Derekh Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Join us under Beth Shalom's new tent for an evening of learning with our community's torah scholars. Come for a single lecture, join for sunrise minyan, or stay up all night and do it all! May 16th from 9PM to 11PM - Lectures and discussions led by Rabbi Seth Adelson and Rabbi Danielle Leshaw. May […]
Tzitzit Tying with with Shoshanna Barnett
Sunday, May 2, 202111 a.m. - 1 p.m. Rear Parking Lot at Congregation Beth Shalom Join Shoshanna and learn how to tie tzitzit! We'll learn about tzitzit and each child will have the opportunity to make a felt square with their tzitzit to take home. The activity should take about 30 minutes. Feel free to […]
Youth Tefillah Karaoke
Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. We are launching a Karaoke Tefillah style Shabbat program in partnership with Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, of Mah Rabu fame! Join us this Saturday morning, May 1st at 10am for about 30-40 minutes for a special service led by Rabbi Warshawsky. This event kicks off the Beth Shalom Karaoke […]
Who Are the Karaites, and Why Is Their Shavuot Always on Sunday? Originally Published April 23-24, 2021.
Back in the eighth and ninth century CE, in the region of Persia, there were many who balked at the notion of oral Torah. They seemed to feel that all we need is what is written, what was given by the Almighty, without the Oral Law. These folks banded together in sects, loosely known as […]
What Is Lag BaOmer? Originally Published April 16-17, 2021.
Let’s begin at the beginning. An omer is a tenth of an ephah. These are dry measures that were used in ancient times. An “omer” may also mean a “sheaf” of grain, in this case barley, and that is what we are theoretically counting during these days. In Leviticus 23:9-11, we will read (in a couple weeks) that […]
Kickstarting Lay Leadership Summit
A Gathering of Jewish Pittsburgh Adult Programming Leaders First Session June 9th @ 7:30 PM Second Session June 30th @ 7:30 PM Are you a leader of Jewish Adult Programming in Pittsburgh?Do you want to learn more about how you can build stronger programs by engaging lay leaders in your community, while getting to know […]
The Jews of American Jazz with Seth Kibel (Derekh)
Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. An examination of the personalities, lives and careers of Jewish-American musicians including Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, whose pioneering contributions shaped this uniquely American genre of jazz music. Classic recordings, video clips, and "live" performances from Seth Kibel, our instructor, will make this course swing […]
When Is Horseradish Not a Bitter Herb? Originally Published April 9-10, 2021.
“But Daddy, that’s a leaf! Rabbi says we dunk leafs into salt water, and for Maror we cry about horseradish!” “Leave it alone, Shelly, this is what Aunt Ruthie does for Maror.” Even though generally we tend to think that the whole world does exactly as we do, we are sometimes wrong about that, even […]