Temple Beth Am Podcasts

Master calligrapher Joanne Fink, founder of Zenspiration, teaches a class that focuses on exploring and synthesizing two important spiritual practices: the ancient Japanese practice of Enso circles, and the contemporary practice of preparing for the new year by choosing a focus word. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about the process and create their own unique Prayer-Space decoratio...

Rabbi Rebecca Schatz's Shabbat Teaching at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on September 5, 2020. (Zoom/Youtube)

Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny's Shabbat Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on September 5, 2020.

Rabbi Ephraim Pelcovits leads a discussion on The Unetaneh Tokef prayer in a time of pandemic. Some years, we need the High Holidays to make us pause, to confront our actions, to repair our relationships, and to face our mortality. This year, in the midst of a global pandemic and political and societal turmoil, many of us have already been forced to acknowledge the fragility of our lives and the l...

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld explores rabbinic material surrounding Yom Kippur in tractate Yoma from Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on September 4, 2020. (Zoom/Facebook)

Rabbi Josh Warshawsky leads an online discussion of music and the spiritual content of the High Holy Days. Embedded within each piece of music are stories, deep secrets, and intricate connections between Hebrew words and themes. Rabbi Warshawsky helps us deepen our understanding of the wisdom of the Jewish tradition, and enables us to sing with a newfound understanding of the words we bring into t...

Rabbi Benjy Maor (Munitz) raises a serious of important questions in this discussion on Zoom. How do we make sense of the world today as we move forward from Elul into Tishre and the New Year? Can we find all the answers rationally, or is it all simply a matter of faith? Can we learn anything from Israel, where we/they are so used to having crises all the time (almost all the time…)? Rabbi Maor, a...

Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson Maisels explores wisdom sources from our tradition and concrete practices. In this class he helps us understand how we can open our hearts more fully to forgiveness whether we are forgiving others, ourselves, or asking for forgiveness from others. Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson Maisels is the Founder and CEO of Or Halev a Center for Jewish Spirituality and Meditation. Ordained b...

Rabbi Matt Shapiro and Rabbi Rebecca Schatz of Temple Beth Am lead a discussion on how to cope with the coivid crisis and maintain mental health. The discussion was conducted via Zoom on September 2, 2020 as part of the Elul+ Pre-Tishre study program presented by Temple Beth Am Los Angeles Special Guest: Rabbi Matt Shapiro.

Enter the High Holy Days this year with a newfound mastery of the special prayer book at the heart of the season. Pencils in hand, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny takes students on a guided tour of the structure, core texts & music that make up the thickest, richest prayer book on your shelf. This class was conducted via Zoom on September 2, 2020 as part of the Elul+ Pre-Tishre study program prese...

Dr. Sarah Bunin Benor explains how "Hebrew infusion" helps to build community. At most American Jewish summer camps, the primarily English environment is infused with Hebrew signs, songs, and mixed Hebrew-English sentences, like “Madrichim [counselors], please bring your chanichim [campers] to the teatron [theater] immediately after Birkat Hamazon [Grace After Meals].” In this discussion, Dr. Geno...

Rabbi Avi Havivi's siddur class at Temple Beth Am Los Angeles - September 1, 2020 via Zoom. Special Guest: Rabbi Avi Havivi.

Rabbi Emeritus Joel Rembaim leads a class reflecting on sacred texts of our Jewish heritage, a class designed to help you learn how deeply embedded in Jewish heritage is the principle of Divine Compassion. The session will hopefully cause each student to ask: How deeply is Rahamim embedded in my Neshamah? This class took place via Zoom on August 31, 2020 as part of the Elul+ Pre-Tishre study progr...

Rabbi Aaron Schonbrun explores how we might find our way back to a posture of gemilut hasadim, caring and compassion, as individuals and as a society during this High Holy Days season. As we approach this New Year during such uncertain, unusual, and challenging times, it is easy to get caught up in the negativity. From a global pandemic to a divisive political climate, many of us spend at least so...

Rabbinic Intern Rachel Cohn's Shabbat Teaching at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on August 29, 2020. (Conducted via YOUTUBE and ZOOM)

Rabbi Rebecca Schatz and Rabbi Matt Shapiro's Shabbat Sermon/Discussion at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on August 29, 2020. Special Guest: Rabbi Matt Shapiro.

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld's Shabbat Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on August 29, 2020.

Leeav Sofer, Artistic Director & Co-Founder of Urban Voices Project, leads a Zoom workshop designed to empower individuals to bring music and art into their lives - both for self-care and for the care of others. The session is equally intended for those with or without a background in music and art. Leeav Sofer explores how the theme of finding one's own voice doubles as a means to unleash the...

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld offers up short bursts of meditation infused with the imagery, wisdom, and the rhythms of our Jewish calendar including selected verses from the Torah. Many of these meditations are performed in sitting positions; some standing. Simply find yourself a comfortable space and let Rabbi Kligfeld's voice and direction guide you into a world of serenity and tranquility. (Facebook/Zoo...

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld explores rabbinic material surrounding Yom Kippur in tractate Yoma from Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on August 28, 2020.

Rabbi Josh Warshawsky leads an online discussion of music and the spiritual content of the High Holy Days. Embedded within each piece of music are stories, deep secrets, and intricate connections between Hebrew words and themes. Rabbi Warshawsky helps us deepen our understanding of the wisdom of the Jewish tradition, and enables us to sing with a newfound understanding of the words we bring into t...

The path to meaningful and lasting teshuvah is often unnoticeably obscured by the role power plays in our lives. Based on Talmudic stories and a book by Dachar Keltner entitled The Power Paradox, Rabbi Menashe seeks to identify and lower the hurdles to a Tishrei filled with renewal and lifelong teshuvah. Rabbi Menashe is Executive Director of Camp Ramah in California. This class was conducted via...

Enter the High Holy Days this year with a newfound mastery of the special prayer book at the heart of the season. Pencils in hand, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny takes students on a guided tour of the structure, core texts & music that make up the thickest, richest prayer book on your shelf. This class was conducted via Zoom on August 26, 2020 as part of the Elul+ Pre-Tishre study program present...

Rabbi Daniel Greyber leads a disucssion of what religion can and can't teach us about acts of hesed. He draws on a story from the Talmud and a poem by Yehuda Amichai to help us undersand how we can give what is most needed and continue the important work of the High Holy Days season. Daniel Greyber is the rabbi of Beth El Synagogue in Durham, North Carolina. A gold medalist and Captain of the U.S....

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld offers up short bursts of meditation infused with the imagery, wisdom, and the rhythms of our Jewish calendar including selected verses from the Torah. Many of these meditations are performed in sitting positions; some standing. Simply find yourself a comfortable space and let Rabbi Kligfeld's voice and direction guide you into a world of serenity and tranquility. (Facebook/Zoo...