Brush off your Gemara, and come join Rav Yosef for our interactive and thought-provoking Gemara shiur. As part of our Torat HaTefilla year, we’ll be dedicating our Gemara Shiur to studying the opening chapters of Masechet   Brachot, selecting both Halachic and Aggadic Sugyot which reveal important insights about how Jewish prayer is constructed and experienced. Every shiur begins with guided chavruta study, giving you the opportunity to strengthen and build your independent Gemara learning skills. Participants use their own choice of Gemara text (traditional, Steinsaltz, etc.) Prior experience with Gemara study is beneficial, however, the shiur is open to everyone who has a good Hebrew reading background.

Each Shabbat, Rav Yosef, Rabbanit Alissa, or one of the wonderful cadre of BDJ teachers, selects one section of the upcoming week’s parsha, and delves into its “pshat,” i.e., the meaning that is yielded by a close, careful reading of the words and phrases the parsha uses. What a fantastic way to kick off the upcoming week!

This year’s Prayer Pings will take us beyond the text of the prayer and into the practice — from the choreography of how we bow, stand, and move, to the way the changing seasons and years set the stage for the words we say. Encounter prayer like never before in Rav Yosef’s and Rabbanit Alissa’s bi-weekly emails that take under 2 minutes to read. To sign up please email bdj@bnaidavid.com with the subject line “Prayer Pings”.

Looking to infuse your week with more Torah? Thirsting for a class with   in-depth Parsha learning? Longing to have a D’var Torah on hand at all   times? Plug into the energy of the Parsha with Rabbanit Alissa during  our weekly Parsha Shiur.  We will learn the Parsha together with a variety of commentaries, including the classics as well as modern, Chasidic, and Mussar perspectives! As part of Torat HaTefilla, our Parsha Shiur will focus on the relationship between the Parsha and our prayers when possible.

briyut hanefesh

Briyut HaNefesh is a mental wellness support group. The first of its kind in the Pico area, it is a holistic fusion of Torah and psychology for those in need of emotional, social, and spiritual support. In each session we will draw from the wisdom and sensitivity of our Jewish tradition as well as together build your therapeutic toolbox. The support you will gain from joining this group will come from sharing your process with others who have similar experiences and from being guided by the facilitators. The group is facilitated by Rabbanit Alissa.. This is a closed group and is a safe and confidential space. Prior consultation is required. To participate and for more information please contact Rabbanit Alissa at rabbanitalissa@bnaidavid.com.

Yonah Jeremy Bob is a foreign affairs lecturer and a correspondent and commentator for the Jerusalem Post. He lectures internationally about Iran, security issues, war crimes allegations, the peace process, cyber and drone warfare, politics and more; and has been interviewed by the BBC, Skynews, Voice of America, ABC Los Angeles Radio, Skynews  Arabiya, ABC New York Radio,  Russia Today, I-24 News and several other Israeli and American radio programs. He has previously worked for the IDF Legal Division, the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry.

Rabbi Michael Paley is the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at the Jewish Resource Center of UJA-Federation of New York. He also teaches at the Columbia School of Journalism, City College, and the Ivry Prozdor High School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Newsweek magazine named him one of the 50 most influential rabbis. Prior to his arrival at UJA-Federation,

Rabbi Paley was a professor of Jewish studies and dean at Bard College, and vice president of the Wexner Heritage Foundation, where he remains a member of the permanent faculty. He also founded the Edgar M. Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, and served as a chaplain at Columbia University and Dartmouth College. Rabbi Paley earned his bachelor's degree at Brandeis University and graduate degrees in Jewish and Islamic philosophy and science at Temple University. He was ordained at Yeshivat B'nai Or and was a student at Yeshivat Hamivtar in Jerusalem.