Tea and Torah is a Shavuot project organised by LSJS (The London School of Jewish Studies). The idea is that on or around the festival of Shavuot, people get a group together, meet in someone’s house or shul and provide tea, if you like, or cold drinks and nibbles. In return, we provide you with ready-made booklets containing learner-friendly texts, directed questions and stimulating points for discussion, as well as instructions about how to use the learning material (and suggested answers).
LSJS is a centre of Modern Orthodoxy in London, we run a number of adult education/lifelong learning programmes as well as being the only accredited Teacher Training provider for the Jewish community. We also run a BA(Hons) Jewish Education, MA Jewish Education and MA Jewish Studies. Each week over 600 students gather at our London campus many more attend one of our community programming in synagogues and business settings across London.
Why Tea and Torah?
Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. For many, this holiday comes and goes without delving into the Torah we’ve so graciously been given. Getting a group of family, friends or neighbours together for an informal and inspiring conversation, Shavuot becomes more meaningful than just cheesecake.
Join us!
Last year over 200 took part. We are once again running this initiative with a whole new set of interesting and thought provoking learning material, this year on the theme Blasphemy and the third commandment.
It is already a successful project, with ‘teas’ taking place around London, in Israel, South Africa as well as our Polish programme.
This year we want it to be even bigger and are targeting to have ‘teas’ in Jewish communities in the UK, in America, South Africa and beyond.
There are no hard rules, groups can be as small as two, or as large as you like. For larger groups, the material can be read and discussed in pairs or smaller groups, and then fed into a larger discussion afterwards or you could do a group discussion. You can meet for an hour or two, or longer and you can meet whenever you like. Learn every source, just one section or simply pick the bits that interest you the most. It’s entirely up to you.
We will provide the Torah – you provide the Tea!
- LSJS will provide a booklet with sources, points of interest, directed questions and ideas for discussion for every participant of ‘Tea and Torah’.
- LSJS will provide a facilitators booklet with detailed instructions about how to use the learning material and suggested answers.
- LSJS will offer guidance for facilitators who would like some additional help as to how to best use the material and lead the learning.
How to be a facilitator:
You don’t need to be a Torah scholar to be a Tea and Torah facilitator. Tea and Torah is about learning and discussing.
- Could you either host a tea (we suggest the afternoon of the second day) or find someone else in your community who would do so?
- Would you invite a group of friends to learn with you?
- Could you facilitate the learning or find someone in your community who could do so?
- Pass on this idea to your friends and family, especially those in more far flung communities.
- LSJS will offer guidance for facilitators who would like some additional help as to how to best use the material and lead the learning.
This year we want to build on previous years and make encourage as many people to host a ‘tea’. Pass on this idea to your friends and family, especially those in more far flung communities.
We will be having a social media campaign leading up to the even as well as posting pre-and post-Shavuot mini videos containing ideas that dovetail with the this years topic.
This project can be run by a Rabbi, Rebbetzin or better still, enthusiastic members of the community who can gather friends.
Participants do not need to be able to read Hebrew as all sources will be translated into English.
If you are interested in becoming a part of our programme, or if you would simply like to know more information please contact adam.kendler@lsjs.ac.uk
Or go to the LSJS website
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