Learn about your personal Jewish spirituality

Temple Beth Shalom presents Personal Jewish Spirituality adult education course

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley will present a four-part interfaith adult education course, “Personal Jewish Spirituality,” from 10-11 a.m. Thursdays, June 6, 13, 20 and 27 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave.

Dana Evan Kaplan, Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, will lead this course and  provide written materials each week that will help participants understand their own spirituality and find ways to enrich their own spiritual lives.

“Many of us attend synagogue or church week after week and we enjoy the ritual and the liturgy, and, of course, the camaraderie. But how do we penetrate deeper within the theology of the religion in order to grasp the spiritual import that is being transmitted?,” Rabbi Kaplan said. 

This series will discuss how to conceptually understand personal Jewish spirituality and then turn that understanding into emotional responses that can enrich our spiritual lives. 

Course highlights include:

• The concept of the covenant between the children of Israel and God and how that love of God can manifest itself in our lives. 

• Revelation: The idea that God gave us divine teachings, and try to translate that idea into experiential spirituality. 

• What God wants us to do with this world and in this world and how social action can play a role in not only making the world a better place but in making us feel more connected with God. 

• Discussing how these ideas can inform how we behave on a daily basis. We all know that we want to be good but how does that connect to our relationship with God? 

The goal of this course is to give us exposure to new ideas that can help us to live our lives in ways that are more organically connected with God.

Cost is $20 for Temple members or $35 for non-Temple members. Register by noon June 3 by calling the Temple office at 623.977.3240 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, go to tbsaz.org.