Rosh Chodesh Society

UPCOMING EVENTS:

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Apr. 29th 2025

LESSON 5
Candle Decorating + 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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May 27th 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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TBA

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.