning of Your Life

Mondays – 12:00 – 1:30 PM – Lunch and Learn
Cost: $45/person

2027 Dates
January 11 and 25
February 1 and 8

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/lunch–learn-the-instability-of-jewish-meaning.html

Intro to Niggunim – Taught by Cantor Heather Batchelor

In this series we will draw on traditional melodies and contemporary compositions to explore the niggun (wordless melody) as a communal spiritual practice. No prior musical experience or knowledge of Hebrew required. Come with open ears and an open heart.

Thursdays – 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Cost: $36/person

2026 Dates
October 22
November 5 and 19
December 3 and 17

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/introduction-to-niggunim-with-chb.html

Hold the Date: Artist in Residence Shabbat – January 29 – 30, 2027

CHANA RASKIN, the founder and main facilitator of RAZA, is an untrained vocalist who grew up entrenched in the world of Chabad Hasidut and its stirringly simple and complex melodies. These nigunim have carried her at every point on her journey. Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat dinner, Shabbat morning will involve contemplative prayer space combined with communal learning, and nigunim (take the Cantor’s class to get comfortable with this type of music) and an evening program after shabbat that brings it all together and completes our musical weekend.

Description: A musical and spiritual weekend featuring Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat dinner, and contemplative prayer. Experience stirring, simple, and complex Hasidic nigunim combined with communal learning. Over this weekend, Raskin will guide us in opening our Jewish voice personally and collectively.

Brave Conversations: Red, Blue and Purple – Co-facilitated by Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum and Chris Goelz

Polarization is tearing America apart. What can be done? Braver Angels is a national organization committed to respectful civil discourse across political difference. It has chapters in every city in America.

Our group, co-led by a Braver Angels facilitator, is open to Americans of every religion, race and ethnicity and is now entering its third year. Liberals, conservatives and everyone in between discuss topics ranging from ‘immigration policy’ to ‘what to do about the housing crisis’ in an atmosphere of mutual respect and affection.

Registration is curated so that the group remains politically diverse and its size is limited to allow maximum participation. If you are interested in joining, complete the online application.

Monday nights – once a month – 7:00 – 8:45 PM
Cost: Free

2026 Dates
October 5
November 9
December 14

2027 Dates
January 11
February 8
March 8
April 12
May 10
June 14

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/brave-conversations-red-blue-and-purple-at-hnt-led-by-rjr.html

Journey into Judaism Taught by Rabbi Briah Cahana, Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, Cantor Batchelor, and Rabbinic Intern Sarah-Beth Neville

This course offers a foundation in Jewish life and practice, bringing together the ideas, history, texts, and traditions that shape Judaism with opportunities to experience and practice them firsthand. We’ll explore what it means to live Jewishly in the Conservative movement through prayer, Shabbat, holidays, kashrut and other everyday practices.
This course is open to all, though is introductory. For those seeking conversion, this course is required, along with Hebrew study and regular attendance at Friday night and/or Shabbat services. Participants are expected to attend all the classes.

25 sessions – Sundays 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Cost: $360/person

2026 Dates
October 18 and 25
November 1, 8, 15, 22
December 6 and 13

2027 Dates
January 10, 17, 24
February 7, 14, 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21
April 11 and 25
May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/journey-into-judaism.html

Parshat HaShavua: Taught by Sarah-Beth Neville – Rabbinic Intern

This class will focus on Midrash and Chassidut relating to the weekly Torah portion.

Monday nights 7:00 – 8:00 pm – virtual only
Cost: Free

2026 Dates
October 19
November 2, 16 and 30
December 14

2027 Dates
January 11 and 25
February 8 and 22
March 8 and 29
April 12

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/parsha-hashavua-class—parsha-of-the-week-virtual-only.html

Discover the Art of Becoming Your Best Self: A Mussar Journey of Jewish Wisdom, Reflection & Personal Growth – Taught by Hilary Abramowitz

What if our everyday challenges could become opportunities for spiritual growth?

Mussar is an ancient Jewish practice of developing our character (middot)—cultivating qualities such as patience, humility, gratitude, kindness, courage, compassion and generosity.

In this warm and engaging class, we will explore the wisdom of the Torah and great Mussar teachers, while drawing on contemporary psychology and mindfulness.

Together we will learn to:
• Become more aware of our thoughts, emotions and reactions
• Transform difficult moments into opportunities for growth
• Improve our relationships with ourselves and others
• Develop greater compassion and self-awareness
• Bring Jewish spirituality into our everyday lives

Through study, discussion, journaling, meditation and practical exercises, we will explore not simply what Judaism teaches us, but how we can live those teachings more deeply.

No prior knowledge of Mussar is necessary.

Come with curiosity, an open heart, and a willingness to explore. Join us as we learn, reflect and grow—one middah at a time.

Wednesday nights – 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Cost: Free

2026 Dates
September 30
October 7, 14, 21 and 28
November 4

Register: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/event/the-jewish-guide-to-self-improvement-in-six-parts.html

Hebrew Language Courses – Taught by Janine Rosenbaum

All classes are taught by Janine Rosenbaum virtually through Zoom at this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7811346153

Before registering, please call Janine at 206-963-4933 to be placed in the correct Hebrew class level.

Register for classes here: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/form/ae-hebrew-classes—2026-2027.html

The following is a complete list of Hebrew classes.
If you do not see a class that meets your scheduling needs, please email Janine at janinerosenbaum@comcast.net.

All books can be purchased through Amazon or through the Israel Book Shop at 1-800-323-7723.

Class dates are also listed on the HNT calendar at: https://h-nt.shulcloud.com/calendar

Fee: $300 per semester; $600 per year (30 classes)
Some need-based scholarships are available, please email Janine at janinerosenbaum@comcast.net for more information.

Beginning Hebrew

Did you always want to learn to read and write Hebrew? This is your chance to study in a safe, warm and friendly atmosphere.

Book: New students must purchase the book “L’Shonee Aleph” and the accompanying workbook, “L’Shonee Aleph” in advance of the first class. The workbook might be out of print. If so, contact Janine and she can get you a copy.

You must take Hebrew for one year if you are planning on converting to Judaism at Herzl-Ner Tamid. Please speak with the Rabbi about possibly waving this requirement if you have already had one year of Hebrew.

Beginning Hebrew, 30 classes
Mondays, 7:00PM-8:30PM, Virtual

September 28
October 5, 19, 26
November 2, 9, 16, 23
December 14, 21
January 4, 11, 18, 25
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
April 5, 12,
May 3, 10, 17
June 7, 14

Any makeup classes will occur in June

Modern Hebrew 1

Think you know all there is to know about Modern Hebrew? Join this continuing class to deepen your knowledge of this dynamic language.

Book: New students must purchase the book “Ivrit MiBereishit Alef” in advance of the first class.