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Home - Congregation Beth Israel

High Holiday Book Club

Past Sessions
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 11 Tishrei 5781 - 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 4 Tishrei 5781 - 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 26 Elul 5780 - 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday, September 9, 2020 20 Elul 5780 - 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 12 Elul 5780 - 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday, August 25, 2020 5 Elul 5780 - 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

We often think of the High Holidays as just three days on the calendar, when in reality they form an extended period of reflection and contemplation leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. To prepare for the High Holidays this year, join Rabbi Tilman for a CBI Book Club. Together, we’ll read through “This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared,” by Rabbi Alan Lew. Often considered a modern classic of High Holiday literature, the book presents the entire High Holiday season as a journey of personal and spiritual transformation. 

We’ll meet online on the following dates to share in our reflections leading up to and through the Holidays.

Tuesday, August 25 - 8pm - Introduction and Chapter One
Tuesday, September 1 - 8pm - Chapters Two and Three
Wednesday, September 9 - 8pm - Chapters Four and Five
Tuesday, September 15 - 8pm - Chapters Six and Seven
Tuesday, September 22 - 8pm - Chapters Eight and Nine
Tuesday, September 29 - 8pm - Chapter Ten, Epilogue and Reflections

To participate, please register online below.

This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared is available on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Full Book Description: 
There are times in life when we are caught utterly unprepared: a death in the family, the end of a relationship, a health crisis. These are the times when the solid ground we thought we stood on disappears beneath our feet, leaving us reeling and heartbroken, as we stumble back to our faith.

The Days of Awe encompass the weeks preceding Rosh Hashanah up to Yom Kippur, a period in which Jews take part in a series of rituals and prayers that reenact the journey of the soul through the world from birth to death. This is a period of contemplation and repentance, comparable to Lent and Ramadan. Yet, for Rabbi Alan Lew, the real purpose of this annual passage is for us to experience brokenheartedness and open our heart to God.

In This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, Lew has marked out a journey of seven distinct stages, one that draws on these rituals to awaken our soul and wholly transform us. Weaving together Torah readings, Buddhist parables, Jewish fables and stories from his own life, Lew lays bare the meanings of this ancient Jewish passage. He reveals the path from terror to acceptance, confusion to clarity, doubt to belief, and from complacency to awe.

In the tradition of When Bad Things Happen to Good PeopleThis Is Real And You Are Completely Unprepared enables believers of all faiths to reconnect to their faith with a passion and intimacy that will resonate throughout the year.

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Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784