NEW SEASON STARTING MONDAY, APRIL 20 2020!

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CHABAD OF PENN STATE is proud to present our Torah Studies catalog of classes for Season Three.

At Chabad, we value a deep, rich learning experience and we aim to provide this in an unequivocal way. This is why we have brought you a Torah Studies program of the highest caliber, developed by the world-renowned Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. The program brings you a series of stimulating text and discussion based classes that take place on a weekly basis. Our lessons will engage you in a multidimensional way by challenging you intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. They explore contemporary issues through a Torah perspective as well as tackling timeless questions in the Jewish tradition.

I invite you to browse through the topics in this catalog and to join us for some weekly inspirational study. These classes are open to all, whatever your level of learning may be, and I encourage you to bring your friends along.

Shalom, 
Rabbi Nosson Meretsky
 

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MONDAY, APRIL 20 2020

Step Up to the Plate

Punching above Your Weight Is Solid Strategy

Does it make sense to pledge beyond your means? While conventional wisdom scoffs at the idea, an obscure detail tucked away in the laws of the metzora sacrifice lends it surprising legitimacy. Discoverer the power that comes with pushing yourself beyond your means and capabilities.

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MONDAY, APRIL 27 2020

There’s No Such Thing as Middle Ground

The Binary Nature of Good and Bad. You Choose.

We all enjoy downtime, when we can relax and just do our thing. What can be bad about that? In this fundamental discussion about the nature of good and evil, discover an entirely new definition of “good” and “bad”—and the incredible opportunity that comes along with it.

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MONDAY, MAY 4 2020

Count Me In!

Just Because You Don’t Have to Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Want To

When given a dispensation, does that mean you should cut and run? While our base instincts may say “yes!”, a small group of Jews clamoring for a second chance to fulfill a mitzvah in the desert teaches us this important lesson: when it comes to our lives, we ought to grab any opportunity we can.

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MONDAY, MAY 11 2020

“Tear This Wall Down!” or “Build This Wall!”?

The Only Wall That Lasts Is Not a Wall at All

Mighty empires and institutions have come and gone. From the Roman Empire to the shocking collapses of Enron and Lehman Brothers, we know too well just how fragile even the mightiest things can be. As the arc of history can attest, the timeless traditions of our heritage are the lone indestructible fortress.

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MONDAY, MAY 18 2020

Equality vs. Individuality: Are They a Conflict?

If I am I Because You Are Not Me, Then I am Not I and You Are Not You

The people of Sodom famously chopped off the legs of short visitors to fit the standard size bed sold in Macy’s of Sodom. Equality, after all. How do we find the balance to counter the guillotine of equality without falling prey to the morbidity of individualism?

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MONDAY, MAY 25 2020

“Seeing Is Believing,” They Said. They Were Wrong.

It’s Time to Take an Honest Look at Our Mistakes

If someone told you they met a ten-foot giant, you probably wouldn’t believe them. But if you actually saw the guy, well, you saw him. End of story. To see is to connect—and that’s the key to a meaningful Judaism, and a lodestar for constant progress: look at the past, connect with it, and take the appropriate lessons to heart.

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MONDAY, JUNE 1 2020

Bless You!

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Blessing

Judaism bestows great power to the priestly class, enjoining them to bless the people. The eternal words of the Priestly Blessing are uttered at every occasion, and in this class, we discover the power and opportunity that every Jew has to unleash the force of blessing on whomever they so desire. Bless you!

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MONDAY, JUNE 8 2020

Embrace Your Mistakes

How the Reality of Sin Is All Part of the Master Plan

So you made a mistake. You’re a wretched excuse of a human being, and you should hang your head in shame. Right? Wrong! If G-d and His providence over the world mean anything, it would quickly become clear that everything—and we mean everything—is all part of the master plan. Now it’s up to you to demonstrate how.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 15 2020

Sometimes the Thought Doesn’t Count

It’s Great to Mean Well, but Action Comes First

What’s better—an ecstatic dance on a Himalayan mountaintop or a regular 7 o’clock morning prayer? Inspired imagination or prudent pragmatism? A lone man gathering sticks on Shabbat in the desert literally gave up his life to answer this pressing question. Discover his answer.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 22 2020

In the Blink of an Eye

Change Can Happen a Lot Quicker Than You Think

You’re stuck in a rut, and the light at the end of the tunnel is increasingly looking like an oncoming train. What to do? How to change? The speedy priests racing about their service in the Temple teach a lesson about our innate ability to turn things around in the blink of an eye. Deep within your soul, the solution is just seconds away.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 29 2020

Say It Soft. Always.

Effective Leadership Is Always Soft-Spoken

Moses was the Jewish nation’s greatest leader. When he was punished for hitting a rock instead of speaking to it, a powerful lesson reverberated throughout the world: Resist the urge to lash out at another, for if you have to take a gamble, err on the side of caution and say it softly. Chances are it’ll only work better.

 

MONDAY, JULY 6 2020

Surfing Life’s Waves

Lessons from the Moon Prayer

Life is never a level ride. We encounter inspiration and plateaus, feelings of connection and of emptiness. Learn to dance to the rhythm of life and how to get up when you’re down, and discover a destination worth waiting for.