Bet Aviv Congregation

04/27/2026

We had a musical weekend at Bet Aviv. First, on Friday night, we joined others to enjoy Shabbat Among Friends in Song with Julie Silver and Sue Horowitz at Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, sponsored by the Jewish Federation.

Then, on Saturday morning, Bet Aviv's Adult Education program enjoyed a visit from Jonathan Palevsky about Jewish composers and music throughout the ages.

It was a very special Shabbat.

03/17/2026

We had a fabulous Women’s Seder yesterday- much joyful singing and innovative readings

01/11/2026

How Hillel Became President: Who is an Authority in the Jewish World?

Recent Lunch and Learn: The night before Passover, and the pilgrims at the Temple in Jerusalem are in panic. Passover fell this year on a Saturday night, and it turns out the religious leadership doesn’t offer clear guidance about whether the preparations for the Paschal Lamb offering can be done on the Sabbath.

Into this vacuum of leadership enters an outsider, Hillel from Babylonia, and in a short series of exchanges becomes President of Israel. Thus the Talmud introduces us to the figure of Hillel,
and through him to the basics of Talmudic scholastic study, and the tensions between tradition and innovation.

This tale was so popular it was told three separate times in the Talmudic literature, and each time with a totally different moral to the story (and a different sense of humor). Comparing these three texts allows us to explore various visions of authority and innovation, how the Torah is to be studied, and who is an authority in the Jewish world.

12/08/2025

Ilfa Gets a Job: Hunger and the Search for Authenticity

The next session in our Lunch and Learn Series: Classic Talmud Stories Every Jew Should Know was held Dec. 5

How do I know I’m making the right decisions in life? Should I listen to my doubts or muster the courage to make a radical change? Do I dare dedicate my life to what I’m passionate about even as I fear I will not find material success or even basic sustenance?

In this Talmudic tale, two young men decide to change course, leaving the ivory tower of study and the poverty it created, to try and carve out a living for themselves. One returns to the house of study, while the other succeeds out in the world.

This is a tale of the search for meaning and success in life, the ability to harbor doubt and to navigate ambiguity. It is also a tale of friendship and betrayal, and of the need for external validation.

11/27/2025

Bet Aviv is part of the Oakland Mills Interfaith Community, and we regularly get together to assemble and distribute food bags for people who need them. We joined together on Monday (before Thanksgiving) to assemble and distribute food bags for 500 families. Everyone received fresh vegetables, packaged foods and a turkey. Social Action is one facet of all that Bet Aviv members can participate in together. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

11/21/2025

Lunch and Learn: Classic Talmud Stories Every Jew Should Know. This was the 2nd class in this series.

Rabbis, Wives and the Other Woman: An Unforgiving Tale for Yom Kippur. How do we balance our different loves? How do we navigate between our passions and our obligations, between our need to be somewhere at a certain time, and how easily we get distracted? This is a story about one scholar who loved studying so much - or perhaps a professional who loved working so much - that he barely went home; until one day he never came home at all. And it's a story about tears - one tear, actually - and the power of a single tear to bring the house down. It is the story of Rav Rehumei, Rabbi Love.

11/17/2025

What we learned in Session 1 of Lunch and Learn: The Tragic Tale of the Best Hevruta Ever: The Gladiator and the Beard-less Rabbi Rabbi Yohanan and Resh Lakish, a teacher and a retired gladiator, were known to be the best Havruta (Aramaic for ‘study partners’) in the Talmud, yet their relationship ended in tragedy.

The tale begins with their first encounter in the Jordan River – a sexually charged meeting of two disparate cultures and two intense men, which turns into a deeply transformative moment. It story continues with the day it all came apart – never to be mended.

Through the figures of R. Yohanan, Resh Lakish, and Resh Lakish’s wife, learners are compelled explore the following questions: What does it mean to be a man? Where does power lie in this world? Who is the ideal study partner – the combatant or the supporter? What happens when the tutee surpasses the mentor? And can transformation truly occur within us?

Our next session will be about: How we balance our different loves? How do we navigate between our passions and our
obligations, between our need to be somewhere at a certain time, and how easily we get distracted?

10/25/2025

10/25/2025

Saturday, October 25, began our season of Adult Education programs. We discussed commonalities between famous American speeches and Jewish values from traditional texts and experts. It's a great way to expand one's thinking as well as a unique opportunity to work with members of the congregation in small intimate groups. A light breakfast fueled our brains.

10/11/2025

The services for Succot took place indoors as we prayed and shook the lulav and etrog. We even enjoyed a brief skit.