Adult Education at Beit Haverim/South Metro Jewish Congregation
Committee Chair and Contact: Kay Peterson
Torah Study
Weekly Torah Study takes place at the Beit Haverim/South Metro Jewish Congregation office every Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., except on the mornings of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. (See the Beit Haverim calendar.) Open to all at no charge.
Report from our March 2, 2008 Breakfast with Two Rabbis: Ethical Wills by Rabbi David Fine
by Lori Friedman
Sunday March 2, Rabbi David Fine, URJ Pacific NW Council Rep, gave a talk on Ethical Wills. There were 35 attendees gathered at the Sunset Primary School in West Linn while the children of the congregation were upstairs attending Religious School. This Breakfast with Two Rabbis included bagels, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and coffee from Starbucks.
Rabbi Fine asked the audience about the difference between a Legal Will and an Ethical Will. Most of the hands in the room were raised when he asked who had a completed Legal Will. An Ethical Will, however, is more personal a document. When working on estate planning, an attorney might not always include preparation for an Ethical Will. An Ethical Will is written for your children or your community. It provides a way to share your values, beliefs, and blessings.
An Ethical Will is not a new idea. It is an old Jewish tradition. Rabbi Fine read from Ethical Wills: A Modern Jewish Treasury by Jack and Nathaniel Stampher. Each voice from the wills was so different. This is what I hope for you... Here’s where I hope you go... If you could write one letter what would you say and who would you write it to... An Ethical Will is a moment, a conversation of consequence.
Rabbi Fine encouraged us to use the prompts he provided to begin writing and to continue to work on our Ethical Wills again at home. He suggested some movies to get us thinking: Avalon, The Ultimate Gift, and Defending Your Life. He also recommended the book Generation to Generation by Edwin Friedman. (You can purchase these items through Amazon.com to earn money for Beit Haverim through our Amazon Associates program.)
