Alison Adler Leads Class on Biblical Food Awareness at Temple Beth Zion

By Susie Davidson

CORRESPONDENT

BROOKLINE – This time of year, body and food issues, as well as spirituality, tend to comprise a large part of our post-holiday, more mundane lives. With the hubbub over and the desire for fresh starts prevalent, Temple Beth Zion’s Winter Wednesday Evening Beit Midrash Sessions may have just the thing.

“V'achalta, V'savata, Uvrachta - You Shall Eat, You Shall Be Satisfied, and You Shall Bless (Deuteronomy 8:10), a new course on Jewish Sources on Food, the Body, and Wholeness,” is ongoing through Feb. 26 at the Temple, located at 1566 Beacon St. in Brookline’s Washington Square.

In this course, taught by educator Alison Adler, Judaic texts pertaining to the body and food will be examined as well as related blessings which promote awareness and spirituality. Topics to be discussed include the first sin, the eating of the apple in the Garden of Eden, the concept of the desert food manna, blessings which can be said as a form of meditation, as well as the keeping of kashrut and “eco-kashrut”. Pertinent readings from Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav as well as other Hassidic masters will be included as well.

“The verse in the title is the basis for saying blessings after a meal,” explained Adler. “What is the meaning of ‘sava’, - to be satisfied, nourished? Why does the Torah say ‘You shall eat, and you shall be satisfied, and you shall bless’, and not simply, ‘you shall eat, and you shall bless’?

The verse, near the end of the Torah, reminds the Israelites, about to enter the Promised Land, to remember the source of their blessings. In our modern land of abundance, we usually make our own choices as to what we eat. However, Adler cautions that we must also heed the challenges that accompany choice. “Health, ethics, and just finding time in a ‘fast food’ culture confront us daily,” she said. “How do we make conscious choices in which we, our families, community and beyond can be nourished fully, in body and soul?”

Adler, who holds masters degrees in both Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University and Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, has led programs for college students, teens, and adults regarding body image, food, and Judaism. These have included week-long courses at the National Havurah Summer Institute, where she is a Board Member. In Philadelphia, she helped to create, and was the coordinator of a Food, Body Image, and Judaism: A Conference on Ethnicity and Eating; Sources for Disorder, Resources for Change. She has also organized Rosh Hodesh groups for adolescent girls. She currently is an educator at Temple Aliyah in Needham, a teacher at Prozdor, and a member of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline.

Her concentration, as a student and therapist, was in the field of eating disorders. She decided to pursue Jewish studies and education following a period of living in Israel; her masters thesis was on manna as well as text and ritual as a basis by which to explore the meaning of body image, eating, and satisfaction.

“What comes to mind when we think of Jews and food?” she asked. “Laughter and a few jokes. Grandma’s chicken soup, holiday and Shabbat food, lots of food! We may recall childhood memories, the roots of Jewish identity, history, oppression and celebration, our roots in the Land of Israel.

"This will be a text-based class with an emphasis on experiential learning (eating!), ritual, hevrutah (partner) study, discussion, and engaging weekly assignments," she explained.

To register for this class, which began Jan. 8 and continues on Jan. 22, 29 and Feb.5, 12 and 26 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., please email Alison Adler at apadler@msn.com. For TBZ members the course is free; for non-TBZ members, the cost for the seven-week course is $52. For additional information, or to discuss other possible settings or formats for this course, Alison Adler can be reached at

apadler@msn.com.