So, you’re thinking you’d like to learn a bit more about these Jewish ideas?
This site has a page of links to online sources of Jewish learning. They’re all different in style, but all of them are welcoming no matter what kind of backstory you have when it comes to Judaism. Some of these places have online courses as well.
If you’re looking for something local, there are so many amazing and caring teachers of Torah everywhere. Many Jewish education centers, Jewish Community Centers, and synagogues have ways to check out something with no up-front obligation, of commitment or money. There is no central directory for each city, though many local Jewish Federations have a directory.
To evaluate whether a particular class, teacher, or institution is right for you, here are some things to keep in mind:
Don’t be bashful about presenting yourself honestly to a possible teacher or study leader in terms of anything about you and what you’re looking for. If the person you’re talking to seems not to be accepting, you can always find another option. You’ll know if something seems promising or not.
Labels like Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, religious, secular, just-spiritual, etc. don’t necessarily capture everything about you or about a potential teacher. You might or might not be able to learn a lot from someone who has some basic philosophical disagreements with you.
You can hold your own in Jewish learning as well as you can hold your own in anything else that you are learning, no matter what you’ve studied before.
We who are involved in this podcast don’t by any stretch know everybody, but it’s possible we know someone near you or can help you think about something you’ve discovered. Feel free to drop a note and we’ll tell you if we can be of help! Or post in our social media forums with good things you’ve found or inquiries someone else might be able to answer.
