5787 · Season One
This season's classes
Each week we take the week's portion, find a question in it that gets us thinking about something in our lives today, and follow generations of classic commentators as they journey in search of answers. Every class stands on its own, so there's no catching up to do, and you don't need any background to follow along.
Next class
Saturday, October 24, 2026 · Lech Lecha
Class 3
Why Judaism Begins with the Body
How brit milah reveals where the deepest connection to G-d lives.
If Judaism is about the soul, why does it begin with such a physical act? Circumcision seems like an intrusion into G-d’s perfect creation. But what if it is not correcting the body, but revealing something about it: that the deepest bond with G-d is forged specifically in the physical?
Saturday, Oct 31 · Vayera
Class 4
A Faith You Can’t Lose
Why belief in G-d doesn’t come from proof—and isn’t undone by it either.
We usually think of faith as something we choose or build, especially when life raises hard questions. But Abraham’s story suggests something different: a kind of certainty that isn’t based on evidence at all. What if faith is not something we arrive at, but something woven into who we are?
Saturday, Nov 14 · Toldos
Class 6
Whose Money Is It?
Why giving isn’t generosity, but a matter of ownership.
We tend to think of charity as an act of kindness: giving away what we earned. But the Torah frames it very differently: as returning money that was never fully ours to begin with. The real question isn’t how much to give, but whose money we’re holding in the first place.
Saturday, Nov 21 · Vayetzei
Class 7
Better than Perfect
Why G-d treasures the struggler more than the flawless saint.
Jacob wanted Rachel, who represented beauty, ease, and wholeness. But his life was bound instead to Leah, whose tears and struggle became the foundation of Jewish resilience, leadership, and hope. This class explores a powerful idea: life’s deepest value is not found in perfection, but in the courage to grow, change, and become better than yesterday.
Saturday, Nov 28 · Vayishlach
Class 8
Fear Has a Weak Spot
How trust can loosen anxiety’s grip before reality even changes.
Jacob faced a violent brother. Moses faced powerful enemies. Both felt fear, and the Torah does not ignore it. This class explores the Jewish path from fear to faith to trust, showing how a person can move from bracing for the worst to leaning into the belief that life is guided, purposeful, and capable of turning toward good.
Saturday, Dec 12 · Chanukah
Class 10
Light the Living Room First
The surprisingly private work of keeping Judaism alive.
Chanukah candles were meant to face the street, yet many light them inside. This class explores what that shift says about modern life: before we can light up the world, we need to make home a place of warmth, love, and living Jewish identity
Saturday, Dec 19 · Vayigash
Class 11
No Such Thing as Someone Else
Why every Jew’s struggle, failure, and hurt belongs to all of us.
When Yehudah offered to become a slave in Binyamin’s place, he revealed a deeper truth: the Jewish people are not separate individuals who care for each other, but one soul in many bodies. This class explores the notion of Jewish responsibility, and how oneness changes the way we respond to another’s struggle, failure, or hurt.
No class on November 7 or December 5. Season Two begins Saturday, January 9.
Join the class
Save me a seat
At Chabad of Maple Valley · 347-694-9934
Register for Torah Studies
Saturdays, 10:30–11:30 AM · Free. Followed by a delicious Kiddush at 11:30.
First name
Last name
Phone
Which classes?
✓
All 7 classes this season
✓
Sat, Oct 24 · Why Judaism Begins with the Body
✓
Sat, Oct 31 · A Faith You Can’t Lose
✓
Sat, Nov 14 · Whose Money Is It?
✓
Sat, Nov 21 · Better than Perfect
✓
Sat, Nov 28 · Fear Has a Weak Spot
✓
Sat, Dec 12 · Light the Living Room First
✓
Sat, Dec 19 · No Such Thing as Someone Else
Register once for as many classes as you like.
Please fill in your first name, last name and email address.
You're registered! A confirmation is on its way to your email.
See you Saturday at 10:30 AM at Chabad of Maple Valley.