Temple Beth-El

Scholar-in-Residence Special Shabbat Weekend

Friday, March 17, 2023 - Saturday, March 18, 2023    
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

We welcome Rabbi Seth M. Limmer, DHL, for a special Scholar-In-Residence Shabbat Weekend. Rabbi Limmer, the son of TBE congregants Shelley and Steve Limmer, comes ‘home‘ to give a guest sermon at Erev Shabbat service on March 17, and teach Torah Study on March 18.

Rabbi Limmer is the founder of Open Judaism, which is committed to promoting interfaith work for justice and peace. In 2021, Rabbi Limmer was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, and was a founding member of the Faith Leader Social Justice Advisory Committee to the Mayor of Chicago.

Friday, March 17

5:30 p.m. Congregational Dinner
Join us for dinner before our Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Limmer. Click here to register.

7 p.m. Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Limmer: Jewish Life Trapped in Translation
The perennial problem of American Jewish life is that it is lived in English, a Christian language. Bible, theology, salvation: we are taught that these words are core contents of religion. But none of these words—religion included!—have any true correspondence in Hebrew, the original language of Jewish thought. To be a modern American Jew is to be trapped in translation: to remove the conceits and concepts of English is the primary task of anyone seeking to uncover Judaism, to discover the profundities of Jewish identity.

Saturday, March 18

9:15 a.m. Torah Study with Rabbi Limmer: The Tabernacle and Translation
This week’s double-portion VaYakhel-Pekudei is loaded with words. But whether discussing how our ancestors acquired “dolphin skins” or understanding exactly what a “tabernacle” is, we come up against problems of translation. This morning’s Torah Study will be a deep dive into these tricky terms to see what they reveal about Jewish thought.

10:30 a.m. Shabbat Service followed by Kiddush luncheon
Click here to register.