Some of the Courses Rabbi Fern is available to teach
(Many of these can be taught as a single session, a shabbaton or a series, in person or via zoom)
Gender and the non-binary
Jewish tradition contains many diverse images for the divine interplay that go beyond the familiar stereotypical gender binary. But these are not the aspects that have been emphasized most. In this course, we explore some of the sources that evoke a more multivalent understanding of gender, and consequently, of all binaries.
Entering the Thick Darkness
The sacred dark in Jewish text and practice, through explorations in Tanakh, Kabbalah, Chasidic texts and more.
Biblical Hebrew
Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. We can make grammar fun!
Jewish Prayer
Explore liturgical prayer and/or spontaneous prayer, from whatever combination of perspectives you find interesting, including Hebrew language, meaning, experience, structure, history and more.
Synagogue skills
Learn to participate in, or lead services, chant Torah, haftarah, or the scrolls for festivals.
Text skills
Learn how to decode Hebrew text independently. We can work with a variety of texts, including Torah, Midrash, and Chasidut, starting at whatever level you need.
Moments of Revelation
A text- based exploration of direct experiences of Divine Presence in the Torah
The Slonimer Rebbe on The Sayings of the Ancestors
The Slonimer Rebbe, R. Shalom Noach Barzofsky, was a 20th century Jersualem based rebbe, whose writings drew on a wide range of previous Chasidic teachings, but also included amazing insights of his own. His teachings on the Sayings of the Ancestors, or Pirkei Avot, give over deep teachings about ethics. Hebrew texts will be read aloud by the rabbi and translated as we go.
The Slonimer Rebbe, Netivot Shalom, on the Holidays, or on the Weekly Torah portion
See the above description of the Slonimer rebbe
Sacred Cycles of Time
The Jewish year allows us to ride the waves of sacred time, interweaving our own journeys with the journeys of our people, our planet, and the flow of divine presence. Using texts from Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Midrash, Kabbalah and Chassidut.
Bat and Bar Mitzvah tutoring and mentoring
Preparations for youth and adut b’nei mitzvah, including learning to chant Torah and/or haftarah, lead prayer, write a d’var Torah, plan and do a mitzvah project. Rabbi Fern is also available to lead the service if you like
Introduction to Judaism, and conversion classes
A year-long course that introduces Jewish prayer, the holiday cycle, life cycle, and foundational theological and ethical concepts.
