Has the Jewish prayer service ever left you hanging? Wondering why people would ever attend something so boring or arcane repeatedly? Once upon a time, those were my questions, too. The first time I heard the siddur, prayer book, described as a treasure chest (by scholar Franz Rosenzweig), I was mystified.
But then I had a change of heart. It surprised even me who, until that moment, had been a “God-skeptic.” (Although, to be clear, there is no agenda here to convince you that God exists. There is room for “spiritual but not religious.”) Through a series of meaningful classes and conversations, I finally got the opportunity to ask my forbidden questions, wrestle with assumptions, and arrive at a new level of curiosity that set me on fire. I’ve felt this fire ever since. Rabbi Elliana Light summed it up well when she stated enigmatically, “The words are not the prayer.”
Feeling at least a little curious? Try out the new study series called “Opening the Siddur,” designed to walk you through the basics of Jewish prayer perhaps in a way you never have tried before. All members of the Jewish community are invited to attend.
The study series will take place Sundays, 3-5:00 pm on April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26 and August 30. Location or Zoom information will be disclosed after registration. Cost is $25 per class, or $100 for the series for non-PH members, free for members (cost of class can be applied retroactively for those who become members of Pardes Hannah). For more information, email Rabbi Aura Ahuvia at PsychedelicRabbi@gmail.com.
–Rabbi Aura Ahuvia