Ma’gal: Rhythms of the Jewish Year

Service Description

Monthly Sunday evenings 7:30pm Jewish time moves in cyclical rhythms. Festivals mark the turning seasons, earth-based practices and foundational moments in the Jewish story. Each year we simultaneously celebrate nature's renewal, relive historical moments, and layer new meaning onto ancient experiences. This monthly Chaburah, or learning circle, explores the literary, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of our tradition as it unfolds through the cycles of Jewish Time. During our exploration, we will examine a key theme that emerges from a curated selection of texts and sources connected to that moment in the Jewish year – either from the weekly Torah portion or the approaching holiday. We will reflect on what these texts and practices have meant historically, as well as what they reveal about our inner lives, our relationships, and the perennial questions of human experience. This is a space for rigorous exploration, where traditional sources meet contemporary insight and where close reading opens onto larger questions. By engaging month after month with the cycles of our tradition, we find that each return offers new depths—in the texts, in the calendar's recurring patterns, and in our own ongoing development Special attention will be given marginalised voices in our tradition as well as how these texts and ideas can be given unique meaning in the Australian context. Expect interesting and thought-provoking texts, open and honest conversation and a touch of chutzpah! Whether you’re new to Jewish learning, or looking to deepen and renew your engagement, this monthly shiur provides the perfect opportunity to delve into the treasures of our literary and cultural traditions. About the facilitator: Dalit Kaplan is a co-founder of Beit Midrash Oz. She is a student of Torah and holds Shiurim exploring Jewish sources from an earth-based, feminist, psychological and mythical perspective. In her other life, she is a former lawyer-turned storytelling trainer, an Impact Investor and aspiring writer. Originally from the village of Caulfield, she has lived in the US and Israel and now calls Melbourne, where she resides with her husband (and Beit-Midrash co-founder), two tyrannical children and zen-master cat, home.