Back to Basics…
Basic TextS, that is

Rabbi Sandra Cohen (front row standing, third woman from the left) with several of the Colorado Melton Graduates at the Second

Students and graduates of the CAJE Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in Colorado went back to basics this past semester - basic texts, that is. This past spring and summer, over 50 students participated in three basic text workshops in Denver and Fort Collins, CO, taught by Melton faculty member Rabbi Sandra Cohen and Colorado Melton Director Sue Parker Gerson.

The back to basics opportunity appealed not only to current students, but has become a draw for graduates and even prospective students. One of the workshops served as the focus for Denver's second annual reunion for Melton graduates, featuring an "Adventure in Jewish Text Study."

All three workshops focused on one single mitzvah, that of lighting Shabbat candles. For a period of two hours, students explored texts through the ages - from Torah to Central Conference of American Rabbis (the rabbinic association of the Reform movement) Responsa, searching for connections between biblical, rabbinic, and modern literature relating to candle lighting.

Participants broke into groups, each with a particular text to explore. "The groups delved into Torah, Mishnah, Talmud, Codes, Midrash, and Modern Responsa literature with the challenge of finding the how's, what's, when's, where's, and why of Shabbat candle lighting," reflects Gerson. "It was wonderful to be able to examine the literature with such a focused purpose in each of these student groups."

Two of the programs culminated with a human timeline of Jewish texts. Representatives from each group shared what their text revealed about candle lighting and together they formed a human timeline across the room, representing how this mitzvah so central to modern Jewish life has evolved and developed over the years.

Graduates enjoyed the chance to reconnect and study together once more at the reunion. First-year students who took the workshop in March appreciated the opportunity to put the texts into a larger historical context. As first year student Sherill Strong reported, "I think this was fantastic. I definitely have a much better sense of the texts, what they are, how they relate to each other and to Jewish history."

Fort Collins workshop participants included two prospective students, both of whom have since registered in the Mini-School. Students enjoyed the opportunity to get together before the start of the school year. They caught up with their classmates over homemade apple crisp made with fruit from teacher Gary Spivak's own orchard.

Colorado's CAJE Florence Melton Adult Mini-School has just begun its 6th year with first-year, second-year, and advanced studies classes in Denver and satellite locations in Fort Collins and, new this year, Colorado Springs. For more information about Colorado's Mini-School, please contact Sue Parker Gerson, CAJE's Melton Mini-School director, 303-321-3191, ext. 232 or spgerson@caje-co.org.

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