Har HaShem invites you to a series of three sessions as we prepare for the Days of Awe. Thursdays, September 4, 11, and 18, 2014. Each meets at Har HaShem’s North building from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Cost: $12 per session or $25 for entire series. Click here to register. 

Conflict & Calendars: The Thirteen Minutes that Almost Destroyed the Jewish People. In 922 CE, there was a dispute between a rabbi in the land of Israel and a group of his colleagues in Babylonia. The dispute was a bitter one – violent at times – and, in a very real way, it threatened to tear the Jewish people apart. At issue: When was Rosh Hashanah that year? The dispute hinged on two different understandings of a thirteen-minute span of time on the Jewish calendar, and the ensuing controversy almost destroyed a nation. We will gain insights into the nature of political debate, the power of Jewish cohesiveness, and the unbelievably complex ways our people measure and sanctify the passage of time. Led by Rabbi Mark Glickman – Thursday, September 4th, 2014, 7:00 -8:30 NOON TO 1:30 PM at HHS North Building.

Avenu Malkeinu, made famous by Rabbi Akiva, Barbara Streisand and the band Phish, is a central supplicatory prayer of our High Holiday liturgy. In this session, we will study the prayer as well as explore how different melodies affect both our experience of and the meaning of this gem. Led by Cantorial Soloist Holli Berman- Thursday, September 11th 7:00 – 8:30 PM at HHS North Building.

Rabbi Moses Maimonides proposes a step-by-step method that we each can use to do teshuvah and repair our relationships with ourselves, our loved ones, and our community. In this session, we will study the step-by-step method (hilkhot teshuvah) and through spiritual writing exercises, we reflect on the specific moments and actions from the previous year that weigh on us and in which we were not our best selves. Led by Rabbi Ruth Gelfarb – Thursday, September 18th , 7:00 – 8:30 PM at HHS North Building.