Rabbi Paskind’s March-April Bulletin Column

March-April 2025

L’Chayim & Learn!

We Jews are the People of the Book.  We pride ourselves on a strong education.  We aren’t afraid of asking tough questions.  We embrace a multiplicity of answers.

And yet, for so many of us, our Jewish education comes to a conclusion before our brains are fully developed.  We, and many of our children, work so hard to learn to read Hebrew, celebrate the holidays, and lead a congregation as we turn 13.  This is all to be commended and celebrated.

But the vast majority of us have missed out on the chance for continuing Jewish education.  We may have attended a Jewish high school program or gone to Jewish camp, or even spent a summer or a year in Israel.  But we know there’s more to learn.  And as adults, our brains and our hearts are much more prepared to engage with Jewish study than we were as young teens.  We’ve got the analytical tools.  We’ve got the life experience.  We have the compassion.  We’ve learned to tone down the silliness—well, some of us have!

I’m writing today to celebrate a new Jewish educational initiative in our community, called L’Chayim & Learn!  L’Chayim & Learn is a series of pre-holiday educational and social gatherings which give adults the chance to learn something—or be reminded of something we once knew!!—about an upcoming holiday, in the context of friends and community and food (and likely adult beverages)!  It’s being sponsored by the Beth Elles (our women’s group), and these events are open to all adults of all genders.

We kicked off the new series in December 2024 with a Chanukah L’Chayim & Learn, led by David Loewenberg, and enjoyed a Tu Bishvat L’Chayim & Learn, led by Wendy Engel.  I am leading (or just led—depending on the date of publication!) the Purim L’Chayim & Learn on Saturday, March 1 over Kiddush Lunch.  And I hope you’ll join me for the Pesach L’Chayim & Learn on Thursday evening, April 3.

This feels like the right time to toss out reminders of other adult learning opportunities:

• Torah study, monthly during Shabbat morning services
• Siddur Exploration, monthly at 9:15am before Shabbat services
• Tuesday text study Lunch-n-Learn; ask me for more info if I’ve piqued your interest!
• Up Your Game: Synagogue skills you’ve always wanted to learn but never had the time, where you can choose up to 3 different skills to learn with me and the clergy from TCS Westport!

And if coming to a class is too much right now, but you have 5 minutes here or there, play around with www.myjewishlearning.com or www.exploringjudaism.org.  These sites have SO much great information.

As we head toward warmer days, think about where you’d like to add some light and learning to your life.

Rabbi Ita Paskind