Every beit midrash session is different, but here’s the general formula:

7:00 Settle in with food from a local restaurant (Indian, pizza, Thai, etc.) for a quick round of introductions

7:05 Stage-setting in the full group. This may involve framing remarks by the facilitator, discussion of a brief text, or engaging with a short pop culture video.

7:10 First round of havruta study — three-way conversations between two people and a text. (The word havruta relates to the Hebrew word for “friend” or “partner.”) Participants partner with someone they haven’t learned with previously and read the text out loud to each other. Source sheets always include both classic Jewish sources (for example, from the Bible or Talmud) and texts from beyond that canon (sources from other religious traditions, contemporary poetry, blog posts, etc., etc.).

7:25 Regroup and share learnings from havruta study.

7:35 Second round of havruta study, with the same pairs discussing another set of texts.

7:50 Regroup and share learnings.

8:00 Break. Participants who aren’t enrolled in JS123 are free to leave at this time if they wish.

8:05 Stage-setting for the second hour. This hour often, but not always, includes at least one additional round of havruta study (with different partners than the first hour). It may also include small group discussions, creative activities, or other forms of engagement with the evening’s question and with one another.

You can find this year’s source sheets here, and source sheets from prior years here.