Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D.
Friday, April 30 – Sunday, May 2, 2021
Rethinking Jewish Leadership in Times of Crisis:
Learning for the Future from Our Past
Rabbi Sabath is an American-Israeli rabbinic leader, author and public speaker. She is the incoming inaugural Senior Rabbi of Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation in Baltimore, MD. Most recently, Dr. Sabath served as Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics and led a four-campus team at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC). Currently, she serves as a senior fellow at the Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood. She is presently at work on two volumes, one on the dilemmas of modern Jewish thought, and the other, co-edited with Rachel Adler, a volume on ethics and gender in Judaism. Prior to her role at HUC, Rabbi Sabath served as Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
All programs via Zoom. Links TBD.
Suggested readings for weekend
Jerusalem Post column written by Rabbi Sabath: “Great Leaders Take Great Risks” (Overview piece for the weekend)
LA Jewish Times article written by Rabbi Sabath on Ethics and Jewish leadership: “What We Need Now: Jewish Leadership Driven by Ethical Imperatives”
Radical Prayers in Times of Crisis: The Irreverent Prayers of Hannah according to the Talmud (Particularly relevant for Acharei Kiddush session)
Recently published chapter, “Torah in a Time of Pandemic: Jewish Ideas of God in Crisis” (Relevant for the whole weekend and particularly relevant for Sunday’s session)
Friday, April 30, 8:30 – 9:30pm (Service starts at 6:15pm)
Crisis Leadership in the Bible
How do different Biblical leaders respond to the different crises? Prophets, Priests and Kings each bring different leadership tools to their post-crises realities. The Prophet Moses, the Priest Aaron, and King David, each responds to leadership with different personalities and tools. What can we learn from their successes and failures? We will also consider if the later prophets, priests and kings learned from their mistakes.
Zoom registration 4/30
Saturday, May 1, Shabbat D’var Torah
Should We Stay or Should We Go? Leadership Dilemmas During Crisis
Three Competing Models from the Talmud (with reference to examples from the Shoah as well, including Leo Back, Hannah Senesh and Henrietta Szold)
Introduction to the afternoon session/Acharei Kiddush
Please email the Bet Am Shalom office with your name and phone number to request Zoom information for Shabbat service.
Saturday, May 1, 12:30 – 1:45 pm
Between the Cave and the Orchard
What can we learn from comparing the leadership models of three infamous sages of the Talmud, Rabbi Aviva, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai? Each faced a radically new world but model very different leadership strategies. We’ll also consider how Hannah (in her Talmudic form) and Bruriah lead during and after crises.
Zoom registration 5/1
Sunday, May 2, 10:00 – 11:00 am
New Leadership Paradigms for Our Post-Pandemic World
The COVID-19 Teacher: Too Soon to Say?
What have we learned about Jewish leadership for Today? After the Holocaust and in light of the Sovereign State of Israel, how have models of Jewish leadership changed? What are the core values and methods of leadership in our time? What might we have learned from our COVID-19 era for the future? Examples from current leadership models.
Zoom registration 5/2