SWF Questioners Minyan

The SWF Questioners' Minyan is a unique learning and spiritual experience. . A minyan on one level is a quorum of 10 adult Jews needed in order to gather for communal prayer. On another level a minyan is the basic unit of Jewish community. Collective prayer is one of the essential ways Jews express their spirituality, but also the way we create community.  The Questioners' Minyan is a unique exploration of the connection between the Jewish way of prayer and the Jewish vision of a purposeful and caring community.  Rabbi Dov Gartenberg will reveal surprising insights and subtleties that will blow your minds, overcome misconceptions, and illuminate the wisdom of the tradition.

Here are a couple of things to know about the Learners' Minyan.

1. Special Format: Unlike regular worship in synagogues, this specially formatted service allows for your questions and perplexities.

2. Who is This For? For people ranging from those with familiarity with Jewish prayer to folks who have never walked into a synagogue. This is great for persons studying to convert to Judaism who seek basic tools on how to participate in Jewish worship. This mix is ideal for eliciting great questions and serious exploration.

3. Meets on Sunday Instead of Shabbat. We’ll explore the weekday service as a way to learn about the prayers done on Shabbat. No matter what community you come from, you’ll bring insights back to the service you usually attend.  The content is designed to make Jewish worship of any denomination accessible and understandable.

4. Stimulating Spiritually and Intellectually: Whether you are an atheist, a monotheist, or an agnostic this unique learning experience stimulates an exploration of Jewish religious ideas comparing parallel concepts in Christianity, Islam, Eastern religions, and secular philosophies.

The New Mexico Questioners’ Minyan is a pilot program.

Here are the updated dates:

The minyan met for the first time on 1/7

Future meetings 1/28 (changed from  1/21)

February:   2/4, 2/11,

March 3/3, 3/17.

Additional dates will be added by request of participants.  

The Questioners' Minyan is open all backgrounds except for the uncurious.  There is no charge to participate. To help support programs like these, we suggest a voluntary donation of $20. The sessions are available online, especially for folks from other NM communities. Please request online participation when you register to receive the Zoom link. 

The minyan will meet in Rabbi Gartenberg’s home in the North Campus neighborhood of Albuquerque near UNM. Registrants will receive the address with registration as well as a short reading list after registration. New participants can join at any time.  For questions contact Rabbi at dov@shabbatwithfriends.org.

Biv'rachot (with blessings)

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg