The Meeting House – Room 300

CLASS 1 The Tragic Tale of the Best Hevruta Ever: The Gladiator and the Beard-less Rabbi Rabbi Yohanan and Resh Lakish, a teacher and a retired gladiator, were known to be the best Havruta (Aramaic for ‘study partners’) in the Talmud, yet their relationship ended in tragedy. The tale begins with their first encounter in the Jordan River – a sexually charged meeting of two disparate cultures and two intense men, which turns into a deeply transformative moment. It story…

Rabbis, Wives and the Other Woman: An Unforgiving Tale for Yom Kippur How do we balance our different loves? How do we navigate between our passions and our obligations, between our need to be somewhere at a certain time, and how easily we get distracted? This is a story about one scholar who loved studying so much - or perhaps a professional who loved working so much - that he barely went home; until one day he never came home…

Ilfa Gets a Job: Hunger and the Search for Authenticity   How do I know I’m making the right decisions in life? Should I listen to my doubts or muster the courage to make a radical change? Do I dare dedicate my life to what I’m passionate about even as I fear I will not find material success or even basic sustenance? In this Talmudic tale, two young men decide to change course, leaving the ivory tower of study and…