Slowly but surely, 14-year-old class makes its way through Hebrew Bible

Why does God work the way that God does? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do we understand when things that seem unfair happen? 

These are among the questions Rabbi Wes Kalmar’s weekly class has wrestled with over a 14-year period.  His weekly Prophets of the Hebrew Bible class, on Zoom and at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, has now exceeded 300 sessions and is open to new participants.  

When Kalmar first reached out to the JCC with the idea for the class, all those years ago, it was to teach in a communal way, beyond the synagogue he leads, congregation Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah, Glendale.  

“All the relationships and the discussions are really what makes it great, the back-and-forth when we’re talking about the different characters from the Bible,” Kalmar said. Those taking the class “bring up their own personal stories, things that they’ve gone through, or what their kids are up to, and relate it to the stories of the Bible and think about them in terms of their own lives.” 

“I think it’s just great to be able to have honest discourse about religion and God and be able to talk to people and get their sense of what they think, and share my perspective, and share the perspective of sages … from our history.” 

The Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, is the foundational sacred text of Judaism, consisting of three sections: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). It contains the religious history, laws, ethics, poetry and prophecy that shape Jewish belief and identity. Central to Jewish worship, study and tradition, the Tanakh serves as both a spiritual guide and a historical record of the Jewish people. 

The class has gone through the Hebrew Bible books of Judges, Samuel I, Samuel II and now a good part of Kings I, covering 10 verses per week. The Book of Kings can be connected with the modern world, Kalmar said, helping us to see that the quality of leadership can affect an entire nation. 

The Hebrew Bible, in all, is more than 300,000 words, the equivalent of four or five novels. The class moves slowly though the expansive tome. Kalmar said, “Kings One and Kings Two will probably be several more years.” 

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To learn more about Rabbi Wes Kalmar’s weekly class, Prophets of the Hebrew Bible, email him at rabbikalmar@asktshul.com.