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Torah study | Vayetzei
December 7 @ 9:30 am - 12:00 pm PST
Shabbat Services and & Torah Study: Vayetzei
Saturday, December 7th
Emeryville, CA & Online
9:30am Shabbat service // 10:30am Torah study
You can join us either in person or on Zoom for Shabbat services and/or Torah study. If you are in the Bay Area, we’d love to have you join us in person. After Torah study, we enjoy a vegetarian potluck meal together and have an opportunity to deepen our connection with one another. If you are able, please bring a vegetarian dish to share with others. For those joining us online, we invite you to also bring food to eat after the service. We will keep the room open so folks can connect with each other after the service.
A peek into Torah study with us and the parsha this week
We have begun the month of Kislev. Kislev is the time of year where the days are getting shorter and the nights longer. We have turned a corner from the intensity and reflective season of the High Holy Days and from the month of Cheshvan with its time for rest and rejuvenation. During Kislev, we celebrate Chanukah––the festival of lights and rededication of the temple. It is the time of year for dreaming and envisioning.
This week we read parsha Vayetzei. In this parsha we read about the story of Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Leah, Bilah, and Zilpah and their children. It begins with Jacob fleeing from his family home after stealing Esau’s birthright and setting off on his own. The first night on his journey, to find himself a wife, he stops. He sets up some rocks on which to rest his head (ouch!) and goes to sleep. And he dreams––Jacob’s ladder. Angels are going up and down the ladder and YHVH, the God of possibilities and transformation, was standing next to him. When Jacob wakes up he declares, “Surely YHVH is in this place, and I, I did not know.”
What does it mean for the Source of Transformation to be in this place? Can it be that the place where YHVH resides is wherever we rest our heads for the night, wherever we connect with the Divine. Chanukah is a time when we celebrate the rededication of the temple after its desecration by the Greek empire. Today we are witnessing the desecration of our holy temple, Mother Earth. During this month of Kislev and beyond, what dreams do we hold for our individual and collective future and how can we partner with the Transformative Power of the Universe and others to actualize our collective dreams and humanity?
We will explore this and so much more during our Torah study. We hope you will join us.
Accessibility & Covid Practices for this gathering:
The house has 5 stairs to enter. We will be sitting in a living and dining room, either on couches or the floor (cushions provided). Please feel free to bring a seat or cushion that is comfortable for you. The windows will be open and an air filter will be on. If you are able to wear a mask, we request that you do so. If you are sick, please join us on Zoom.