Obligations or Choices? What Do Jewish Ethics teach us?
Dates: 6 sessions | Tuesdays, Jan 31, Feb 7, 14,21,28, Mar 14 (no class on Purim)
Time: 10 am to 11 am
Faculty: Laura Seymour
Location: JCC Dallas – in person
Tuition: $100 J members/$125 public
About the Course:
Often, the idea of obligation to community can seem burdensome or abstract, but in Jewish tradition, it constitutes a bedrock of life’s meaning. In this course, we explore the meaning of building community. Conversations about ethics often put human beings at the center but there is another realm of Jewish ethics with the world itself at the center. These ethical obligations emerge as reflecting a partnership between God and humanity in guiding the world. Judaism recognizes the instinct to be a bystander rather than an upstander and strives to legislate against it. How do these obligations translate into feelings toward and communication with those who have wronged you or who have wronged others? What obligations do we have to protect other people’s lives? And what must we be willing to sacrifice in order to fulfill these obligations. Do we have a choice? Join us for a deep dive into this complex and compelling topic utilizing curriculum from the Shalom Hartman Institute.
About the Instructor:
Laura Seymour has been known by many names throughout her long tenure of 40+ years at the Jewish Community Center of Dallas. Today her official title is Camp Director Emeritus and Director of Jewish Experiential Learning. Laura writes a weekly column in the Texas Jewish Post and is known as “The Shabbat Lady” she teaches all ages from preschoolers through senior adults at the J. Laura is a Jewish educator for all ages sharing her love and knowledge of Judaism with toddlers to seniors. She makes Jewish learning fun and thought-provoking while remaining accessible to all learners. Laura and her husband Jeff have raised three children in Dallas and have been involved in all aspects of the Jewish community.