Hear Our Voice

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Is reconciliation truly possible? Can I actually reconnect with one who betrayed me? And if the answer is yes, what kind of fundamental change is required? Are there grand ethical bargains that must be struck to fulfill what we believe to be true and just? And are there some kinds of sacrifices that are worth it, even if/when they break the hearts of those near and dear to us?

CSK’s Barish Limmud Scholar in Residence, Author and Rabbi Paul Citrin will be joining us for the weekend of February 14-16 to invite us to explore these and many other kinds of questions through the lens of what I would argue is Jewish tradition’s most significant contribution to religious life -> Midrash.

Midrash is a Jewish tool of scriptural interpretation. It invites us to bring ourselves to the text, making it matter to our hearts and souls. Let’s face it, even from the perspective that Scripture bears the “hand” of the Divine, due to the limits of language itself, lots is always lost (or hiding) in translation. Midrash is the interpretive tool invented by our ancient Sages that in essence insists that the Scriptural word is never the last word (especially because the Torah leaves so much out of the story). So many questions abound. For instance:

•  What might it have been like to be Isaac bound upon the altar?
• Could Isaac have possibly been able to reconcile with Abraham after Mt. Moriah?
• What ever happened to Ishmael? Could he and Isaac have been able to reconnect and somehow build bridges that could overcome the sins of their parents?
• How do two peoples at each other’s throats for so long finally come to forgive? How much forgetting is not only possible but required in order to do so?

If you have ever wanted to do a deep dive into what makes Jewish learning uniquely dynamic and catalyzing for understanding the stories of our people and our own, this is a fantastic opportunity. Thanks to the Barish Limmud grant from the Houston Jewish Federation, we can bring to CSK and our greater Houston Jewish community an
opportunity to dig into Torah and mine it for meaning.

On Friday evening (2-14 at the Merfish following services and Shabbat dinner) and on Saturday morning (2-15 at 9 am at HCRJ including a bagel breakfast), Rabbi Citrin will guide us through our Sages’ interpretations of the fable-like tale of the Tower of Babel and the remarkably relevant anecdotes of Moses and his non-Jewish family. And then on Saturday evening (2-15 at 7 pm at the home of Brad and Anna Eastman), Rabbi Citrin will invite us to imagine (and create) our own midrashim,
reflecting upon our ancient stories through our modern minds and imagination. And then finally, on Sunday (2-16 at Beth Yeshurun from 9am – 4 pm) is Yom Limmud, when at 11:30 am, Rabbi Citrin will teach specifically on his most recent book, Isaac Unbound. (And don’t miss out on my 9 am session entitled, “Portable Walls, Deep Foundations”, which will be an exploration of CSK, what we set out to build, what we have built, and what potentially relevant lessons for all synagogues we have learned along the way.)

Please sign up now to join us for one, two, or all of these sessions with Rabbi Citrin. If you become a sponsor of the weekend, you will also receive an autographed copy of his book. Sign up today by clicking HERE!