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Ayeka? Where are you?

01/06/2022 09:24:53 AM

Jan6

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The primary purpose of Jewish spiritual practice is the betterment of self and one’s interactions with the world. 

I’m not quoting anyone specifically, except maybe none less than Rabbi Hillel, who taught, “Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to others.  That is the whole Torah.  All the rest is commentary, go and learn it.”

And if it were easy…but since it’s not…there’s

“Ayeka – Getting Unstuck in My Relationships”

Sponsored by Congregation Shma Koleinu and The Bobbi & Vic Samuels Center for Jewish Living and Learning

Part 1 - Wednesday evenings, January 19 – February 16, 7:00 – 8:30 pm

Part 2 - Wednesday evenings, May 11 – June 1, 7:00 – 8:30 pm

On-line via Zoom taught by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

So what exactly is Ayeka?

Ayeka? is a question.  Specifically, it's God’s question to Adam and Chava (Adam and Eve) immediately after they have both eaten of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.  Soon after, when they sense God’s presence in the garden, they hide and God asks them, Ayeka? Where are you?  Now, to be clear, of course God knows WHERE they are.  God is God after all.  However, our Sages teach that Ayeka? is a query not into their physical, but metaphysical, location.  But if this were just about Adam and Eve, there’d be nothing for us to meaningfully discuss.  Alas, it really isn’t about “them,”  it’s about us—you and me. 

The Ayeka? curriculum was created to enable people of all backgrounds and affiliations to discover, explore, and deepen their own unique relationship with God (and very much so with everyone else).

A Note about God: For some, God is “easy.”  Feeling God, believing in God, connecting with God in our lives.  However, for many others the notion or concept of God is troubling or problematic.  If this is true for you, please don’t let that be a stumbling block. One does not need to be a “believer” in God in order to study and reflect upon the central Jewish notion of God and, most especially, what it means to see ourselves and all human beings as created in God’s image.  Call it whatever you like—but our common humanity necessitates greater empathy, kindness, and humility.  Studying texts like these can make us wiser and better people. 

“Ayeka? – Getting Unstuck in My Relationships” is all about bringing you into a deeper conversation with yourself and with others about the “meaning of life.” My participation as a student and a teacher of Ayeka? has been a transformative experience; I promise that it will be for you as well. 

So, please join me online via Zoom for ten Wednesday evenings in two parts: January 19 – February 16 and May 11 – June 1. This is easy. After returning home from work or errands or the general “busy-ness” of the day, there’s no need to get back in the car, just join us online.  We will make the texts available, as well as opportunities for group study and discussion, meditative journaling/contemplation, and chavruta (studying in pairs) in engaging and motivating ways such that you will want to come back each week to explore and learn more. 

If you are feeling like you could use a spiritual overhaul or just a

“re-soul-ing,” Ayeka? is the path for you!  

Click here to register. 

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784