Rabbi Jonathan Rubinstein and Rabbi Linda Motzkin brought their “Bread and Torah” program to Kol Ami as the Mitch Dorson Scholars-in-Residence February 10 –12, 2022. Rabbi Rubinstein led congregants and community members in baking challah Friday afternoon. Participants made the dough and braided it. Rabbi Rubinstein offered various teachings about challah, baking, and sacrifice while the dough rose and baked.
Shabbat services included Rabbi Rubinstein sharing fresh baked challah with service participants. Rabbi Motzkin introduced her program to stitch and sew two Torah panels together and proofread panels.
Rabbi Rubinstein presented the Saturday morning D’Var Torah about Yitro. He focused on the special place that father-in-laws hold in our society. Rabbi Motzkin conducted a learning session during the kiddush lunch. Her program concentrated on the importance of each letter in each word and how a slight variation can change the meaning of the word and the meaning of the sentence.
Cantor Janece Cohen led Havdalah on Saturday night and then it was back to the kitchen and back to the Torah panels. Rabbi Motzkin presented an explanation of what it is like to be one of very few women scribes. She explained how she made her own parchment, ink, and quills. She helped the participants sew two Torah panels together so everyone could say that they participated in the mitzvah of helping to make the community Torah.
Rabbi Rubinstein led people in making bagels in the kitchen after Havdalah. Participants commented that they got to eat their homework on the way home.
Sunday morning Rabbi Motzkin helped our religious school students proofread panels of Torah and Rabbi Rubinstein helped them bake bagels. The students were enthralled by this hands-on learning.
Special thanks to Rabbi Tom Louchheim who led the effort to bring Rabbi Rubinstein and Rabbi Motzkin to Tucson for this year’s program. The Shabbat kiddush lunch was sponsored by Jeff and Donna Goldberg and Jane Rodda and Jim Whitehill in memory of Mitch Dorson.
The Mitch Dorson Scholar-in-Residence program was established by a specific bequest from Mitch Dorson through his will. He wanted to bring exciting learning opportunities to the congregation he loved. The program continues because of generous donors who continue to make donations in memory of Mitch Dorson to the Mitch Dorson Scholar- in-Residence Fund, which is held at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.
