Congregation Beth Israel Judea is please to announce its Fall 2007 Shabbaton, a weekend-long series of events presented by visiting East Coast Rabbi, Kevin Hale.
Here is a list of the events for the Divine Art of the Torah Scribe shabbaton:
Friday, November 30, 8:30 PM: FROM TELEGRAPH AVENUE TO TORAH SCRIBE (Talk)
Meet Rabbi Kevin Hale, a graduate of Yale and former Berkeley street artist, who is one of the handful of non-orthodox rabbis in the world who is also a traditionally-trained "sofer stam," or Jewish ritual scribe. In this presentation, Rabbi Hale will trace the spiritual and artistic journey which led him to take a special interest in the 613th biblical commandment, which calls upon every Jewish person to engage at least once in his/her lifetime in the writing of a torah scroll.
Saturday, Dec. 1, 10:00 AM: D'VAR TORAH.
At our Shabbat morning service, Rabbi Hale will present his thoughts about the portion of the week, Parashat Vayeshev.
Saturday, Dec. 1, 12:30 PM.: TORAH SLEUTH: IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF SACRED SCROLLS AND THE SCRIBAL ART (Talk)
Join us for an up-close and personal tour of our synagogue's seven torah scrolls, and of the many traditional tools, materials, rituals and methods used in the ancient scribal art. Prior to the presentation, Rabbi Hale will have taken the time to carefully examine all seven different scrolls for clues as to their history, origin, age and condition. He will come to us with many exciting findings, and use this information to outline the unique life story of each individual scroll. During this program, you will learn about differing scripts and styles of layout used by scribes, and hear Rabbi Hale’s expert insights on techniques and approaches to torah restoration.
Sunday, Dec. 2, 1:00 PM: INTERACTIVE CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOP (Open studio-workshop)
Roll your sleeves up and learn, alongside Rabbi Hale, how Jewish ritual scribes write torah scrolls and other sacred texts by hand. There will be lots to see, touch and even—torah ink has a distinctive scent--smell! While trying your hand at quill, ink and parchment, remember: writing even a single letter of torah is a fulfillment of the 613th biblical commandment! No Hebrew knowledge required. An event not to be missed!
These are programs aimed at adults and teens. Younger children welcome if accompanied by a parent. Free admission. Free parking. Congregation Beth Israel-Judea, 625 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco, 94132-2992. For more information, please contact the synagogue office.