Congregation Etz Chayim

Opening up the Text and Entering into Conversation with the Commentaries 4 Classes - Feb 12 through March 18 7:30 - 9:00 Find your own personal approach to understanding the Torah in this four-part class. Each part is stand-alone, so you can participate in as many or few sessions as you'd like. Click here for more information or to register

Ever considered hosting a seder and not done it because you thought: It's Too Hard! It's Too Much! It's Too Involved! This workshop is for you. (Also for anyone who has hosted and is looking for tips for your 2020 Seder). You do know enough! Your house is big enough! And, you can do this! Join Rabbi Chaim and Abra as we explore and share ideas on how to create a successful potluck seder, or a child-friendly seder, or a more-than-four-questions seder, or a musical(s) seder and more. Come with your questions, your ideas, your songs, your recipes and your creativity. Together, we'll build an ETZtraordinary Seder resource bank of ways to do your seder, your way.

You are invited to a pre-Shabbat Zoom Check-In with Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Amy Eilberg. In addition to a nice chat, Rabbi Amy will offer a short teaching on Spiritual Wisdom in the Time of the Pandemic. Click "More Info" for the link to the conversation.

Virtuous Virtual Torah Study with Emeritus Rabbi Cartun this Shabbat morning, Topic: When you're in Hawaii, do you pray facing east or west? And why do synagogues in Moscow face east, not south? Saturday, March 21, 9:00-10:00 am This week’s Torah portion, of which we will read the very end, (Exodus 40:34-38) tells of the Israelites finishing setting up the Wilderness Sanctuary, so the Haftarah begins the story of Solomon’s dedication of his Temple. We’ll look at the part of the haftarah which mirrors the end of Exodus, and go on to a part of Solomon’s dedication speech which is the origin of facing the Temple when praying. But as the Temple is not always east of where we might be at any moment, where might we face, and why might we do it? In the very beginning of the introductory pages of every Etz siddur, there is a page which deals with this very issue, and we’ll introduce you to that page and its “directions".