There are many opportunities for adult education at CBJ, including our Hebrew and Jewish studies programs, adult B’nai Mitzvah program, Torah study, Brotherhood Jewish movie nights series, and so much more.
Contact Rabbi Mills if you have a topic or would like to learn more.
Starting with an introduction to Musar the week before parsha Bereshit, the beginning of our Torah, Rabbi Mills will be leading a Torah study class that will approach each portion using the techniques of Musar.
Mussar is a Jewish spiritual practice focused on personal ethical and spiritual growth, aiming to cultivate virtues and improve one’s character. It emphasizes self-reflection, mindful actions, and consistent effort to align one’s behavior with core Jewish values. The practice involves identifying areas for improvement (middot or soul traits) and developing a daily routine that includes a mantra, mindful action, and journaling.
Mussar offers a framework and a toolkit for translating the philosophical wisdom of kabbalah into a personalized, ongoing spiritual discipline. Although compared to Musar, Kabbalah is the more widely known branch of Jewish spirituality, Musar is a more reachable way to incorporate spirituality into your life. Kabbalah is spiritual and mystical, focusing on the unseen forces in the universe, whereas Mussar is spiritual and practical, concentrating on our inner world and its impact on our daily choices. There is significant overlap in the traditional Mussar and Kabbalistic literature, so if you have explored Kabbalah, Mussar will complement and enrich your understanding. And for those of us who find Kabbalah a bit too “out there,” you will be able to relate to the Mussar because it is a very grounded practice.
The class will use Rabbi Barry Block’s text: The Mussar Torah commentary, which you can read more about and order clicking here.
All individuals taking the class should purchase this book!!!
If you are interested in taking the class, please email Rabbi Mills with your top 3 days and times for the meeting. We will determine the class meeting schedule based on interest from those who wish to take the class.
To read more about musar, please click here, which provides the history and an explanation in great detail, or read below for a short overview.
Here are some samples from past programs:
We offer various educational opportunities that are not listed here. You can subscribe to our Weekly Update email to keep up with what is happening in our temple.
You can request a subscription by sending email to Newsletter@cbjplymouth.org or contact Rabbi Mills for further information.
This Introduction to Judaism class will be taught by Rabbi Mills by Zoom, only. An in-person option will be considered in the future if the situation with covid improves. The class will meet on Wednesdays at 4:30 pm, beginning on January 19th. The class is complimentary for CBJ members, and the cost is $180 for non members.
The class is for those who want to explore the beliefs and rituals of Judaism for conversion and is also perfect for those raised Jewish who want a comprehensive overview of the Jewish faith, rituals, and beliefs. Those participants studying for conversion will need to purchase the books that we will use. To obtain further information and to register, please contact Rabbi Mills at cbjplymouthrabbi@gmail.com.
This class will consist of 15 Wednesday sessions, ending on May 4th. There will be no class on March 23rd or 30th. CBJ members are invited to drop in on these classes. The Zoom link can be found in the Weekly Update.
Rabbi Mills has recommended a number of Zoom events that are shared by many Reform congregations and provided by the Jewish Book Council. You may find the Jewish Book Council website to be an interesting resource for book lovers.
These programs consist of conversations with the authors of book club selections and also talks by authors on interesting topics. Most events are held on Wednesdays at 8 pm. All require advance registration. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Further information is in the Weekly Update and also here:
Descriptions of events
