LimmudVan ’14 at the JCC : Full Schedule

Limmud Vancouver takes place at the King David High School, 41st and Willow.
Please Note: Registration for Limmud is for the day’s activities.
There is no prior selection of individual sessions.
All sessions are open to all registered participants until all seats are filled.
Review the schedule and plan your day.

9:45am PST

Does God Have Gender?

Many people who read Genesis Chapter One believe it describes a patriarchal God creating a hierarchical world. Most Jewish commentators -- ancient midrashists as well as modern academic scholars -- see things differently. Using sophisticated reading techniques, they have found images of a maternal God, an androgynous God, and a God open to new structures. We will begin with a brief introductory lecture about God’s gender and how to look for clues in the text. Then we will read together a selection from one or more famous commentaries, using creative reading techniques, and making connections with our own understandings of God.

Speakers

Laura Duhan Kaplan

Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan is spiritual leader of Or Shalom Synagogue in Vancouver. She is also a blogger (www.onsophiastreet.com), spiritual director, and student of Depth Psychology. She loves to explore ideas in philosophy, theology, and spirituality. In her previous incarnation... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 9:45am - 10:45am PST
Upstairs Room #2 King David High School

Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

11:00am PST

The Artistry of Rabbinic Literature

The early rabbis were not only great teachers and leaders. They also were sensitive and creative readers, storytellers, and interpreters. Literary, ethical, and religious significance are not mutually exclusive characteristics, just as the same artist can possess superb technical skill, stunning artistic creativity, and have a deep moral vision. In this session we will look at some classical rabbinic texts as examples of the artistry of rabbinic literature that has reflected and animated the imaginations of generations of Jews.

Speakers

Robert Daum

Dr. Robert Daum is Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literature & Jewish Thought and Director of the Iona Pacific Centre at Vancouver School of Theology. At UBC he is Advisor to the Office of the Vice-President, Students, on ethno-religious diversity and student development, as well... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 11:00am - 12:00pm PST
Library King David High School

Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

12:15pm PST

Religious Tolerance in the Middle Ages: What Can it Teach Us Today?

How should a Jew engage in the non-Jewish world in which he or she lives? The Middle Ages - 11th - 13th century Europe, in particular - found rabbinic authorities wrestling with the boundaries between Jew and non-Jew. Can they eat together? Engage in commerce with one another? Wish each other well on their festivals?

We will explore Responsa of a few of the rabbinic giants of the middle ages to see how they responded to the economic and social realities of the Jews living in their day. Their halachic (Jewish legal) innovations have much to teach us today.

Speakers

Carey Brown

Carey Brown serves as Associate Rabbi of Temple Sholom. She loves engaging in Jewish living and learning with people of all ages and stages and works closely with Temple Sholom's Next Generation (20s/30s) group, young families, and teen and adult learners. Prior to her... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 12:15pm - 1:15pm PST
Upstairs Room #3 King David High School

History Text/Torah

12:15pm PST

Book of Esther Revisited

The Book of Esther may feel like a child's tale. There is a king and a beautiful queen. There are heroes and villains There are assassins, palace intrigue, battle scenes as well as a happy ending. What more could you ask for in a good child's story? The holiday celebrated is child-like as well. Purim is celebrated with costumes, carnivals, and abundant spirits.

But with fresh eyes looking at classical and contemporary commentators we will attempt a closer reading of the ancient biblical text that will reveal a different Purim story; a richer, deeper narrative. As different layers of meaning are gradually revealed, this "kids" story will come alive before our very eyes and we will be exposed to any story that has more impact and relevancy to our lives than we ever knew.

Speakers

Stephen Berger

Rabbi Berger started working at the age of 13 and tried his hand as a caterer, karaoke DJ, lobbyist, journalist, PI and governmental worker before deciding that the best way to impact the world is to start with yourself. So after graduating from UCLA he decided to take a... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 12:15pm - 1:15pm PST
Upstairs Room #6 King David High School

Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

2:15pm PST

Mitzvat Ahavat Yisrael: The Mitzvah to Love Your Fellow As Yourself

The Jewish world is going through major sociological changes and respect for each other is often difficult. Using key teachings of Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook, the Tzemach Tzedek and Rebbe Nachman, learn how to work on judging every Jew favourably, regardless of denomination or affiliation.

Speakers

Abba Brodt

As Principal at Richmond Jewish Day School, I am passionate about Jewish Identity and Jewish Learning. I believe that the Torah still has something to say to Jewish youth, and I am working tirelessly to explore how to provide the best model of Jewish education that combines... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 2:15pm - 3:15pm PST
Upstairs Room #2 King David High School

Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

3:30pm PST

Parshat Tetzaveh - Finding meaningful instructions in the Torah

This week's parasha includes instructions regarding the oil used for a menorah, the garments for the Kohamin, and the structure of the mishkan.

Included is the description of the breastplate, or 'choshen', worn
by the High Priest. It is rectangular in shape, adorned with
12 stones that represent the 12 tribes of Israel.

The High Priest’s breastplate in last week’s parasha is described as a rectangular plate adorned with 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. As a group, we will explore 12 qualities that we wish to cultivate in the world, and using collage, create new narratives for 'breastplates' of our time. A colourful mash-up of thread, paper and tape - fuelled by your ingenuity - will create original and inspiring 'gems' to be shared with the Limmud community by the end of the day.

Speakers

Wendy Oberlander

Artist, filmmaker, mother, student, teacher. A long-standing interest is the way Jewish history and memory are inscribed, both personally and publicly. Current projects focus on women and the written record, learning everything possible about baseball, and teaching at King David High... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 3:30pm - 4:30pm PST
TBA

Arts and Culture Family Friendly Interactive Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

3:30pm PST

And on the Eighth Day God Created Baseball

Go ahead and laugh. This gathering will consider the proposition that baseball reflects the deepest Jewish spiritual aspirations for baseball matters to Judaism and Judaism matters to baseball. We're not talking about Major League, big time money ball, steroids and commercialization. Judaism teaches that life is journey through time, space and soul and in this class we will consider evidence that poetry, art, drama and literature can help us round the bases of life and find our way back Home.

Speakers

Hillel Goelman

Professor Emeritus, UBC

Part academic, part rabbi, part baseball aficionado. Student of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Reb Shlomo Carlbach and Reb Akiva Mann. I read, write and think about Jewish spirituality in all its forms.

Sunday February 9, 2014 3:30pm - 4:30pm PST
Upstairs Room #5 King David High School

Arts and Culture Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

3:30pm PST

Media as Modern Midrash

We live in a world where information is streaming around us through countless channels, day and night. How can we connect these modern avenues with the ancient pathways of Midrashic understanding and interpretation? How are Jewish texts and experience expressed through art, music, news, social media, and many other venues? Join us as we discover ancient messages with modern relevance from the universal past to our time today.

Speakers

Mo Fisch

Moshe Fisch is a dynamic Jewish educator with a diverse background in fine art, music, Eastern religion, and Jewish spirituality. He fuses his world travels with fifteen years of experience in the classroom to create unique and compelling curriculum as a teacher and pedagogic... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 3:30pm - 4:30pm PST
Upstairs Room #2 King David High School

Arts and Culture Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

4:45pm PST

Forgetting Jerusalem: Memories of the Temple in the Talmud

The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans rocked Jewish society and has left a lasting imprint on Judaism. This session will examine reactions to the destruction of the Temple in the Talmud, one of the preeminent Jewish texts. Reading key passages together in English translation, we will explore the complicated and complex attitudes of the early rabbis to the destruction of the Temple. No background required.

Speakers

Gregg Gardner

University of British Columbia

Dr. Gregg E. Gardner is Assistant Professor and the Diamond Chair in Jewish Law and Ethics at UBC. He holds a PhD in Religion from Princeton University and has been a fellow at Brown and Harvard Universities. He specializes in ancient Judaism and classical rabbinic literature (Talmud... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 4:45pm - 5:45pm PST
Upstairs Room #5 King David High School

History Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators

4:45pm PST

Dinah: Our Fifth Matriarch?

A drama of unrecognized significance unfolds in the opening verses of Genesis 34. Dinah, Jacob's only recorded daughter, sets out on a mission, which is thwarted when she is brutally raped and kidnapped. An excavation of the deeper layers of this narrative moves Dinah beyond victimhood to political and social agency, and reveals a bold and insightful young woman with the potential to dramatically alter her family's history.

Speakers

Barbara Halparin

Barbara Halparin graduated from UBC with and Arts degree in 2008. She majored in Honours English and Religion, Literature and the Arts. She was an instructor in the Vancouver Florence melton Adult Mini-School for 5 years, teaching the Rhythms and Ethics courses. She likes... Read More →

Sunday February 9, 2014 4:45pm - 5:45pm PST
Upstairs Room #6 King David High School

Text/Torah These Sessions Recommended for Educators