Join the Rosh Chodesh Society, a Jewish women's social and learning club that meets monthly between November and May. Tuesdays, 6:00 - 7:00pm. (Monthly) ______ Hi! I'm delighted to invite you to join the Rosh Chodesh Society at Town of Oyster Bay Chabad, an educational experience For Women, By Women. Each lesson is rich with fascinating, relevant, and meaningful insights gleaned from the Torah's teachings and is accompanied by elegant refreshments, Challah Braiding, and a vibrant bond with Jewish sisters. Woodbury Chapter Leader: Rebbetzin Rochel Leah Lipszyc (917) 655-0027  |  rochelleah@jewishtob.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Nov. 5th 2024

LESSON 1
A New Paradigm for Prayer

There are many reasons not to pray: We may have degrees to earn, bills to pay, diapers to change, and so on. Amid life’s rapid barrage of indispensables, many feel that prayer simply does not earn itself a time slot. Some might consider that speaking to an unseen Being is too ethereal for realistic consideration. Others might argue that they have it all and feel no need to appeal to Heaven. And there are those who need and believe in prayer—but are bored by or turned off by the liturgy, congregational elements, or ritualistic nuances of formal prayers.

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Dec. 3rd 2024

LESSON 2
Understanding the Mechanics of Petition

Prayer is mostly seen to be synonymous with petitioning G-d for things we need or desire.

This raises a storm of questions: If we believe that G-d determines precisely what we should have, is it not insolent or heretical to ask G-d for something different? Why should G-d pay attention to our appeals for alterations to the Divine plan? Do we even have the power to influence that plan?

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Feb. 4th 2025

LESSON 3
Making Sense of Liturgy, One Step at a Time

In a stereotypical scene, Jews lovingly open a prayer book and instantly sway into the Heavens: Words flow, emotions soar, and faces are radiant and relaxed. In reality, many Jews stare in dismay at a confusing jumble of verses, oblivious to their structure, reason, or rhythm. Many do not even bother with books, preferring the guidance of their own heartstrings over one-size-fits-all printed texts.

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Mar. 4th 2025

LESSON 4
Finding G-d in Our World

In the Pesukei Dezimra, we sing G-d’s praises for the wonderful world He created. But why is this concept an integral segment of our daily prayers? Does G-d really need to hear us admire His work?

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Apr. 1st 2025

LESSON 5
Achieving True Transcendence in Prayer

There are moments when spontaneous wonder evokes a sense of connection with G-d. It may be the birth of a child, a splendid sunrise, a landscape, or the intricate marvels of G-d’s universe unveiled by modern science. All of these are akin to grasping at G-d’s hand that is present within the confines of our universe. But is G-d not far greater than the universe? Is there not much more to G-d than His voluntary service as the Creator? And if we assume that G-d is infinitely beyond Creation, can a minuscule mortal dare to claim a meaningful relationship with G-d?

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Apr. 29th 2025

LESSON 6
Synthesizing Divinity and Materiality in the Amidah

It is widely assumed that we must choose between spirituality and self-refinement on the one hand, and swimming further into a murky sea of materialism on the other. If we choose the more ascetic option, then a brief examination of our prayer book is a cause for dismay; it contains bewildering dissonance: Prayer is supposed to foster spiritual refinement and a soulful bond with the Divine, but our prayers are replete with pleadings for materialistic needs—money, health, success, and the like. The paradox seems inescapable.

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May 27th 2025

LESSON 7
Finding Meaning in Communal Prayer

Judaism’s prioritization of communal prayer is perplexing: if prayer is to provide individual hearts and souls with a voice to communicate personally with G-d, to facilitate contemplation and reflection, to enhance the ability to sense G-d’s presence in our personal lives, and to advance a relationship with the Divine—then private settings seem more conducive than cloistered halls.