The Four Cubits: Building Your Own Jewish Practice

An Introduction to Judaism Beyond Nationalism 

Module 3: The Four Cubits: A Guide to Building your own Jewish Practice

Suggested Donation: $300

Summary:
This 8-week guided journey is designed for those seeking to build a meaningful Jewish practice on their own terms. Grounded in the ACJ’s historic commitment to Judaism beyond nationalism, this course explores Jewish spirituality, practice, ethics.

Each week, we will engage with foundational Jewish practices while allowing space for personal interpretation, shared study, and integration. Participants will be encouraged to shape their own evolving Jewish path through intentional learning, reflection, and action.

Whether you are discovering Judaism for the first time or reclaiming traditions in a way that aligns with your values, this course provides a flexible and inclusive framework for deepening your Judaism.

Week 1: Introduction to Neo-Halakhah

• This opening session frames halakhah as “the way we walk,” a living and evolving language of Jewish practice and thought. Participants are introduced to core concepts, study models of halakhic reasoning, and encounter real teshuvot (responsa) on contemporary issues. The session closes with communal reflection, setting the foundation for a personal and communal journey over the coming weeks.

Week 2: Intentionality and Tools for Halakhic Exploration

• Participants explore the sweep of Jewish textual history and learn how to navigate Sefaria to find classical, medieval, and modern sources. They begin using a Personal Halakhic Decision-Making Guide to shape their own Shabbat practice, grounding study in both tradition and personal experience.

Week 3: Shabbat

• Through classical and contemporary texts, participants trace the evolution of Shabbat as a cornerstone of Jewish life. They refine their own Shabbat practice, explore tensions between rest, law, and community, and commit to experimenting with lived ritual over the week.

Week 4: Prayer

• Focusing on Jewish prayer as an evolving communal technology, participants study sources from the Bible, rabbinic literature, and modern thinkers. They examine how their own prayer or meditation practices intersect with tradition and prepare to deepen their personal approaches.

Week 5: Torah and Wisdom

• This session reframes Torah as an ongoing conversation rather than a fixed text. Participants encounter classical sources and modern poetry, selecting texts that resonate personally and exploring how engagement with Torah can shape their Jewish paths.

Week 6: Jewish Ethical Living

• Participants explore mitzvot as a framework for ethical action in daily life. Through text study and personal reflection, they identify and commit to integrating one mitzvah or ethical practice—such as tzedakah, justice work, or kindness—into their lived practice.

Week 7: Food

• Drawing from traditional sources and eco-kashrut teachings, participants examine Jewish food practices and their spiritual and cultural meanings. They apply halakhic reflection to their own food choices, experiment with a practice during the week, and reflect on the experience.

Week 8: Sharing Our Jewish Lives

• In the final session, participants present their completed Halakhic Guide Sheets and personal practice plans, reflecting on how their understanding of halakhah has evolved. The session emphasizes halakhah as a lifelong, communal, and adaptable framework, and supports participants in identifying concrete next steps for continued learning and practice.