Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die Series

01 Jan @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

In person only
Open to the public – registration required

This past year on Yom Kippur, Rabbi Mosbacher’s sermon spoke on the essential need to talk about that which is all too often avoided in our culture – the reality of human mortality. 

“It is the fact that we know that we will die that gives ultimate meaning to our lives,” and while the topic is typically taboo in the modern day, our ancient tradition has a lot to say on death and dying and how it can be approached. 

It is with this in mind that the clergy at Temple Shaaray Tefila have developed a series of free learning opportunities on different aspects of death and dying through a Jewish lens. Please join Rabbi Mosbacher and other TST Clergy, as we explore the Jewish practices and wisdom around “what might be the most important experience in our lives.”

REGISTER IN ADVANCE

Although it is possible to only attend one or more specific sessions of this series, we recommend that you register for and attend the entire series.


What’s Next? Jewish views on what happens when we die 
Tuesday, March 7
Do Jews believe in the afterlife? In angels? In resurrection? (spoiler alert: the answer to all of these questions is yes!)Come learn from Rabbi Mosbacher about the evolution of these ideas in Jewish thought and tradition, and begin to consider what your answers to these questions might be.

Showing Up: A practical training on how to show up for loved ones and friends in difficult moments 
Tuesday, March 14
What should I say to someone who is mourning? What should I not say?If I visit someone in the hospital, what is most helpful for me to think about as I sit with someone who is ill?How do I manage my own anxieties about these difficult moments so that I can be fully present to the needs of others?Join Rabbi Mosbacher and Rabbi Ross as they provide practical advice and counsel for these difficult moments. 

Tradition! Jewish traditions around death and dying 
Tuesday, March 21
There is so much rich Jewish tradition around the end of our lives, and those rituals can bring us comfort and meaning even in the most difficult times– if we know about and understand them, and can make informed decisions about which to partake in.Join Rabbi Mosbacher and Rabbi Rubin as they guide us through the wise Jewish steps of grief and mourning, which anticipated the work of Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross (author of “On Death and Dying”) by many centuries.

Putting Values to Paper: How to write an ethical will 
Tuesday, April 4
You may have written a will that outlines how your physical and financial gifts should be distributed when you die; if not, that’s an important document to prepare. Additionally though, our tradition urges us to write an ethical will– a document that outlines how you would want those who survive you to remember you, the values you want them to carry forward, and the lessons you’ve learned in your life.Join us as we study some ancient and modern examples of ethical wills with Rabbi Mosbacher and Cantorial Intern Ella Gladstone Martin, and begin to write the first draft of your own.