A Reason to Celebrate
Illuminating Our Lives through the Jewish Holidays
What’s your reason to celebrate? The Jewish holidays are the centerpieces of our year. Days when we remember events that forever changed the course of our history. But they are much more than that. The festivals are pauses in time, primed for personal introspection and spiritual re-connection. Windows to the psyche, fortifying us with tools for facing everyday challenges. Kaleidoscopes of beauty and meaning, changing how we see ourselves, our relationships, and our world. Join us for this eye-opening new learning series from the Rosh Chodesh Society, coming this November, 2013.
Kislev
The Enlightened Maccabee
The Message of Chanukah in a Modern World
We all know the story of Chanukah: the miraculous victory, and the oil that lasted eight days. But what does this ancient history mean to us today? By deepening our understanding of the lesser-known history and mystical meaning of Chanukah, this lesson will shed light on what it means to be Jewish in today’s enlightened age.
Tevet
Finding Faith
A Jewish Perspective on Pain and Suffering
Why does God allow suffering in His world? In times of pain and suffering, we can feel distant from God. How do we access faith in challenging times? How can we navigate the fine line between acceptance, and praying for suffering to cease?
Shevat
Your Beautiful Fruit
Seven Fruits—Seven Dimensions of Your Soul
On Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year for Fruit Trees,” we partake of the fruits for which the Land of Israel is blessed, each of which embodies a lesson in personal or spiritual growth. Through exploring the seven species, this lesson will examine how we can live a wholesome life despite the conflict and fragmentation we experience in our lives.
Adar I
The Woman in the Moon
Kabbalistic Insights into Femininity and the Jewish Calendar
What is the uniqueness of a woman? This lesson will delve into the mysterious quality of femininity, which is metaphorically associated with the moon. What is femininity? How can we express the feminine aspects of our personality to beautify the world and those around us?
Adar II
Your Reason for Being
Uncovering Your Personal Mission—A Lesson from Queen Esther
Do you matter? In a climactic moment recorded in the Megilah, Mordechai pleads with Esther to fulfill what could be her raison d'être. Does each of us have a personal mission that only we can fulfill? What tools can we use to discover our unique purpose in life?
Nisan
Free at Last
Redefining Freedom in the 21st Century
Passover is the “Festival of Our Freedom.” But what does freedom mean to us today, when governments give us the autonomy to live as we choose? We are no longer enslaved, but does that mean we are truly free? How do we attain a sense of internal freedom from our personal enslavements?
Iyar/Sivan
Engraved in Your Heart
Finding Personal Meaning in the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments communicate God’s message to humankind for all generations. But why these ten? In this lesson, we’ll discover how the Ten Commandments encapsulate timeless and unexpected wisdom, changing how we view ourselves, our relationships, and our world.