These services have moved online with Zoom for the winter and until it is safe to gather again in person. We begin at 10AM and usually conclude the service with kiddush by 11:30AM.

You may send an email via this website (see Contact) in order to join the list serve for notifications.

Azamra: I will sing praises...! Shabbat Morning Services via Zoom with Rabbi Lev Friedman; Dates in 2020: October 24, November 28, December 26, In 2021: January 23, February 20, March 20, April 24, May 22, June 26.

• Azamra: I will sing praises...! Shabbat Morning Services via Zoom with Rabbi Lev Friedman; Dates in 2020: October 24, November 28, December 26, In 2021: January 23, February 20, March 20, April 24, May 22, June 26.Sat, Oct 26, 201910:00 AM  Sat, Jun 20, 202012:00 PM

Azamra is now in its second year. It was launched as part of Hebrew College’s initiative called Innovation Lab which is designed to bring the Torah of HC rabbis into the wider community. To that end, Azamra will be a laboratory of innovation rooted in tradition.  Services, led by Rabbi Lev Friedman, will include joyful singing with guitar, meditation, davennen/prayer, storytelling, poetry and teaching. We will meet monthly for Shabbat morning services, including creative Psukei de’zimra, Shacharit and Torah services. The hope is to create a space into which we bring a renewed, heartfelt and meaningful Jewish experience that reflects the needs of spiritual seekers in the 21st century. We will continue to meet on Zoom as the pandemic makes it unsafe to gather together in the same space.

Azamra is part of a new Hebrew College initiative called Innovation Lab which is designed to bring the Torah of HC rabbis into the wider community. To that end, Azamra will be a laboratory of innovation rooted in tradition.  Services, led by Rabbi Lev Friedman, will include joyful singing with guitar, meditation, davennen/prayer, storytelling, poetry and teaching. We will meet monthly for Shabbat morning services, including creative Psukei de’zimra, Shacharit and Torah services. The hope is to create a space into which we bring a renewed, heartfelt and meaningful Jewish experience that reflects the needs of spiritual seekers in the 21st century.

Azamra is open to the community. Each service will be followed by a pot-luck vegetarian Kiddush luncheon.

The dates for the services are: September 28, October 26, November 23, December 21,

2020: January 25, February 22, March 28, April 25, May 23, June 20.

Services will begin at 10AM and go to approximately 12PM, followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

ALL VEGETARIAN PLEASE. Kosher by Ingredients (heksher or made in kosher kitchen NOT required)

Last names beginning with..

A-M - veggie main dish
N-S - salads of all varieties
T-Z - two liters of drinks and one bread or dessert

Torah study through a Hasidic Lens - We will delve into hidden meanings that lie beneath the simple reading of selected Torah texts through the lenses of Hasidic masters such as The Baal Shem Tov, Degel Machaneh Efraim, Rebbe Nachman, Me’or Einayim, and the Netivot Shalom. Each text we encounter will offer insights into our psycho-spiritual lives with the aspiration that our own interiority will be illuminated, expanded and transformed. The class will utilize music, meditation, hevruta (paired) study and group discussion. 

I’m honored to be invited to this retreat and am looking forward to it already. I’ll be offering a few teachings, (described below and subject to change), helping with some parts of Shabbat services, having informal discussions with the men and leading a sing-along.

א.  - “Discovering the Secrets of Shabbat: Shabbat Candles, Hidden Light" –Experience the hidden light within you with the Netivot Shalom. Through text study in hevruta, using music, reflection, and open discussion we will explore how the mystical teachings of this hasidic rebbe can deepen and transform our Shabbat experience. Shabbat is central to sustaining the world. What is our role in this process? We will immerse ourselves in the words of the Netivot Shalom, the Slonimer rebbe, and the ancient texts he employs to see how they might guide us into a more meaningful Shabbat practice.

ב.  Talmudic Stories - Locating Ourselves in Jewish Narrative Art - one third of the Talmud is made up of aggadah (stories, allegory and non-halachic material). We will look at one or two very colorful and powerful stories that will open our imaginations to the levels of metaphor and myth. The complexity, depth, imagery and ideals of Talmudic stories will be revealed. We will flesh out specific values that the stories teach and attempt to see where we locate ourselves within the narrative in order to make the story(ies) our own.

ג. Torah study through a Hasidic Lens - We will study key points in the weekly Torah reading through the lens of certain Hasidic masters.

Ta-shmah! Come learn some of the secrets of Shabbat. Experience the hidden light within you through the writings of the Rebbe of Slonim, the Netivot Shalom. Through text study in hevruta, using music, meditation, reflection, and open discussion we will explore how the mystical teachings of this hasidic rebbe, beloved by Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, can deepen and transform our Shabbat experience. Shabbat is central to sustaining the world. What is our role in this process? We will immerse ourselves in the words of the Slonimer rebbe, as well as our ancient texts to see how they might guide us into a more meaningful Shabbat practice. 

This class will run March 5, 12, 19 at TBZ,

I’ll be assisting Rabbi Laura and Rabbi Allison during services with guitar and singing. We will have a sing-along during the day on Shabbat, and I will be offering a teaching called “Shabbat: What’s God got to to with it?”

This is a six week course offered through Hebrew College’s Open Circle Learning and hosted in a private residence. https://hebrewcollege.edu/programs/open-circle-jewish-learning/

Through text study of the Shabbat home blessings, with an emphasis on the Friday night kiddush and Saturday morning kiddush, we will deepen our understanding of what we are already doing at home on Friday evening and/or Saturday. We will learn texts from Talmud, Midrash and Zohar and ask how is Shabbat foundational to the Jewish concept of time? What do the blessings ask of us? What do all the words that we say actually mean? How do we comprehend the words, “Who makes us holy with His/Her mitzvot?” What do the rituals have to do with our lives? Do they offer insight into our own spiritual connections and callings? 

Whether you just started celebrating Shabbat, hope to begin, or have been at it for a long time, this study will be useful in gaining practical skills and knowledge that will make Shabbat a more vital and enriching experience. Using music, reflection and meditation, we will share personal insights and questions.

This is a six week course. No Hebrew skills required but certainly useful.