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| Winter 2008 | |
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We, the staff at Temple Beth Am, Miami, have a tradition of studying together. We have studied parashat hashavua and we have read Who Moved My Cheese? We have studied communication in the workplace and styles of management. We have explored God, Torah, and Israel— the three pillars of Judaism.
Everyone loves stories. They
entertain us at the same time that they inform us. Head of the Day School, Dr. Mindy Pincus, and I were charged with developing this year’s once-a-week, hour-long staff study sessions. We discussed numerous ideas but when we saw Three Times Chai: 54 Rabbis Tell Their Favorite Stories, we knew we had our material and our plan.
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Everyone loves stories. They entertain us at the same time that they inform us. They touch us and help us look inward and out. We find meaning in the words, the phrases, the writing style. In the questions asked and the questions unanswered. We can read the stories from a personal or a professional perspective, and gain insight into so many areas of our lives.
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We divided the staff into pairs and assigned each pair a date on which they would lead us in reading and study. Each pair was assigned a specific topic from the book— Community, Religion, God’s World, or Outlook. They were free to choose whichever stories they liked from that section. At each session, we found ourselves mesmerized by the stories. We read them aloud, everyone taking a turn with his or her best theatrics. The study leaders guided us in unpacking the stories’ meanings, and we shared our ideas. The stories brought us to so many places, so many thoughts, touching us deeply. We walked away from our sessions feeling enriched and uplifted, looking forward to our next opportunity to study together. Joy Schandler is Head of Temple Beth Am Religious School, Miami. She can be reached at jschandler@tbam.org |
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