Religious Identity: Prayer Discussion Series Continues

On Wednesday, December 26, the Religious Identity team met once again to discuss prayer. Since last discussion used sources in Tanakh as the basis for a talk about prayer, the jumping off point this time was prayer in the Talmud. Ben, Marni and Rafi moderated the talk, with Ben supplying examples of prayers of Alexandrine Jews and Marni and Rafi preparing the following source sheet:

Talmudic source sheet on prayer

RS Member Jamie summarized her impression of the discussion:

When we pray in the Jewish religion, we do so as a community, with a minyan [quorum], and in a set place of worship. There are sources that say that God’s presence is stronger in a group of ten or more. This is not to say that smaller groups of prayer or individuals are not counted, but they do not hold as much weight as does the prayer of a community. Likewise, it is preferred that modern prayer take place in a synagogue and not be subject to whim.

This seems to contradict the idea that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. If He is everywhere and anywhere, why should it matter where we pray or with how many people? This community emphasis in prayer could perhaps be one of the many methods instated in Judaism to keep the community strong, because the community is what keeps religious awareness strong. While people can attain spirituality alone, in the locations they choose, there is a certain power in a group of people coming together to make requests and to plead as a unit for the needs of the community.    

Update from RS Meeting

RealSchool members had a lot to do as we gathered for the first time since Chanukah:

Religious Identity and Video Production

The Religious Identity and Video Production teams met to discuss the content of the 2-3-minute video they plan to film about how to make prayer more meaningful for students. As RS members brainstormed ideas for the video, Marni came up with a great tagline for the Religious Identity team in general: 

Turning Practice Into Purpose

We love it, Marni! Thanks!

Religious Identity is also gearing up for its next discussion on prayer, which will be on December 26 and will cover Tefillah in Talmud. Since we began the discussion series with a look at how prayer appears in Tanakh, we thought one next logical step would be seeing how prayer is addressed in the Talmud. Frisch has agreed to allow RealSchool to host a minyan on the days that we run a discussion group, so we'll do so that morning. Penina came up with a headline for the flyer we'll post to advertise the minyan:

Be the minyan you want to see in the world.

Great stuff, Penina. Thanks go out to you, too!

Karen, who heads Graphic Design, is going to make us a logo for with the line, so we'll be able to use the logo every time we run the minyan.

Last week many of RealSchool's Religious Identity members led discussions with the freshmen about where to draw the line between Judaism and the secular world. The discussion was part of an integration program at Frisch called Greek Week. For more information about Greek Week, see Greek Week at Frisch: Cougars Draw the Line. The Religious Identity team liked the way the discussion went and wants to have more of them with the freshmen. Therefore, what came out of tonight's meeting is a three-pronged approach to creating more mindfulness in student religious practice:

1) Videos, made for and by students, about the search for religious meaning
2) Additional discussions about prayer and a RealSchool minyan on the day of the discussions
3) Continued informal discussions with the freshmen, led by RealSchool: Religious Identity members

Graphic Design and Health and Environment

Religious Identity and Video Production weren't the only teams that got things done tonight. Graphic Design also laid out an action plan for the next few weeks, so we can realize our goal of having student-made logos for each of our RS teams. Health and Environment team continued work on the green cookbook we plan to make, although we're rethinking whether we want a formal cookbook or an app/website that we update, so we have a virtual recipe folder. Health and Environment team members also decided they want to focus on giving healthy makeovers to unhealthy recipes. Whatever else we decide on, one thing is clear: a recipe for kale chips is a must!

Soon you'll be able to make these kale chips yourself,
thanks to RealSchool's Health and Environment team and
Frisch's Environmental Club

Thanks to everyone who attended tonight. We got a lot done and also managed to get in some ad hoc discussions of one of our favorite topics at RS: education reform.

Finance and Fashion

Next on the to-do list:

Finance Team events
The Frisch Fashion Show, which we'll plan this year with the school's dance team

What's New in Religious Identity and The Arts

The Religious Identity team has decided on a topic for a series of discussions it wants to have this year about Judaism. The topic is -- drumroll, please! -- Relationship with God, and members of the Religious Identity team will moderate discussions about different approaches Judaism takes to building a relationship with the Creator. Those different approaches include:

* Prayer
* Philosophy
* The Torah
* The Halakha, the Jewish legal system

The first discussion will take place on November 28, 2012 and will be on Prayer!

Meanwhile, as usual, The Arts is supporting Religious Identity's endeavors. The team is going to the Jewish Museum this Sunday, November 18, to see an exhibit on Hebrew illuminated manuscripts from the Bodleian Library collection. That exhibit will kick off a year-long study of Hebrew illuminated manuscripts that will result in an exhibit at RealSchool's Second Annual Yom Iyun, Day of Learning,which we call Sikhot b'Emunah, Discussions in Faith.

While the Religious Identity team will get you ready for the Festival of Lights by enlightening you about Prayer, The Arts team is using the following lecture on Chanukah by Menachem Leibtag as a jumping off point for an exhibit that will hopefully enhance your holiday:

Lecture on Chanukah by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

Student-Run Day of Learning

The Religious Identity, Marketing and Arts teams came together to create a totally student-run Yom Iyun on March 18, 2012. We called the event Sichot B'Emunah. Students created and presented nine lectures on different areas of Tanakh and Talmud and The Arts team created an exhibit about the Fibonacci sequence, God's hand in the world. The Marketing team promoted the event, getting patrons and sponsors and compiling the source book the student presenters made. Sixty people from the Frisch and wider community attended.

Here are pictures of the student-designed flyers for the event as well as the event itself: